John R Lewis Middle School

As a big 6-8 campus in Waukegan, Illinois, John R Lewis Middle School caters to 721 students from grades 6 through 8, overseen by Waukegan CUSD 60. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 462 students each, so John R Lewis Middle School sits 56% above that benchmark.

Within Waukegan CUSD 60, which oversees 22 schools and 13,640 students, John R Lewis Middle School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, John R Lewis Middle School shows that 79% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Beyond that, the school logs 14% Black, 4% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 25%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, John R Lewis Middle School has 64 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.0:1, putting John R Lewis Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Lake County (around 54%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, John R Lewis Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 28.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 26.7%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Lake County indicate median household earnings sit near $110,416, 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Lake County runs 214 public schools (combined enrollment of about 118,032 students), of which John R Lewis Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Lyon Magnet Elementary School, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), John R Lewis Middle School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 19.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at John R Lewis Middle School has shrank 20%, going from 906 students in 2018 to 721 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share contracted from 21% to 14%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for John R Lewis Middle School typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.