Is Edith M Smith Middle School a good school?

Edith M Smith Middle School ranks in the bottom 9.2% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Edith M Smith Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 489 students attended Edith M Smith Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Edith M Smith Middle School?

Students at Edith M Smith Middle School are 78% Hispanic, 13% African American, 5% White, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Edith M Smith Middle School attend?

Students who attend Edith M Smith Middle School usually go on to attend Waukegan High School

Edith M Smith Middle School

Summary:

Edith M. Smith Middle School is a public middle school located in Waukegan, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 503. The school is part of the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, which is ranked 745 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Edith M. Smith Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of Illinois middle schools, with a ranking between 945 and 1237 out of 1363 schools in the state over the past several years. The school's performance on standardized tests is significantly below the state and district averages, with only 14.7% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 5.7% in Mathematics. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 42.2% to 58.9% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Edith M. Smith Middle School has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 71.77% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year.

The challenges faced by Edith M. Smith Middle School are not unique within the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, as the nearby middle schools, such as Jack Benny Middle School, John R. Lewis Middle School, and Miguel Juarez Middle School, also struggle with low academic performance and high chronic absenteeism rates, though to a lesser degree. This suggests that the district as a whole may need to implement comprehensive strategies to address the underlying issues and provide the necessary support and resources to improve student outcomes across all its schools.

Detail:

Public 6-8

930 New York St
Waukegan, IL 60085-2722

(224) 303-2760

District: Waukegan CUSD 60

SchoolDigger Rank:
1237^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,429

Students who attend Edith M Smith Middle School usually attend:

High:

Waukegan High School

Feeder schools for Edith M Smith Middle School:

Elementary:	Glen Flora Elementary School
	Greenwood Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 18.8

Number of students: 489

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.1%

African American:

13.5%

White:

4.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.8%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Edith M Smith Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Edith M Smith Middle School ranks worse than 90.8% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks 3^rd among 5 ranked middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.46. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Edith M Smith Middle School has the smallest middle school student body size in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (78.1%), African American (13.5%), White (4.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 74.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Edith M Smith Middle School is 18.8. 3 middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Edith M Smith Middle School employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Edith M Smith Middle School is $23,429, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Edith M Smith Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Edith M Smith Middle School 1237^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Edith M Smith Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Waukegan CUSD 60:

SchoolDigger ranks Waukegan CUSD 60 745^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Edith M Smith Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	13.93	1004^th	1185	15.3%
2004	13.07	1026^th	1204	14.8%
2005	7.45	1097^th	1209	9.3%
2006	13.15	1110^th	1272	12.7%
2007	15.16	1111^th	1287	13.7%
2008	15.24	1120^th	1293	13.4%
2009	10.27	1207^th	1318	8.4%
2010	12.83	1190^th	1327	10.3%
2011	11.00	1243^rd	1344	7.5%
2012	7.47	1293^rd	1365	5.3%
2013	8.10	1295^th	1367	5.3%
2014	11.01	1218^th	1322	7.9%
2015	19.15	1093^rd	1302	16.1%
2016	23.46	1030^th	1294	20.4%
2017	22.67	1022^nd	1293	21.0%
2018	29.55	905^th	1293	30.0%
2019	25.41	1013^th	1356	25.3%
2021	23.86	945^th	1241	23.9%
2022	23.61	1031^st	1369	24.7%
2023	16.98	1184^th	1367	13.4%
2024	14.46	1237^th	1363	9.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.70	119^th	285	58.2%
2019	34.48	260^th	339	23.3%
2021	59.52	43^rd	277	84.5%
2022	30.02	390^th	454	14.1%
2023	28.79	413^th	480	14.0%
2024	27.34	419^th	486	13.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.12	422^nd	602	29.9%
2019	27.46	652^nd	792	17.7%
2021	37.46	308^th	548	43.8%
2022	31.74	557^th	781	28.7%
2023	23.55	680^th	805	15.5%
2024	20.51	727^th	802	9.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	43.21	624^th	1161	46.3%
2019	35.51	799^th	1217	34.3%
2021	32.40	695^th	1019	31.8%
2022	27.62	923^rd	1221	24.4%
2023	23.74	1018^th	1234	17.5%
2024	19.62	1068^th	1219	12.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	47.19	17^th	36	52.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	30.05	868^th	1226	29.2%
2019	24.20	984^th	1276	22.9%
2021	21.56	825^th	1017	18.9%
2022	23.30	993^rd	1286	22.8%
2023	18.48	1064^th	1275	16.5%
2024	14.58	1136^th	1251	9.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.20	527^th	674	21.8%
2024	28.98	482^nd	639	24.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.40	862^nd	1223	29.5%
2019	27.24	926^th	1296	28.5%
2021	23.82	829^th	1048	20.9%
2022	24.90	956^th	1286	25.7%
2023	16.40	1146^th	1292	11.3%
2024	14.83	1158^th	1264	8.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.55	263^rd	511	48.5%
2019	28.54	443^rd	565	21.6%
2021	46.35	158^th	385	59.0%
2022	31.48	406^th	573	29.1%
2023	23.22	508^th	569	10.7%
2024	17.33	533^rd	548	2.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.19	367^th	590	37.8%
2019	33.42	435^th	639	31.9%
2021	32.68	364^th	517	29.6%
2022	31.21	468^th	662	29.3%
2023	20.91	576^th	661	12.9%
2024	17.51	581^st	643	9.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Edith M Smith Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	3.02	898^th	898	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Love the Administration! Mrs. Brown is caring and understands how to meet emotional needs. She leads by example. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Edith M Smith Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	211	199	10	191	3	n/a	n/a	0	614
1989	180	208	1	172	1	n/a	n/a	0	562
1990	163	198	10	261	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	632
1991	139	201	7	267	0	n/a	n/a	0	614
1992	125	204	6	341	0	n/a	n/a	0	676
1993	139	222	18	271	0	n/a	n/a	0	650
1994	123	210	23	388	0	n/a	n/a	0	744
1995	111	208	17	462	0	n/a	n/a	0	798
1996	111	208	17	462	0	n/a	n/a	0	798
1997	70	154	14	393	0	n/a	n/a	0	631
1998	62	158	22	347	3	n/a	n/a	0	592
1999	53	138	16	335	2	n/a	n/a	0	544
2000	47	143	12	374	2	n/a	n/a	0	578
2001	52	135	5	408	1	n/a	n/a	0	601
2002	44	165	5	434	0	n/a	n/a	0	648
2003	44	165	5	434	0	n/a	n/a	0	648
2004	41	166	4	495	0	n/a	n/a	0	706
2005	35	167	5	546	0	n/a	n/a	0	753
2006	26	167	3	577	0	n/a	n/a	2	775
2007	26	146	7	561	0	n/a	n/a	4	744
2008	19	152	7	499	0	n/a	n/a	10	687
2009	20	157	10	442	1	n/a	n/a	6	636
2010	25	139	4	430	0	n/a	n/a	16	614
2011	24	128	1	445	1	3	16	0	618
2012	28	118	1	462	3	2	17	0	631
2013	18	108	3	485	3	1	20	0	638
2014	11	120	6	497	3	1	14	0	652
2015	13	104	6	501	2	1	12	0	639
2016	16	111	1	490	8	0	10	0	636
2017	15	103	2	507	9	1	9	0	646
2018	19	105	2	486	6	0	8	0	626
2019	16	109	4	546	8	1	9	0	693
2020	20	99	1	537	9	1	9	0	676
2021	21	108	2	455	10	1	14	0	611
2022	22	100	1	418	3	0	14	0	558
2023	16	87	3	383	2	1	11	0	503
2024	24	66	1	382	3	1	12	0	489

