The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on John R Lewis Middle School
John R. Lewis Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in Waukegan, an industrial port city on Lake Michigan about an hour north of Chicago. The school sits within Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 and draws from a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial Black enrollment and smaller populations of other backgrounds. The school was renamed in 2021 from Thomas Jefferson Middle School to honor the civil rights leader.
The testing data that is available shows below-average academic proficiency. In English language arts, students in grades six, seven, and eight scored roughly between a third and a bit below four in ten students meeting proficiency. Math proficiency was weaker still, with all three grades hovering near one in five students scoring at proficient levels or above. Science proficiency in eighth grade was roughly three in ten. The school's proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in Lake County. These are low results. State testing data was not available for grades three through five, both because the school does not serve those grades and because Illinois assesses those grades with a different test; sixth through eighth grade results show the academic standing of this middle school's actual enrollment.
Enrollment is stable at a mid-sized middle school for this grade band, with roughly balanced cohorts across the three grades. The student demographic profile reflects Waukegan's population: about eighty percent of students are Hispanic, roughly sixteen percent Black, and the remainder distributed among other groups. The school meets full participation rates for state testing, indicating that absences or opt-outs are not a factor in the performance picture.
Specific data on free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, English learner population, and school discipline were not available. These gaps often reflect data reporting practices or the timeliness of public releases, so a parent may want to contact the school directly to understand the composition of needs the building serves and the support systems in place.
The district is in the midst of significant restructuring of its high school, with changes to which campuses serve which grades and more than a dozen administrators told they may need to reapply for roles. The district has also expanded recruitment of teachers from bilingual and diverse-learner specializations through direct travel to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and historically Black colleges and universities, which signals ongoing staffing challenges in meeting student needs.
Waukegan itself is a working-class city with a strong industrial heritage, a walkable and actively revitalized downtown with galleries and cultural venues, and a lakefront that serves as a civic anchor. Housing values in the area are moderate, and the city is well-served by Metra commuter rail and local bus routes. Major employers in and near Waukegan include Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Naval Station Great Lakes, and Rosalind Franklin University, concentrated in manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare. The city has long pursued downtown and lakefront revitalization, with recent progress on waterfront neighborhoods and affordable housing. For families considering John R. Lewis, the school offers a middle grades program in a city with growing civic investment, but the academic proficiency levels warrant careful discussion with the school about instruction, support, and learning approaches for your child.
See more original research from School Decision →