Matthews Middle School

Matthews Middle School is a 6-8 campus of reasonably sized scale in Island Lake, Illinois, overseen by Wauconda CUSD 118, hosting 451 students in grades 6 through 8.

Matthews Middle School is one of 6 schools operated by Wauconda CUSD 118, a district that enrolls 4,186 students overall.

On demographics, Matthews Middle School lists that the most-represented group is White (54%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest consists of 36% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 4% Asian.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.0:1, putting Matthews Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 44% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Lake County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Matthews Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 46.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 40.0%.

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

Robert Crown School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Matthews Middle School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Matthews Middle School at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 51.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Matthews Middle School's enrollment has declined 5% since 2018, when it stood at 476 (now 451). The White share of enrollment ticked down from 69% to 54% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 14.2:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Matthews Middle School community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.