Hawthorn Elem School North, Vernon Hills IL

Original Research by School Decision on Hawthorn Elem School North

Hawthorn Elem School North is a K-5 elementary school in Vernon Hills, Illinois, serving a school-age population of roughly 375 students split fairly evenly across first through fifth grade, with a small sixth-grade cohort. The school sits in Hawthorn CCSD 73, a district that has recently completed a major building renovation program and extended the school day starting in 2023-24, a change that affects daily schedules for every family.

Student composition at Hawthorn North is mixed by race and ethnicity, with a plurality of white students alongside substantial shares of Asian, Hispanic, and other students. The school draws from the Vernon Hills area, a suburban community that has been growing steadily, with ongoing mixed-use development projects like the Hawthorn Row redevelopment and Mellody Farm adding retail, apartments, and new single-family homes. Housing values in the area are moderate to higher-moderate for the region, and the community includes a mix of established subdivisions and newer residential projects.

State test results show uneven performance across grade levels and subjects. Third and fourth graders demonstrated stronger proficiency in math than in English language arts, while fifth graders showed more balanced results. The school reported math proficiency in the range where most students were proficient, ELA proficiency notably lower in grade three but stronger in grades four and five, and science proficiency in grade five that sits below the other core subjects. Test participation was complete in reading and math across all tested grades. A parent may want to look into what instructional or support strategies the school is using, particularly in English language arts at the third-grade level and in science overall. State testing data for grades six and beyond was not available, which reflects that this school serves grades one through five; science assessment is administered only at grade five in Illinois elementary schools.

When compared against other school districts in Lake County, Hawthorn North's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint, indicating performance stronger than many neighboring districts in the county. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data do not apply to an elementary school.

The district has invested in facility upgrades through a completed voter-approved bond program, and the school day was extended starting in 2023-24 to provide more instructional time. All preschool services are now consolidated at the tri-district Lincoln Early Learning Center in Mundelein, so families with younger siblings receive those services at a shared off-campus site rather than at their neighborhood school. The combination of extended school hours, recent facility improvements, and mixed academic performance in tested grades suggests a school with adequate infrastructure and instructional commitment, though reading proficiency at the third-grade level warrants attention from families looking for strong primary-grade language arts support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 59% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 62% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 53% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 52% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 64% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 64% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 52% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

This schoolHawthorn CCSD 73, 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.