The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on H R Mccall Elem School
H R McCall Elem School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Waukegan, a mid-sized industrial port city on Lake Michigan about 36 miles north of downtown Chicago. The school sits in a neighborhood setting within Waukegan Community Unit School District 60, the county seat's public system.
The school enrolls a small population spread evenly across its grade bands. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population and smaller groups of Asian and white students. The school draws from a working-class community; while free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, housing values and rental costs in the zip code run below both state and national benchmarks, and Waukegan's economy centers on manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and transportation. This setting shapes both the families served and the academic context.
State testing results from the most recent year show uneven performance. In English language arts, the school's results improve across the grade span: third-grade students proficiency lags considerably, but by fourth and fifth grades, roughly half or more of students meet proficiency standards. Mathematics is weaker. Third-grade math proficiency is very low; fourth grade climbs to roughly half proficient; fifth grade drops back to about one-third. In science, fifth-grade proficiency sits below one-fifth. Across these tested subjects and grades, the school's average proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of the county's districts.
A parent might reasonably ask what accounts for the third-grade math and the early English language arts gaps, and whether targeted intervention or different instructional approaches are in place. The data does not explain those patterns. The school's participation rate in state testing is complete, so the results reflect the enrolled population. Fifth-grade English language arts strength relative to earlier grades and to math suggests that some students gain ground as they progress, which is worth understanding in conversation with school staff.
The school is part of a district navigating significant structural change. Waukegan CUSD 60 is currently restructuring its high school, a reshaping that will affect every family with secondary-age students. The district is also actively recruiting teachers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, historically Black colleges, and other markets to fill bilingual and hard-to-fill positions, a strategy that signals ongoing staffing pressures and may result in classroom staffing transitions.
Waukegan itself is pursuing long-running downtown and lakefront revitalization, with a focus on restoring mixed-use urban neighborhood character and adding affordable housing. Civic anchors include a historic downtown core with galleries and public art, the Waukegan Public Library, lakefront parks and beach, and Metra commuter rail service to downtown Chicago. Housing in the area is relatively affordable relative to the Chicago region and state, though values and rents have risen modestly in the past year. For families seeking an elementary school in an urban, working-class setting with accessible commuter transit and lower housing costs, McCall is a straightforward neighborhood option. The academic results suggest parents should have direct conversations with school leadership about instructional priorities in the lower grades and long-term academic trajectories for their children.
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