The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lotus School
Lotus School is a small elementary school in Spring Grove, Illinois, serving prekindergarten through fourth grade. The school's enrollment is stable and modest for this grade band, with balanced gender enrollment and a student body that is majority white, with meaningful Hispanic and multiracial representation and smaller shares of Black and Asian students. No data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learners, or special education were reported, so a parent looking for that context would need to contact the school directly.
On state testing in math and English language arts, Lotus's results lag the county median. In third-grade math, the school reported proficiency slightly below the threshold that defines the county's middle ground; fourth-grade math proficiency dropped further. English language arts results in third and fourth grade tracked similarly low. These numbers suggest that a meaningful share of students are not yet meeting grade-level standards in foundational skills, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around what interventions or support systems exist for students working below proficiency.
The school's position places it in the bottom quartile among Lake County's districts on overall proficiency. This is the main academic data point available; graduation rate does not apply because the school does not serve high school grades, and chronic absenteeism data were not reported.
Spring Grove itself is a car-oriented, affluent residential commuter village in McHenry County, roughly an hour northwest of Chicago. Homes sit on larger lots, often an acre or more, in subdivisions outside a small central business corridor; the typical home is valued substantially above the Illinois average. The area has been one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the county, with ongoing new residential development. Residents are heavily auto-dependent, and public transit is limited. The community is anchored by outdoor recreation, including nearby state parks and forest preserves, rather than by dense urban amenities. Civic life centers on small-town traditions; library service is provided by a branch about a few miles away in nearby Richmond.
The district, Fox Lake GSD 114, is small, operating two schools: Lotus Elementary in Spring Grove and Stanton Middle School in Fox Lake. In 2020, voters approved a property-tax rate referendum that funded building repairs, safety upgrades such as secured entrances, higher teacher salaries, and updated curricular materials. The district had previously been the lowest-paying in the Lake County's 96 districts, and the referendum was designed to address teacher retention and facility conditions while holding homeowners' overall tax bills roughly level. That investment structure remains in place and shapes the district's current financial footing and facility quality.
Parent interest in Lotus would likely pivot on one's comfort with low state proficiency numbers balanced against the school's small size, community setting, and the district's recent commitment to facility safety and staff retention. The broader enrollment demographics and community context would appeal to families seeking a smaller, tight-knit elementary environment in a suburban residential area with access to outdoor recreation, though the test-score floor and lack of reported school-specific intervention or enrichment data are gaps a prospective parent should investigate.
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