Edith M Smith Middle School

Located at 930 New York St, in Waukegan, Illinois, Edith M Smith Middle School is a reasonably sized junior high that teaches 493 students (grades 6 through 8), operated by Waukegan CUSD 60.

Across the 22 schools in Waukegan CUSD 60 (13,640 students total), Edith M Smith Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Edith M Smith Middle School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (82%). Beyond that, the school lists 11% Black, 4% White, 2% multiracial. By comparison, Lake County as a whole is about 25% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Edith M Smith Middle School has 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. Around 72% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Lake County's rate of about 54%.

After controlling for student poverty, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Edith M Smith Middle School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 29.8%; actual is 11.9%, a gap of -17.9 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Lake County put median household earnings sit near $110,416, about 48% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Lake County's 214 public schools (combined enrollment of about 118,032 students), Edith M Smith Middle School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Whittier Elem School, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Edith M Smith Middle School comes 7th of 9 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 21.7%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Five-year trend. Edith M Smith Middle School's enrollment has contracted 21% since 2018, when it stood at 626 (now 493). Black enrollment moved from 17% to 11% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.7:1 in 2018 to 11.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Edith M Smith Middle School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.