North Shore School District 112 Posts Record Results On 2024 IL Report Card

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Students in North Shore School District 112 are achieving higher proficiency levels on standardized tests than prior to the pandemic, according to annual Illinois Report Card data released this week by state education officials.

Superintendent Mike Lubelfeld said the district has been able to improve scores on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness for four years in a row.

Between 2019 and 2024, NSSD-112 saw an increase in students meeting or exceeding standards, rising from 54.3 to 58.5 percent in English language arts and a dramatic rise from 31.8 to 51.5 percent in math proficiency.

"These results reflect the investments we have made in instructional coaching, reading and math intervention, principal professional development and support, focus on High-Reliability school metrics, guaranteed and viable curriculum, modern, representative curricular materials, consistent focus on rigor and high academic standards for each child every day, financial stability and facilities improvement," Lubelfeld said in a letter to the community.

"While we’re proud of our successes this year, we recognize there is still room to grow," Lubelfeld said.

The superintendent said district staff would prioritize closing achievement gaps, fostering student growth and raising overall proficiency rates in the coming years.

"We thank our teachers, staff and families for their ongoing support and dedication to helping our students grow," he said. "Together, we are fostering a culture of continuous learning and achievement. Let’s celebrate the progress we have made and keep working toward even greater growth for all students."

Students at the local high school district are not scoring as well on standardized tests as students whose elementary school experiences were not disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Township High School District 113, which includes Deerfield and Highland Park high schools, experienced a decline in SAT proficiency rates between 2019 and 2024.

In 2024, 59.7 percent of students met or exceeded English standards, compared to 68.5 percent in 2019 — a decrease of 8.8 percentage points.

Math SAT proficiency also fell, with 58.1 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in 2024, down from 67.1 percent in 2019, marking a 9 percentage point decrease.

Similar declines can be seen across Illinois, as school officials and educators look to address pandemic-related learning disruptions, particularly in math.

Public schools across Illinois showed a mix of record-breaking achievements and continuing challenges, according to the report card data released Wednesday.

The 2023-24 school year saw the highest-ever graduation rate and a record performance in literacy for elementary schoolers in Illinois, though proficiency rates for high school students continue to lag.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the achievements of Black students and state spending on career and technical development had contributed to the 87.7 percent graduation rate, the highest in 14 years.

"These milestones demonstrate that our investments in students are delivering real results as Illinois continues to bounce back stronger from the challenges set by the pandemic," Pritzker said in a statement.

Nearly 41 percent of Illinois students in 3rd to 8th grade met or exceeded English standards, up from previous years and surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

“Illinois has seen tremendous, nation-leading recovery in English language arts, thanks to the talented teachers, principals, and superintendents in schools across the state who have worked diligently to implement shifts in their literacy practices,” said Tony Sanders, the state superintendent of education.

Black students led these gains with a 26 percent increase in proficiency, with improvements also noted among English learners, low-income students and those with individualized education plans, according to ISBE’s data.

"Our educators, students, and families should feel incredibly proud of how we have come together in the wake of the pandemic not just to recover but to emerge even stronger," Sanders said.

In math, however, progress has been slower, with just 28 percent of students in grades 3-8 meeting state math standards last year. Proficiency in math remains below pre-pandemic levels across race, ethnicity and income groups.

State education officials this year announced plans to implement a statewide math and numeracy plan, aiming for more evidence-based math instruction and prioritizing resources for foundational math skills.

ISBE rates Illinois schools in five categories: "exemplary" for the top 10 percent, "commendable" for those doing well overall but not in the top 10 percent, "targeted support" for those with some student groups in the bottom 5 percent, "comprehensive support" for those at bottom that also have low graduation rates, and "intensive support" for schools that do not improve following comprehensive support.

North Shore District 112 posted impressive results on this year’s Report Card, with three of its schools — Ravinia, Sherwood and Wayne Thomas — earning “exemplary” ratings, a jump from one exemplary designation the previous year. The district’s six other schools were designated as “commendable."

The Illinois Report Card also showed a positive shift in attendance, with chronic absenteeism decreasing from 28.3 percent to 26.3 percent statewide.

High school students, however, continue to have the highest rates of absenteeism — defined as students who miss at least 10 percent of the school year regardless of their excuse — a factor ISBE connects to lower academic performance and graduation rates.

In District 112, the absentee rate was 12.9 percent, down from 14 percent in 2023 but above the rate of 11.4 in 2022.

As for District 113, 20 percent of students were chronically absent in the 2023-24 school year, down from 32.6 percent the prior year.

Absentee rates at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools have risen in the years following school closures associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Report card data shows that District 113 has one administrator for every 67.6 students, compared to a state average of 135.7 students per administrator.

Back in 2019, it was more than 100 students per administrator on the District 113 payroll.

Meanwhile, District 112 had 143.8 students per every administrator on staff in 2024.

District 113 has a student teacher ratio of 13.6, while the state average for high schools is 17.3.

In District 112, the ratio is 15.9 students per teacher, compared to a state elementary school average of 17.1

According to state officials, there are more teachers in the workforce than ever before but the state still has a shortage, especially ones who are bilingual or who work in special education or somewhere other than the suburbs.

Meanwhile, the state’s accountability system, which emphasizes graduation rates over academic growth in high schools, has faced scrutiny.

Currently, year-over-year growth counts for half of the "accountability" score for elementary and middle schools — but not for high schools, where graduation rates have a greater rate in the scoring rubric.

Starting next year, ISBE officials said they plan to include a growth metric in high school assessments to provide a clearer picture of academic progress, an adjustment officials hope will encourage schools to focus more on improvements in both student proficiency and graduation rates.

More information about North Shore School District 112 and Township High School District 113 is available from the Illinois State Board of Education at IllinoisReportCard.com