The test scores of Winnetka School District 36 elementary school students lagged those of the district’s North Shore peers, according to a report released this month by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
The report said 38 percent of Winnetka students failed to meet expectations “to be on track for the next grade level and ultimately for college and career readiness” as measured by the standardized state “PARCC” exam.
When compared to similar nearby North Shore school districts, Winnetka ranked the lowest.
Kenilworth District 38 had the top performance, with only 23 percent of students failing the exam; 24 percent failed in Sunset Ridge District 30 (Northfield); 27 percent in Northbrook/Glenview District 30; 28 percent in Glencoe District 35; 30 percent in Wilmette District 39; and 36 percent in Lake Forest District 67.
The ISBE said that in 2015 Sunset Ridge spent $24,453 per elementary school pupil, more than any other North Shore district. Kenilworth ranked second at $22,389 per pupil. Winnetka’s spending ranked third at $19,774. Glencoe ($17,858), Northbrook/Glenview ($17,389) and Lake Forest ($16,365) also were among the highest spenders.
Wilmette spent $14,276 in 2015.
Butler School District 53, serving Oak Brook in DuPage County, had the best PARCC performance, with a 22 percent failure rate. It spent $17,578 per student in 2015.
Western Springs School District 74 in Western Cook County delivered the best value in Chicagoland. It had a 26 percent failure rate -- a performance better than Northbrook/Glenview, Glencoe, Wilmette, Lake Forest and Winnetka -- but spent only $9,608 per-pupil.
PARCC is an acronym for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. This is the first year the state has used the PARCC test to assess students performance.
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