The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Science. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on W J Murphy Elem School
W J Murphy Elementary serves grades one through five in Round Lake Park, a quiet residential lakeside community in central Lake County. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of white, Black, and multiracial students. More than three-quarters of the enrollment is Hispanic; this composition reflects the broader demographics of the school's attendance area.
Academic proficiency across state testing is low. In math, proficiency rates from the most recent test year range from single digits in third and fifth grade to under ten percent in fourth grade. English language arts shows similarly weak results, with proficiency rates of roughly three percent in third grade, around fifteen percent in fourth grade, and thirteen percent in fifth grade. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level, the only grade tested, sits at roughly thirty percent, the strongest subject-grade combination the school reports. These numbers place the school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency when compared to the county's districts. A parent may want to look into what curriculum changes and instructional strategies the school and district are implementing to address this gap.
The district itself has undertaken substantial recent shifts. Beginning in fall 2024, Round Lake CUSD 116 restructured its elementary model from the traditional one-building, grades-1-5 approach to what it calls a Partner School model, which changes where students attend and how grade levels are organized. The district has also deployed iPads to all students K-12 through its 1:Wonder Technology Program, shifting daily classroom practice toward device-based learning. For 2025-26, the district is adopting i-Ready for K-8 math instruction and a new vendor, VAST Learning, for high school math. These are significant instructional overhauls. The district did face a sizable budget forecasting error discovered early in the 2024-25 school year, which it is addressing through administrative reductions and hiring freezes over several years. Parents considering Round Lake schools should understand both the pedagogical restructuring underway and the financial adjustments that may affect staffing and operations.
Round Lake Park itself is a modest village, anchored by lake access and park trails rather than a dense downtown. Housing values and rental rates in the zip code are moderate for the region. The community is car-dependent; however, residents within walking distance of the school report being able to reach the elementary, middle, and high schools on foot. Growth in Round Lake Park is slow and infill-oriented, with locals reinvesting in older homes. More substantial new development is occurring in the adjacent Village of Round Lake, which has seen rapid population growth and is investing in a downtown renewal and Metra rail connection roughly three miles from Round Lake Park.
W J Murphy is a traditional public elementary school with no specialized magnet or charter status. Grade-level enrollments are steady across the school. State testing data was available; free-or-reduced-price-lunch data and special population counts (English learners, special education) were not reported in the available records. Parents interested in the school's student support services and the composition of its learner population may want to contact the school directly for that context.
See more original research from School Decision →