North Prairie Jr High, Winthrop Harbor IL

Original Research by School Decision on North Prairie Jr High

North Prairie Jr High serves grades five through eight in Winthrop Harbor, a small lakefront village on Lake Michigan at the Illinois-Wisconsin border. The school sits within the residential fabric of the community rather than on an isolated campus, embedded in a village organized around its Metra station and the adjacent North Point Marina State Recreation Area.

The school enrolls a small student body that is diverse in composition. White students make up a plurality of enrollment, followed by a substantial share of Hispanic students, with smaller populations of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The enrollment across the four grades is relatively balanced, though sixth grade is notably larger. Data on free or reduced price lunch eligibility was not available, nor were counts of students receiving special education services or English learner support.

State assessment results from Illinois show a mixed picture across the middle grades. In English language arts, eighth-grade proficiency stands out as notably strong, while seventh-grade results are considerably weaker. Grades five and six both show moderate proficiency. In mathematics, results are consistently below fifth grade through seventh grade, with modest growth moving into eighth grade. Science proficiency tested only in grades five and eight, shows lower results in grade five and moderate results in grade eight. Across the school, the overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the districts in Lake County, but the variation by grade and subject suggests that support systems may need sharpening, particularly in grades five through seven and in math.

Assessment participation rates were high across grades, indicating strong student attendance on testing days. The school's latest data carries a note that state proficiency cut scores shifted this year, so direct comparison with prior years is limited by the assessment change.

Winthrop Harbor SD 1, the parent district, is a small district serving just this village. No recent major referenda, tax shifts, or curriculum changes of lasting parent relevance were documented in available sources, so the district's strategic direction and capacity investments remain unclear from public reporting.

Housing in the surrounding Lake County market is appreciating steadily, with median home values in the mid-range for the region and inventory showing modest seasonal patterns. The village itself has a slow, incremental growth trajectory, with newer traditional homes on the west side complementing mid-to-late-20th-century ranches and tri-levels to the east. Residents are mostly homeowners, and the community has a rural feel despite its proximity to Metra rail access to Chicago.

North Prairie Jr High is appropriate for families seeking a small-school environment in an established residential community where students will attend classes alongside mixed-income, mixed-race peers. Families considering this school may want to examine the school's specific supports for mathematics and the lower grades directly with the school, to understand how the current variation in proficiency is being addressed.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 47%

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

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 877%

School 77% · District 77%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolWinthrop Harbor SD 1, 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.