The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Math. The lowest is 48% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Timothy Ball Elementary School
Timothy Ball Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Crown Point, a lake county seat roughly an hour from Chicago. The school is part of the Crown Point Community School Corporation, a district that renewed an operating referendum in 2023 to support teacher pay and programming.
The school enrolls several hundred students, a size that allows for grade-level sections. The student body is predominantly white, with a significant Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. About a third of students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch, a metric that positions the school as moderately less affluent than some of its peers in the county but still suburban in character.
On the state’s ILEARN assessments, the school shows an uneven picture. In math, a majority of students in grades three through eight scored at or above the proficient level, a result that places overall academic performance in the top quarter compared with other schools in Lake County. In English language arts, just under half of students reached proficiency, a soft spot that a parent may want to explore further with the school. In science, slightly more than half of tested students scored proficient. In social studies, which the state tests only at grade five, about three in five students were proficient. These results mean the school’s overall academic profile is strong relative to the county, but the gap between math and English language arts is worth noting.
The surrounding community is Crown Point, a city of steady population growth centered on a historic courthouse square. The downtown has restaurants, breweries, a meadery, shops, and a ballroom, with a weekly farmers’ market, summer car cruises, and festivals. The courthouse houses a historical society museum. Parks include a county park with disc golf and a multi-use sportsplex. Outside the downtown core, Crown Point is a conventional suburban layout of residential neighborhoods and car-dependent streets. Housing values in the local zip code are above the state median and roughly even with the national median, reflecting demand for the area. Rents are moderate relative to incomes.
The school itself sits in one of those residential areas, on a campus separated from the main commercial corridor. Grade bands run from pre-kindergarten through fifth, and the school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. No information was found about special education or English learner populations at the school level, so a parent with a child needing those supports should ask the district directly. The school lacks data on chronic absenteeism and discipline, and no information was available about course access or staffing ratios.
For a family looking at this school, the draw is a solid academic footing in math and social studies, a community with a walkable downtown and strong civic anchors, and a district that voters have backed with tax support. The weaker ELA results suggest that for a child who needs extra reading support, a parent will want to understand what interventions are in place. The school serves only elementary grades, so a family with older children would be looking at a different building in the same district. The district’s operating referendum renewal signals that local voters are willing to fund the system, which can provide stability in offerings.
See more original research from School Decision →