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What advice would you give to incoming students at Nichols Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
628
Middle
DISTRICT 629 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·EVANSTON CCSD 65·NCES 171446001795
Nichols Middle School
800 Greenleaf St, Evanston, IL 60202 · (847) 859-8661 · Cook County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL628 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.5:1
66 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.2:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
35%
219 students
DISTRICT 39% · 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 | 206 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 210 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 212 | 34% |
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · 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
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
71.1%
IL avg 51.0% . +12.5pp since 2023
Math
57.0%
IL avg 37.9% . +10.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 57 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 12 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 10 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 71.1% | 57.0% |
| 2023-24 | 58.6% | 46.9% |
% 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
62.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% 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 Nichols Middle School
Nichols Middle School's state test result (62.3% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nichols Middle School this school | 628 | 34.9% | 62.3% |
| Aux Sable Middle School Joliet | 844 | 34.5% | 47.2% |
| Drauden Point Middle School Plainfield | 658 | 36.0% | 43.1% |
| Frederick School Grayslake | 667 | 34.8% | 47.7% |
| Grayslake Middle School Grayslake | 641 | 36.0% | 46.0% |
| Indian Trail Middle School Plainfield | 520 | 39.2% | 47.8% |
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 Nichols Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.3% | #78 of 578 | #16 of 116 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 57.0% | #95 of 640 ▲ 12 | #30 of 146 ▲ 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.1% | #169 of 640 ▲ 39 | #44 of 146 ▲ 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 628 | #185 of 691 | #52 of 148 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.5:1 | #22 of 558 | #10 of 138 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.1% | #38 of 560 | #12 of 138 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 34.9% | #421 of 581 | #98 of 117 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.4% | #196 of 440 | #45 of 97 |
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
628
-107 (-15%) vs 2020
+18% since 1990-91, when it was 530
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 | 628 | 65.9 | 9.5:1 | 35% (219) |
| 2023-24 | 637 | 68 | 9.4:1 | 36% (229) |
| 2022-23 | 650 | 65.5 | 9.9:1 | 35% (226) |
| 2020-21 | 735 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 725 | 58.1 | 12.5:1 | 32% (235) |
| 2015-16 | 680 | 54 | 12.6:1 | 35% (240) |
| 2010-11 | 538 | 47 | 11.4:1 | 43% (233) |
| 2000-01 | 569 | 50 | 11.4:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 530 | 44 | 12.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Nichols Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (725 to 628); teachers up 13% (58.1 to 65.9).
About Nichols Middle School
Nichols Middle School, a mid-sized middle-grades school, is located in Evanston, Illinois. It enrolls 628 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are 6 through 8. The school is 36% bigger than the average for middle schools in Illinois.
Nichols Middle School is run by Evanston CCSD 65, whose 16 schools enroll 6,136 students.
Of every 100 students at Nichols Middle School, about 45 are White, the largest group. Smaller groups are 23% Hispanic, 15% Black, 11% multiracial, and 4% Asian. Census estimates put Cook County at about 44% White, close to the school's figure. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 70%.
There are 65.9 full-time-equivalent teachers at Nichols Middle School, giving a ratio of 9.5:1. The school's 9.5:1 compares with an average of 13.0:1 for middle schools in Illinois. By family income, 35% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That rate is below the 66% average among public schools in Cook County.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 51.4% at Nichols Middle School; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 62.3%.
In Cook County, where the school is located, the median household earns about $83,498 a year, roughly 43% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. Public schools in Cook County number 1,406, with about 697,934 students.
Nichols Middle School's closest public school neighbor is Lincoln Elementary School, about 0.4 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. On proficiency, Nichols Middle School is ahead of the 50.6% nearby average, ranking 2nd of 9.
By NCES locale, the school is City: Small, or inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
The 2020-21-to-2024-25 change in enrollment was a 15% drop, from 735 to 628.
The discussion board for Nichols Middle School is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Cook County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
5,182,090
Census ACS
Median income
$83,498
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,406
697,934 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Evanston CCSD 65
- Haven Middle SchoolMiddle · 660 students
- Chute Middle SchoolMiddle · 598 students
- Dr ML King Jr Literary&Fine ArtsElementary · 421 students
- Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · 410 students
- Oakton Elementary SchoolElementary · 379 students
- Walker Elementary SchoolElementary · 364 students
Other schools in Evanston
- Evanston Twp High SchoolHigh · 3,560 students
- Haven Middle SchoolMiddle · 660 students
- Chute Middle SchoolMiddle · 598 students
- Dr ML King Jr Literary&Fine ArtsElementary · 421 students
- Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · 410 students
- Oakton Elementary SchoolElementary · 379 students
Other Nichols Middle schools
One other US public school is named Nichols Middle. Nichols Middle School is the largest of the 2.
- Nichols Middle SchoolCanton, MS · 362 students
Nearby schools
- Lincoln Elementary School0.4 mi · 343
- Washington Elementary School0.6 mi · 410
- Dewey Elementary School0.7 mi · 321
- Oakton Elementary School0.8 mi · 379
- Chute Middle School0.9 mi · 598
- Evanston Twp High School1.1 mi · 3,560
Frequently asked questions
About Nichols Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Nichols Middle School?
Nichols Middle School enrolls approximately 628 students in grades 06-08.
Is Nichols Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Nichols Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Nichols Middle School have?
Nichols Middle School employs 66 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.5:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Nichols Middle School?
At Nichols Middle School, the student body is approximately 45% White, 23% Hispanic, 15% Black, 4% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is Nichols Middle School public or private?
Nichols Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Evanston CCSD 65.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.