Zion Central Middle School

Zion Central Middle School is a middle-grades school of compact scale in Zion, Illinois, overseen by Zion ESD 6, serveing 330 students in grades 6 through 8. That puts it 29% leaner than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 462 students.

Zion ESD 6 runs 7 schools in total, collectively educating 2,176 students. Zion Central Middle School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Zion Central Middle School reports that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 63% of enrollment; the rest consists of 26% Black, 7% White, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 25% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, The school lists 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.2:1. The state averages around 13.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 85% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is higher than Lake County's rate of about 54%.

With demographic context factored in, Zion Central Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.2%; this one delivers 13.6%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Lake County shows the typical household earns roughly $110,416 per year, roughly 48% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Lake County's 214 public schools (combined enrollment of about 118,032 students), Zion Central Middle School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Shiloh Park Middle School, roughly 0.2 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Zion Central Middle School at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 16.5%.

Zion Central Middle School operates from a commuter-belt location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 40%: 549 students in 2018 compared to 330 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment ticked down from 43% to 26% over that span.

On the community side, members of the Zion Central Middle School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.