Nichols Middle School

As a mid-tier intermediate school in Evanston, Illinois, Nichols Middle School hosts 628 students from grades 6 through 8, overseen by Evanston CCSD 65. Enrollment runs roughly 36% bigger than the state mean of about 462.

Nichols Middle School is one of 16 schools operated by Evanston CCSD 65, a district that teaches 6,136 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Nichols Middle School logs that 45% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 23% Hispanic, 15% Black, 11% multiracial, 4% Asian. Compared to Cook County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, Nichols Middle School reports 66 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 9.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.0:1, putting Nichols Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 35% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is lower than Cook County's rate of about 66%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Nichols Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 51.4%, the actual is 62.3%, a residual of +10.9 points.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Cook County put median household earnings sit near $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Cook County's 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), Nichols Middle School is one campus in the mix.

Lincoln Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Nichols Middle School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 50.6%.

The school occupies a high-density site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 13%: 725 students in 2018 compared to 628 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 50% to 45%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 12.5:1 in 2018 to 9.5:1 today.

Inside the community feed, members of the Nichols Middle School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.