Richard F Bernotas Middle Sch, Crystal Lake IL

Original Research by School Decision on Richard F Bernotas Middle Sch

Richard F. Bernotas Middle School serves the middle grades in Crystal Lake's public district, a suburban community about forty-five miles northwest of Chicago anchored by a historic downtown, two Metra commuter rail stations, and active mixed-use development. The school draws from a growing residential area with substantial new apartment and townhome construction underway, meaning the enrollment and family profile may shift over the next few years.

The school enrolls a mid-sized cohort across grades six through eight. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share identifying as Hispanic and smaller populations of Asian and Black students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the socioeconomic composition and the services available to families with lower incomes.

Academically, state testing data show a split picture. In English language arts, the school's proficiency rates are solid and consistent: middle grades students are performing at about mid-to-high levels across grades six, seven, and eight. In science, eighth-grade proficiency is above the midpoint for the county's districts. Mathematics proficiency, by contrast, is notably lower. Sixth-graders show very low proficiency; seventh-graders perform better, roughly at the county median; eighth-graders drop back down to around the low-to-mid range. The gap between math and language arts at this school is substantial, and a parent may want to ask whether the school has identified causes and interventions for the math weakness.

The school reports a test participation rate consistently above ninety-seven percent, indicating strong engagement with state assessment. It is a regular public middle school with no special magnet or charter designation.

Housing in Crystal Lake's market is moderately priced and actively appreciating. The area around the school is in the midst of significant new residential development, with several large apartment complexes and townhome communities under construction or recently completed. The school's attendance boundaries were redrawn for the 2025-2026 school year, so families moving into these new developments may find that their address determines which of several middle schools they attend.

At the district level, Crystal Lake CCSD 47 has faced budget pressures tied to a new teacher contract and reductions in federal funding. Staff cuts have been announced for the 2025-2026 school year affecting about thirty positions, with elementary band and gifted enrichment programs facing staffing reductions. A substantial federal grant supporting district mental health services was also terminated in 2025. These changes may affect the range of supports and enrichment offerings available to students, and a parent considering this school would benefit from asking the school what specific services and programs remain.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 26% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 40% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 30% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 52% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 54% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 58% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 54% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolCrystal Lake CCSD 47, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.