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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Neal Math Science Academy?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
601
Middle
DISTRICT 455 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH CHICAGO SD 187·NCES 170011004813
Neal Math Science Academy
1905 Argonne Dr, North Chicago, IL 60064 · (847) 689-6313 · Lake County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL601 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 22% of Illinois public middle schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public middle schools
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.2:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
594 students
DISTRICT 91% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 183 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 212 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 206 | 34% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Neal Math Science Academy→North Chicago Community High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within North Chicago SD 187. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
22.3%
IL avg 51.0% . +3.9pp since 2023
Math
9.8%
IL avg 37.9% . +4.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 22 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 10 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 22.3% | 9.8% |
| 2023-24 | 18.4% | 5.8% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
17.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
14.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 17% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 14% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Neal Math Science Academy
Neal Math Science Academy's state test result (17.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neal Math Science Academy this school | 601 | 98.8% | 17.0% |
| Roosevelt Middle School Bellwood | 614 | 99.3% | 16.8% |
| Dirksen Junior High School Joliet | 653 | 98.2% | 22.1% |
| Chicago Heights Middle School Chicago Hts | 872 | 92.1% | 26.1% |
| Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm Joliet | 724 | 98.5% | 21.0% |
| Hufford Junior High School Joliet | 1,072 | 97.3% | 22.2% |
Matched among Illinois middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Neal Math Science Academy ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Lake County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 17.0% | #541 of 578 | #26 of 31 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 9.8% | #597 of 640 ▼ 3 | #39 of 44 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 22.3% | #608 of 640 ▼ 19 | #37 of 44 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 601 | #212 of 691 | #22 of 44 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #473 of 558 | #43 of 44 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.7% | #248 of 560 | #25 of 44 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.8% | #16 of 581 | #1 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.3% | #90 of 127 | #7 of 9 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
601
+10 (+2%) vs 2020
+7% since 2010-11, when it was 564
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 601 | 39 | 15.4:1 | 99% (594) |
| 2023-24 | 545 | 39 | 14.0:1 | 98% (536) |
| 2022-23 | 529 | 39 | 13.6:1 | 98% (521) |
| 2020-21 | 591 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 576 | 43 | 13.4:1 | 100% (575) |
| 2015-16 | 598 | 46 | 13.0:1 | 89% (535) |
| 2010-11 | 564 | 35 | 16.1:1 | 70% (396) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Neal Math Science Academy.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (576 to 601); teachers down 9% (43 to 39).
About Neal Math Science Academy
This page covers Neal Math Science Academy, a medium-sized middle school in North Chicago, Illinois. The school's 601 students are in grades 6 through 8. Enrollment is 30% higher than the average for middle schools in Illinois, which is about 462.
North Chicago SD 187 has 3,637 students in 8 schools, and Neal Math Science Academy is one of those schools.
Hispanic students make up a majority at Neal Math Science Academy, at 61%. Other students are 34% Black, 3% multiracial, and 2% White. That is higher than the 25% Hispanic share among all Lake County residents. Pick two students at random and there is a 52% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Federal staffing data show 39 full-time-equivalent teachers at Neal Math Science Academy and a ratio of 15.4:1. This ratio sits 2.4 above the 13.0:1 average for middle schools in Illinois. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 99% of students. That is higher than the 54% average for public schools in Lake County.
Neal Math Science Academy is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 22% of Illinois public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Test results at Neal Math Science Academy are 2.5 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (17.0% actual, 14.4% predicted).
Among Lake County residents, the median household income is $110,416, roughly 48% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Neal Math Science Academy is one of 214 public schools in the county.
The closest public school to Neal Math Science Academy is North Chicago Community High School, about 0.3 miles away. Neal Math Science Academy is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The nearest schools with test data average 19.9%, higher than Neal Math Science Academy's 17.0%.
Under the NCES locale system, Neal Math Science Academy is Suburb: Large.
Compared with 2020-21, when it had 591 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 601.
The Neal Math Science Academy community page is open for posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Lake County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
714,223
Census ACS
Median income
$110,416
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
48%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
214
118,032 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Chicago SD 187
- North Chicago Community High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- LEARN Chtr School 6 N Chicago CampusElementary · 503 students
- A J Katzenmaier AcademyElementary · 387 students
- Forrestal Elementary SchoolElementary · 386 students
- Evelyn Alexander SchoolElementary · 354 students
- LEARN 10 Charter SchoolElementary · 297 students
Other schools in North Chicago
- North Chicago Community High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- A J Katzenmaier AcademyElementary · 387 students
- Evelyn Alexander SchoolElementary · 354 students
- LEARN 10 Charter SchoolElementary · 297 students
- Green Bay Early Childhood CenterElementary · 211 students
Nearby schools
- North Chicago Community High School0.3 mi · 898
- A J Katzenmaier Academy0.4 mi · 387
- LEARN 10 Charter School0.6 mi · 297
- Green Bay Early Childhood Center0.7 mi · 211
- Evelyn Alexander School1.2 mi · 354
- Lyon Magnet Elementary School1.4 mi · 430
Frequently asked questions
About Neal Math Science AcademyHow many students attend Neal Math Science Academy?
Neal Math Science Academy enrolls approximately 601 students in grades 06-08.
Is Neal Math Science Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Neal Math Science Academy is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Neal Math Science Academy have?
Neal Math Science Academy employs 39 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Neal Math Science Academy?
Student demographics at Neal Math Science Academy are roughly 2% White, 61% Hispanic, 34% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Neal Math Science Academy public or private?
Neal Math Science Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by North Chicago SD 187.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.