The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodland Elementary
Woodland Elementary serves grades one through three in Gages Lake, a residential unincorporated community in Lake County. The school has an enrollment of roughly fourteen hundred students across three grade levels, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial shares of white, Asian, and Black students. The neighborhood is a built-out suburban area of owner-occupied single-family homes, mostly constructed between the nineteen-forties and nineteen-nineties, centered around the lake itself and characterized by upper-middle-income households.
On the most recent state assessment data available, third-grade math proficiency sits below the midpoint when compared to districts across Lake County, as does third-grade English language arts proficiency. Testing participation in both subjects is very high. The school does not administer state science or social studies assessments, which is standard for elementary schools in Illinois—those tests are not given until higher grades.
Woodland Elementary sits below the midpoint overall when measured by proficiency index, a composite of reported proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades, relative to other schools in Lake County districts. The assessment data reflect the school's actual performance; a parent may want to discuss with the school what instructional or support approaches are in place to address these results and what pathways exist for students needing additional help in foundational skills.
The housing market around Gages Lake has been appreciating, with median home values above the state benchmark. Rental costs are also elevated, and rent-to-income ratio suggests housing takes up a meaningful share of household budgets even in this higher-income area. The local labor market is characterized by modest unemployment. The school sits on Gages Lake Road amid a cluster of educational campuses rather than in a walkable town center. Daily life is anchored by the Wildwood Park District's network of small neighborhood parks and the lake itself. The area is essentially built out, with new growth coming as infill and teardown-rebuilds rather than large subdivisions.
The district itself, Woodland CCSD 50, is a small regular public school district. No major referendums, curriculum shifts, or other parent-relevant policy changes with confirmable sourcing have been reported in recent years.
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