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Edith M Smith Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	614	38.0	16.1	n/a
1989	562	36.0	15.6	n/a
1990	632	33.0	19.1	n/a
1991	614	34.0	18.0	n/a
1992	676	40.0	16.9	n/a
1993	650	40.3	16.1	n/a
1994	744	44.0	16.9	n/a
1995	798	43.0	18.6	n/a
1996	798	43.0	18.6	n/a
1997	631	36.0	17.5	n/a
1998	592	37.0	16.0	n/a
1999	544	30.0	18.1	n/a
2000	578	34.0	17.0	n/a
2001	601	38.0	15.8	n/a
2002	648	33.0	19.6	71.3
2003	648	33.0	19.6	71.3
2004	706	36.0	19.6	68
2005	753	41.7	18.1	76.8
2006	775	46.7	16.6	69.1
2007	744	52.0	14.3	66.4
2008	687	46.0	14.9	74.2
2009	636	54.0	11.8	58.4
2010	614	57.0	10.7	80.4
2011	618	54.0	11.4	72.7
2012	631	55.3	11.4	63.2
2013	638	57.2	11.1	n/a
2014	652	45.5	14.3	71.6
2015	639	54.0	11.8	74.6
2016	636	40.0	15.9	58.6
2017	646	45.0	14.3	75.1
2018	626	40.0	15.6	76.5
2019	693	37.0	18.7	71.4
2020	676	44.0	15.3	72.3
2021	611	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	558	41.0	13.6	73.3
2023	503	47.5	10.5	71.8
2024	489	26.0	18.8	74.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Edith M Smith Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	614	38.0	16.1	n/a
1989	562	36.0	15.6	n/a
1990	632	33.0	19.1	n/a
1991	614	34.0	18.0	n/a
1992	676	40.0	16.9	n/a
1993	650	40.3	16.1	n/a
1994	744	44.0	16.9	n/a
1995	798	43.0	18.6	n/a
1996	798	43.0	18.6	n/a
1997	631	36.0	17.5	n/a
1998	592	37.0	16.0	n/a
1999	544	30.0	18.1	n/a
2000	578	34.0	17.0	n/a
2001	601	38.0	15.8	n/a
2002	648	33.0	19.6	71.3
2003	648	33.0	19.6	71.3
2004	706	36.0	19.6	68
2005	753	41.7	18.1	76.8
2006	775	46.7	16.6	69.1
2007	744	52.0	14.3	66.4
2008	687	46.0	14.9	74.2
2009	636	54.0	11.8	58.4
2010	614	57.0	10.7	80.4
2011	618	54.0	11.4	72.7
2012	631	55.3	11.4	63.2
2013	638	57.2	11.1	n/a
2014	652	45.5	14.3	71.6
2015	639	54.0	11.8	74.6
2016	636	40.0	15.9	58.6
2017	646	45.0	14.3	75.1
2018	626	40.0	15.6	76.5
2019	693	37.0	18.7	71.4
2020	676	44.0	15.3	72.3
2021	611	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	558	41.0	13.6	73.3
2023	503	47.5	10.5	71.8
2024	489	26.0	18.8	74.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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