Is Waukegan High School a good school?

Waukegan High School ranks in the bottom 23.0% of Illinois high schools.

How many students attend Waukegan High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 4,325 students attended Waukegan High School.

What is the racial makeup of Waukegan High School?

Students at Waukegan High School are 82% Hispanic, 12% African American, 2% White, 2% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Waukegan High School?

Waukegan High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Carman-Buckner Elementary School Elementary : Clearview Elementary School Elementary : Glen Flora Elementary School Elementary : Glenwood Elementary School Elementary : Greenwood Elementary School Elementary : H R McCall Elementary School Elementary : Hyde Park Elementary School Elementary : John S Clark Elementary School Elementary : Little Fort Elementary School Elementary : Lyon Magnet Elementary School Elementary : North Elementary School Elementary : Oakdale Elementary School Elementary : Washington Elementary School Elementary : Whittier Elementary School Middle : Edith M Smith Middle School Middle : Jack Benny Middle School Middle : John R Lewis Middle School Middle : Miguel Juarez Middle School Middle : Robert E Abbott Middle School

Waukegan High School

Summary:

Waukegan High School is a public high school serving 4,355 students in grades 9-12 in Waukegan, Illinois. 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.

Waukegan High School faces significant academic challenges, consistently performing below the state average in standardized test scores. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 6.5% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in SAT Mathematics, compared to the state average of 26.1%, and only 10.6% were proficient or better in SAT English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 31.1%. The school's four-year graduation rate of 79.6% is also lower than the state average, and its dropout rate of 6.0% is higher. Additionally, Waukegan High School has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 57.9%, significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Libertyville High School, which is part of the Chsd 128 district, Waukegan High School performs significantly worse academically. Libertyville High School ranked 15th out of 697 Illinois high schools in the 2023-2024 school year and had much higher proficiency rates in SAT Mathematics (60.1%) and SAT English Language Arts (64.1%). Additionally, Waukegan High School's performance varies significantly among different student subgroups, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and support systems to address achievement gaps.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1011 Washington St
Waukegan, IL 60085-5428

(224) 303-3000

District: Waukegan CUSD 60

SchoolDigger Rank:
537^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,531

Feeder schools for Waukegan High School:

Elementary:	Carman-Buckner Elementary School
	Clearview Elementary School
	Glen Flora Elementary School
	Glenwood Elementary School
	More...
	Greenwood Elementary School
	H R McCall Elementary School
	Hyde Park Elementary School
	John S Clark Elementary School
	Little Fort Elementary School
	Lyon Magnet Elementary School
	North Elementary School
	Oakdale Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School
	Whittier Elementary School
Middle:	Edith M Smith Middle School
	Jack Benny Middle School
	John R Lewis Middle School
	Miguel Juarez Middle School
	More...
	Robert E Abbott Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.2

Number of students: 4,325

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.1%

African American:

11.6%

White:

2.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 68.1%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Waukegan High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Waukegan High School ranks worse than 77% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.15. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Waukegan High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (82.1%), African American (11.6%), White (2.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 68.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Waukegan High School is 14.2. (See more...)

Compare Waukegan High School employs 304 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Waukegan High School is $24,531.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Waukegan High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Waukegan High School 537^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Waukegan High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Waukegan CUSD 60:

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

What do you think?

Your rating for Waukegan High School?

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Rank History for Waukegan High School

