The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in Math. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Glenwood Elementary School
Glenwood Elementary School is a school of about that size serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Waukegan, a mid-sized industrial port city on Lake Michigan north of Chicago. The school draws its student body overwhelmingly from the Hispanic community in the city, with a smaller Black population and very small Asian and white populations. Free or reduced-price lunch participation data were not available, so the economic composition of the school cannot be fully characterized.
The most recent state test results show plainly that Glenwood's students are struggling with proficiency across tested subjects. In third grade, fewer than half of students reached proficiency in mathematics, and performance drops sharply in fourth and fifth grade, where proficiency in math falls to very low levels. English language arts performance follows a similar pattern, starting at low levels in third grade and improving somewhat by fifth grade but remaining well below proficiency for the majority of students. In science, fifth grade results show proficiency levels that are quite low. These results position Glenwood in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency among districts across Lake County.
No state testing results are available for grades six through eight because the school serves only through fifth grade. A graduation rate does not apply for the same reason.
The school's enrollment is solid and fairly stable across its grade levels, with roughly equivalent numbers of students in each grade band. Testing participation rates are high, above 97 percent in most grades, which means the results reflect nearly the full cohort of enrolled students. A parent may want to look into further what support structures and intervention approaches the school has in place for students working below proficiency, and how the school communicates progress and next steps to families.
Waukegan itself is undergoing significant civic investment and change. The city has been working since the mid-2000s to revitalize its downtown and lakefront through a master plan that called for mixed-use urban renewal. That effort was slowed by the economic downturn and environmental cleanup issues but has restarted with state and federal funding. Downtown has a walkable historic core with galleries, restaurants, and the Genesee Theatre anchoring a monthly art walk, and the lakefront offers harbor, beach, and concert space. The Waukegan Metra station connects the city to Chicago and beyond. Employment is concentrated in manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, and retail, with major employers including Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, and Naval Station Great Lakes to the south. Housing in the zip code is relatively affordable compared to regional benchmarks, with median home values below state and national averages and rent costs in the modest range, making the area accessible for working families.
The district itself is in transition. Waukegan CUSD 60 is restructuring its sole comprehensive high school, Waukegan High School, which operates across two campuses (Brookside for grades nine and ten, Washington for grades eleven and twelve). This restructuring includes changes to which campus students attend and has required more than a dozen administrators to reapply for their positions. This reshapes the secondary experience for families moving students into ninth grade. The district has also expanded its teacher recruitment efforts to fill bilingual and special education vacancies, including international recruitment from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and historically Black colleges and universities.
For parents evaluating Glenwood, the picture is of a school serving a community with deep need around academic proficiency, in a city with real civic momentum and affordable housing, but where the district context is shifting and the school's test performance reflects substantial challenges in reading and math instruction. The school's role and standing within its district, and the specific interventions it is pursuing to address proficiency gaps, would be worth exploring directly with the school.
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