May Whitney Elem School, Lake Zurich IL

Original Research by School Decision on May Whitney Elem School

May Whitney Elementary School is an early-childhood through grade-five school in Lake Zurich, a northwest Chicago suburb with a small-town character. The school sits on Church Street and serves a school population of roughly mid-sized enrollment for its grade band, drawn from a residential community where many households are stable and longer-term.

The school's student body is predominantly white, with Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students making up the remainder. Demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations were not available, so a reader looking for information on economic need or the prevalence of students with individualized education plans may want to contact the school directly.

Academically, May Whitney's proficiency in math and English language arts falls in the top quartile of Lake County's elementary schools. In the most recent state testing year, the school's math proficiency in grades three and four ran solidly strong, while grade-five math proficiency was notably lower, a pattern that may reflect either curriculum shifts as students enter upper elementary or a particular cohort dynamic. English language arts results were consistently strong across grades three through five. Science proficiency, measured in grade five, came in at a lower level. Reading across the results, the school shows strength in early-elementary literacy and mid-range math, with a softness in late-elementary math and science that a parent may want to explore further with the school, particularly if their child struggles with quantitative reasoning or hands-on learning.

The school is brand new. District 95 completed a full rebuild of the May Whitney building, replacing a structure that had stood for roughly a century. The new facility added air conditioning, modern learning spaces, and enhanced security that the prior building lacked. For families weighing this school, the facility itself is an asset: no deferred maintenance, no aging systems, and contemporary design meant to support current teaching methods.

Lake Zurich itself is a residential suburb organized around a lake that anchors civic and recreational life. The village has a small-town feel despite its suburban location, with local employers in manufacturing, retail, and professional services, and modest housing growth. Home values in the area are solid and trending upward, and the rental market is active. The community supports small-scale events and a farmers market but lacks critical mass in downtown retail and dining outside those civic anchors. Schools operate on separate suburban campuses rather than in a downtown core.

The district recently adopted a strategic plan emphasizing AI integration in the classroom, signaling a multi-year shift toward technology-enabled instruction. The district's secondary schools have received federal recognition as National Blue Ribbon Schools, which parents can interpret as a sign of sustained academic strength extending beyond elementary grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 75% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 77% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 67% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 377%

School 77% · District 76% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 84%

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

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 85% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 69% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolLake Zurich CUSD 95, 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.