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Rank History for all students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	12.41	515^th	586	12.1%
2004	10.33	528^th	592	10.8%
2005	8.55	530^th	590	10.2%
2006	9.07	531^st	596	10.9%
2007	10.29	536^th	612	12.4%
2008	11.08	543^rd	624	13.0%
2009	10.09	556^th	632	12.0%
2010	9.01	564^th	643	12.3%
2011	9.09	570^th	655	13.0%
2012	10.44	580^th	665	12.8%
2013	11.14	581^st	670	13.3%
2014	14.68	568^th	670	15.2%
2015	20.21	508^th	614	17.3%
2016	21.30	527^th	643	18.0%
2017	19.58	529^th	642	17.6%
2018	20.35	531^st	647	17.9%
2019	22.07	554^th	701	21.0%
2021	14.85	591^st	688	14.1%
2022	20.92	557^th	699	20.3%
2023	21.09	560^th	699	19.9%
2024	21.15	537^th	697	23.0%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.10	147^th	154	4.5%
2019	10.22	159^th	165	3.6%
2022	33.39	111^th	170	34.7%
2024	7.35	175^th	182	3.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.03	125^th	151	17.2%
2019	34.09	116^th	183	36.6%
2021	39.04	79^th	189	58.2%
2022	33.87	137^th	205	33.2%
2023	36.11	130^th	217	40.1%
2024	31.31	153^rd	248	38.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.37	211^th	374	43.6%
2019	33.40	289^th	473	38.9%
2021	34.06	250^th	453	44.8%
2022	32.48	285^th	493	42.2%
2023	27.17	327^th	476	31.3%
2024	24.35	360^th	482	25.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.96	468^th	585	20.0%
2019	28.90	475^th	639	25.7%
2021	20.76	515^th	611	15.7%
2022	28.46	466^th	626	25.6%
2023	27.26	492^nd	644	23.6%
2024	28.71	452^nd	639	29.3%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	24.69	57^th	91	37.4%
2022	52.95	29^th	98	70.4%
2023	43.47	46^th	104	55.8%
2024	61.60	33^rd	125	73.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.65	511^th	620	17.6%
2019	21.69	521^st	665	21.7%
2021	14.31	552^nd	639	13.6%
2022	20.03	522^nd	658	20.7%
2023	20.35	527^th	656	19.7%
2024	19.92	521^st	664	21.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	32.02	257^th	428	40.0%
2024	28.66	260^th	429	39.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.67	506^th	619	18.3%
2019	22.64	530^th	675	21.5%
2021	15.20	564^th	653	13.6%
2022	21.46	528^th	664	20.5%
2023	21.80	538^th	668	19.5%
2024	22.74	507^th	668	24.1%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	6.05	123^rd	132	6.8%
2019	7.18	120^th	130	7.7%
2021	0.92	133^rd	135	1.5%
2022	7.23	131^st	141	7.1%
2023	15.25	120^th	134	10.4%
2024	2.10	132^nd	137	3.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.71	143^rd	253	43.5%
2019	36.17	161^st	299	46.2%
2021	26.98	212^th	281	24.6%
2022	37.44	163^rd	294	44.6%
2023	41.71	144^th	301	52.2%
2024	32.49	188^th	299	37.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.31	219^th	291	24.7%
2019	29.19	232^nd	317	26.8%
2021	19.59	277^th	317	12.6%
2022	27.29	251^st	335	25.1%
2023	26.90	254^th	333	23.7%
2024	28.03	246^th	336	26.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Waukegan High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	25.19	434^th	548	20.8%
2019	35.53	344^th	552	37.7%
2021	15.22	500^th	553	9.6%
2022	25.97	438^th	560	21.8%
2023	20.46	487^th	557	12.6%
2024	16.93	489^th	554	11.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High 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

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Enrollment information for Waukegan High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	822	497	46	238	8	n/a	n/a	0	1611
1989	755	522	46	249	7	n/a	n/a	0	1579
1990	715	511	51	281	1	n/a	n/a	0	1559
1991	658	476	52	297	0	n/a	n/a	0	1483
1992	1146	933	94	1078	1	n/a	n/a	0	3252
1993	996	882	58	1010	36	n/a	n/a	0	2982
1994	953	888	104	1065	3	n/a	n/a	0	3013
1995	817	905	121	1283	2	n/a	n/a	0	3128
1996	817	905	121	1283	2	n/a	n/a	0	3128
1997	816	904	134	1413	1	n/a	n/a	0	3268
1998	751	988	125	1572	1	n/a	n/a	0	3437
1999	654	930	118	1564	3	n/a	n/a	0	3269
2000	489	725	93	1394	4	n/a	n/a	0	2705
2001	475	712	87	1462	2	n/a	n/a	0	2738
2002	400	647	89	1697	3	n/a	n/a	0	2836
2003	400	647	89	1697	3	n/a	n/a	0	2836
2004	359	617	84	1681	2	n/a	n/a	0	2743
2005	341	649	68	1675	1	n/a	n/a	10	2744
2006	328	610	64	1789	0	n/a	n/a	5	2796
2007	427	920	99	2710	2	n/a	n/a	13	4171
2008	435	907	71	2835	3	n/a	n/a	27	4278
2009	345	944	79	2891	2	n/a	n/a	38	4299
2010	302	873	80	2950	3	n/a	n/a	55	4263
2011	259	799	74	3056	13	7	69	0	4277
2012	226	761	74	3140	11	15	66	0	4293
2013	251	720	75	3229	11	23	64	0	4373
2014	237	712	71	3267	17	20	67	0	4391
2015	226	678	67	3393	20	17	75	0	4476
2016	199	640	68	3544	19	13	79	0	4562
2017	171	641	72	3642	18	5	71	0	4620
2018	162	600	75	3649	37	7	79	0	4609
2019	157	560	75	3694	37	9	77	0	4609
2020	130	523	76	3692	31	6	64	0	4522
2021	134	571	72	3632	36	6	64	0	4515
2022	114	587	67	3694	28	6	68	0	4564
2023	107	561	68	3528	30	4	57	0	4355
2024	108	501	74	3551	30	5	56	0	4325

