Original Research by School Decision on Spaulding Elementary School
Spaulding Elementary School is a public school serving pre-kindergarten through second grade in Gurnee, a car-centric suburban village in Lake County dominated by retail and tourism anchors like Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills. The school enrolls roughly a mid-sized cohort of early-learners and sits within Gurnee SD 56, a district of four schools that serves a student population reflective of the region's diversity and economic mix.
The school's student composition is notably diverse. Nearly half of students identify as Hispanic, with roughly a quarter Black, a small share Asian, and roughly one-fifth white, plus a small number of students identifying as two or more races. The racial and ethnic balance is meaningful context for a family choosing a school: peers come from a range of backgrounds and home languages. Data on the specific count of English learners and special education students was not available, so families seeking detail on support for those populations would benefit from asking the school directly.
Gurnee's housing market sits in the mid-range for the Chicago region. Home values in the zip code have risen modestly over the past year, and monthly rental housing is accessible at a moderate level relative to local median household income. The neighborhood is entirely car-dependent; there is no walk-up transit, and school drop-off and pick-up will rely on personal vehicle use. Residential areas are made up of mid-century ranch and split-level homes that reflect the suburb's post-war growth. If proximity to parks matters to your family, the Gurnee Park District manages over thirty green spaces including Betty Russell Community Park, and several forest preserves ring the area.
Spaulding serves the earliest grades, so state assessment data does not apply; no proficiency results, graduation rates, or attendance metrics are available for this school because kindergarten through second grade are not tested under Illinois state accountability measures. What is available is enrollment and demographic detail. The school's total enrollment is distributed across the four grade bands it serves, with the largest cohort in second grade.
A meaningful district-level change affects Spaulding families directly. Gurnee SD 56 has implemented the federal Community Eligibility Program, which means all students across the district receive free breakfast and lunch without requiring a household application. For families managing tight budgets or navigating complex enrollment paperwork, this removes a barrier. The district is also implementing a strategic initiative called the Portrait of a Graduate, a framework designed to shape what skills and dispositions every student develops through eighth grade. This represents a shift in how the district thinks about learning beyond test scores and is being shared as a model at national superintendent conferences, so a parent enrolling in Spaulding is joining a system with deliberate pedagogical direction.
The school's website was not available in the data provided, so families would need to visit it directly or contact the district to learn specifics about classroom practices, enrichment offerings, or how Spaulding implements the district's strategic goals in early elementary.
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