SAT Scores At Lake Forest High School Down 10% In Math, 13.5% In English Since Pandemic

LAKE FOREST, IL — State education officials released Illinois Report Card data last month, detailing achievements and challenges at Lake Forest High School and its feeder schools.

Statewide, Illinois schools showed a mix of record-breaking achievements and continuing challenges, as the 2023-24 school year saw the highest-ever graduation rate and record performances on elementary school literacy tests.

But proficiency rates for high school students continue to lag behind their pre-pandemic levels, and Lake Forest Community High School District 115 is no different.

Since 2019, SAT scores for Lake Forest High School students have declined in both English Language Arts, or ELA, and math.

The percentage of LFHS students meeting or exceeding expectations on the SAT in ELA dropped from 81.7 percent in 2019 to 68.2 percent in 2024, a decline of 13.5 percentage points.

In math, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations also fell, decreasing from 75.5 percent in 2019 to 65.6 percent in 2024, a drop of 9.9 percentage points.

In line with statewide trends, Lake Forest High School has also seen its graduation rate increase, reaching 99.4 percent in 2024. That's up from 98.4 percent the prior year, even exceeding its pre-pandemic rate of 99.2 percent in 2019.

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 statewide 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.

Among Lake Forest High School's feeder districts — Lake Forest School District 67 and Lake Bluff School District 65 — here are how scores have changed in both districts in the past five years on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, or IAR:

Cherokee Elementary School saw a decrease in students meeting or exceeding expectations, with ELA proficiency falling from 66.4 percent in 2019 to 46.7 percent in 2024, and math scores declining from 79.1 percent to 59.3 percent.

At Everett Elementary, those who met or exceeded expectations in English improved significantly from 53.5 percent to 69.5 percent, as did the share meeting or exceeding math expectations, rising to 79.7 percent from 75.7 percent over the same period.

Sheridan Elementary students experienced mixed results on testing, with ELA proficiency levels falling from 74.1 to 57.8 percent while rising math scores meant the share of students meeting or exceeding expectations rose from 59.4 percent to 70.6 percent.

Deer Path Middle School East showed a 10.8-point gain in those meeting or exceeding English proficiency expectations, reaching 70.5 percent in 2024, though math scores decreased slightly to 51.7 percent. Meanwhile, Deer Path Middle School West saw modest increases in both subjects, with English proficiency rising from 67.1 to 71.1 percent and math from 61.8 to 65.1 percent.

In Lake Bluff School District 65, the portion of students meeting or exceeding expectations in English at Lake Bluff Elementary School fell from 56.7 percent in 2019 to 53.7 percent in 2024, while the share proficient in math decreased from 52.9 to 48.6 percent.

And at Lake Bluff Middle School, ELA proficiency remained steady with a slight increase from 76.4 percent to 76.8 percent, while math proficiency dropped significantly from 70.0 percent to 49.1 percent.

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.

Lake Forest High School, Deer Path Middle School, Everett Elementary School, Sheridan Elementary School and Lake Bluff Elementary School are all designated as exemplary.

Cherokee Elementary School and Lake Bluff Middle School are considered 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 2019, 15.3 percent of Lake Forest High School students were chronically absent. By 2024, that rate was down to 7.8 percent, having fallen from 10.7 percent last year.

In LFHS, the percentage of 9th graders who are considered "on track" to graduate rose to 100 percent, up from 98.2 percent in 2019.

Overall student enrollment at Lake Forest High School has decreased by 15 percent from pre-pandemic levels, dropping from 1,603 students in 2019 to 1,366 in 2024.

During this period, Hispanic student numbers increased by around 43 percent, while the number of white students declined by about 23 percent. Other groups, including Asian, Black and students of two or more races, remained relatively steady, with modest changes in their enrollment levels.

Since the pandemic, the number of students per administrator in the district has decreased significantly. In 2019, there were 79.3 students per administrator in the district. But in 2024, that number was down to 62.7 students per every LFHS administrator.

Meanwhile, the student-to-administrator ratio is 109:1 at Lake Bluff School District 65 and 111:1 at Lake Forest School District 67.

This means significantly fewer students per administrator compared to the state average of 135.7.

At Lake Forest High School District 115, the student-teacher ratio has been stable — going from 14.5:1 in 2019 to 13.6:1 in 2024.

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.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct erroneous elementary school IAR scores and student-teacher ratio data.

Full 2024 Illinois Report Card data for all public school districts in Lake Forest-Lake Bluff area:

• Lake Forest Community High School District 115
• Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65
• Lake Forest School District 67