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 Waukegan High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1611	93.5	17.2	n/a
1989	1579	91.3	17.2	n/a
1990	1559	89.1	17.4	n/a
1991	1483	87.6	16.9	n/a
1992	3252	195.6	16.6	n/a
1993	2982	179.3	16.6	n/a
1994	3013	173.5	17.4	n/a
1995	3128	183.0	17.1	n/a
1996	3128	183.0	17.1	n/a
1997	3268	184.0	17.8	n/a
1998	3437	178.8	19.2	n/a
1999	3269	154.8	21.1	n/a
2000	2705	162.0	16.7	n/a
2001	2738	164.0	16.7	n/a
2002	2836	165.0	17.2	27.6
2003	2836	165.0	17.2	27.6
2004	2743	150.0	18.3	42.9
2005	2744	157.0	17.5	46
2006	2796	157.2	17.8	56.6
2007	4171	208.0	20.1	65.3
2008	4278	196.0	21.8	49.2
2009	4299	257.3	16.7	54.5
2010	4263	283.1	15.0	62.1
2011	4277	280.6	15.2	59.5
2012	4293	284.2	15.1	66.5
2013	4373	301.1	14.5	n/a
2014	4391	246.5	17.8	58.8
2015	4476	215.0	20.8	62.6
2016	4562	290.0	15.7	47.1
2017	4620	291.0	15.8	61.1
2018	4609	279.9	16.4	63.5
2019	4609	245.0	18.8	58.6
2020	4522	287.0	15.7	58.4
2021	4515	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	4564	225.0	20.2	65.5
2023	4355	252.5	17.2	65.1
2024	4325	304.0	14.2	68.1

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 Waukegan High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1611	93.5	17.2	n/a
1989	1579	91.3	17.2	n/a
1990	1559	89.1	17.4	n/a
1991	1483	87.6	16.9	n/a
1992	3252	195.6	16.6	n/a
1993	2982	179.3	16.6	n/a
1994	3013	173.5	17.4	n/a
1995	3128	183.0	17.1	n/a
1996	3128	183.0	17.1	n/a
1997	3268	184.0	17.8	n/a
1998	3437	178.8	19.2	n/a
1999	3269	154.8	21.1	n/a
2000	2705	162.0	16.7	n/a
2001	2738	164.0	16.7	n/a
2002	2836	165.0	17.2	27.6
2003	2836	165.0	17.2	27.6
2004	2743	150.0	18.3	42.9
2005	2744	157.0	17.5	46
2006	2796	157.2	17.8	56.6
2007	4171	208.0	20.1	65.3
2008	4278	196.0	21.8	49.2
2009	4299	257.3	16.7	54.5
2010	4263	283.1	15.0	62.1
2011	4277	280.6	15.2	59.5
2012	4293	284.2	15.1	66.5
2013	4373	301.1	14.5	n/a
2014	4391	246.5	17.8	58.8
2015	4476	215.0	20.8	62.6
2016	4562	290.0	15.7	47.1
2017	4620	291.0	15.8	61.1
2018	4609	279.9	16.4	63.5
2019	4609	245.0	18.8	58.6
2020	4522	287.0	15.7	58.4
2021	4515	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	4564	225.0	20.2	65.5
2023	4355	252.5	17.2	65.1
2024	4325	304.0	14.2	68.1

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.

Immunization Rates