Original Research by School Decision on Rice Childrens Center
Rice Children's Center is an alternative school serving grades one through eight in Evanston, located on Washington Street. As an alternative school, it serves a student population with distinct academic or behavioral needs that differ from traditional neighborhood schools, though the data available does not detail the specific population it targets, the nature of its curriculum, or its enrollment.
The school's enrollment data, academic performance metrics, and student demographic information are not currently available. State testing results, a graduation rate (not applicable to an elementary and middle school), attendance data, chronic absenteeism figures, and information on the share of students receiving free or reduced-price meals or qualifying as English learners or receiving special education are either not reported or not accessible. The school's website was not located. Without these details, it is not possible to characterize the school's academic standing, student support systems, or peer environment from available sources.
Rice Children's Center is part of Evanston CCSD 65, which serves Evanston and Skokie. The district is currently navigating significant structural changes. It is closing Kingsley Elementary and the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies (the district's only fully bilingual school) at the end of the 2025-26 school year and opening a new Foster Elementary in Evanston's Fifth Ward for the 2026-27 school year, which will host the relocated Two-Way Immersion program. These closures and boundary shifts are reshaping the district's elementary footprint. The district also adopted a new literacy curriculum in 2023, replacing the long-used Lucy Calkins approach, and restructured middle school math beginning in 2021 to use a common advanced sequence for all students rather than separate tracked classes.
The district faces a structural budget deficit and has raised property tax levies to the maximum permitted in recent years. School officials are publicly considering an operating tax referendum for the March 2026 ballot to close the gap; whether future programming and services remain stable depends in part on voter approval.
Evanston itself is a lakefront city just north of Chicago, anchored by Northwestern University and strong regional health and education employment. The community is notably walkable with downtown and neighborhood shopping areas connected by CTA Purple Line and Metra service. Housing values and rents in the Evanston area reflect an above-median-priced market relative to Illinois; the area is home to growing professional and service sectors but faces affordability constraints for many households. The city is actively pursuing housing growth through multiple development projects and inclusionary housing policies.
A parent considering Rice Children's Center would benefit from direct contact with the school to learn about its educational approach, admission criteria, current enrollment, academic outcomes, and how it serves its student population. The absence of public data makes it essential to gather this information directly.
See more original research from School Decision →