The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Math. The lowest is 57% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Willard Elem School
Willard Elementary is a neighborhood public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Evanston, located in the city's western residential area. The school operates as part of Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65, which also serves Skokie and is currently navigating major structural changes that will reshape attendance boundaries and school assignments across the district.
The school's recent academic performance shows mixed results across tested grades. In third-grade math, proficiency is solid. By fourth grade, math proficiency drops and remains a softer area for the school. In fifth-grade math, proficiency is notably below the midpoint, while fifth-grade English language arts performance is notably stronger. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits at a moderate level. The data carrying these results reflects a new state assessment design, so comparison to prior years is not available. When viewed against the other schools serving tested grades in Cook County, Willard's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, meaning it is performing above a substantial majority of its county peers, though this positioning carries the note that county schools themselves span a wide range.
The enrollment is small, with about even representation across the lower grades. The student body is racially diverse, with roughly equal shares of white and Hispanic students and a meaningful population of other races and ethnicities; Asian enrollment is minimal and Black enrollment represents a modest share. Free and reduced lunch data was not available for this school, so family economic circumstances cannot be assessed from the data provided. Special education and English learner enrollment counts and rates were not disclosed.
Evanston itself is a mixed-character lakefront city just north of Chicago, anchored by Northwestern University and a notably walkable downtown core. The housing market there reflects the region's values, with median home prices in the range of a high-end single-family home and rental costs correspondingly elevated. The area is well-served by transit, including CTA and Metra connections. The city has remained relatively stable in population over recent years and is pursuing housing growth through several major development projects.
District 65 is in the middle of significant restructuring. The district is closing both Kingsley Elementary and Dr. Bessie Rhodes School, the district's only fully bilingual school, at the end of this school year, and will open a new Foster Elementary in the Fifth Ward for the 2026-27 school year. Willard itself operated a Two-Way Spanish-English Immersion program that families were recently told will close after this school year, with displaced families offered the option to transfer to the immersion program at the new Foster School. These closures and openings will shift attendance boundaries, redistricting many families and altering school assignments. Beyond facilities, the district in 2023 adopted a new K-5 literacy curriculum to replace an older approach that came under criticism for foundational reading instruction, so teaching methods in reading and writing have shifted across all elementary grades. The district also restructured middle school math starting in 2021, eliminating acceleration tracks and placing all students on an advanced common sequence, a change that affects how students transition from elementary through middle years. On the financial side, District 65 has raised property tax levies by the maximum allowed in both 2023 and 2024 and is publicly considering whether to place a new operating referendum on the March ballot, as the previous referendum has not closed the structural budget gap. Property tax bills and program stability may depend on whether a referendum passes.
A parent evaluating Willard should understand that the school itself sits in an upper-quartile performance position relative to its county, but it is embedded in a district navigating active change in school portfolio, curriculum, structure, and finances. The immersion program closure means current families should factor in potential reassignment. The broader district picture warrants direct conversation with the school and district to understand how the ongoing transitions might affect your family's pathway through the elementary years and beyond.
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