LFHS Test Scores Fall From Pre-Pandemic Levels: Report Card

LAKE FOREST, IL — State education officials have released the first Illinois school report cards since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show significant declines in standardized test results among students at Lake Forest High School.

The school-level assessments follow last month's release of preliminary statewide data, which showed declining enrollment and academic proficiency.

According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, 16.6 percent fewer students met grade-level English standards and 17.8 percent fewer students met math standards in 2021 as compared to 2019, the last time the school report cards were completed.

In Lake Forest Community High School District 115, the percentage of juniors who met or exceeded standards on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, fell in both English and math.

Carmen Ayala, state education superintendent, praised teachers and administrators across the state for their dedication to Illinois students in a statement announcing the new report cards.

“Assessment data gives local communities more insight into the impact of the pandemic on their students and what they need to recover," Ayala said.

“We are confident that the full return to safe, in-person learning and the significant state and federal investment in our schools will provide the conditions for all our students to thrive in the coming years," she added. "Every school district has had a unique experience during the pandemic, with different strengths and challenges."

Since 2017, the percentage of Lake Forest High School students who met or exceeded standards in English language arts on the SATs has declined from 81 percent to 69 percent. In math, the percentage of students meeting standards fell from 73 percent to 67 percent.

There are 1,489 students enrolled at Lake Forest High School, a decline of 11 percent since 2017.

During that period, the district has added three additional teachers, bringing its total to 130. Average teachers salaries have risen from $100,581 to $113,982 — the second-lowest among all public high school districts on Chicago's North Shore after Evanston Township High School, according to state report cards.

District 115 employ 19 administrators, who have an average salary of $136,190, according to its report card. The district has the most administrators per student of any North Shore public high school district.

For students who started high school in 2017, LFHS's four-year graduation rate was 97.2 percent, compared to a rate of 94.5 percent at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools' district and 95.8 percent at Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South high schools' district.

According to its 2020-21 report card, New Trier Township High School District 203 is funded at 181 percent of the "adequacy target" calculated by the state education board.

The district spends more than $27,000 per student in operational expenses, more than twice the state average of $14,747 but and second only to Niles Township High School District 219 on the North Shore, according to the report cards.

The federal government has allocated more than $7 billion to Illinois schools this year to address the academic and emotional effects of the pandemic on the state's students.

Related: $500,000 From $1.9 Trillion Bill Allocated To Lake Forest High School

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the report card data showed some improvements in college and career preparation coursework but also indicated the "tremendous challenges" presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement last month, the governor said his administration has been working with school administrators to make sure the money is distributed properly to address learning disruptions.

“As we move forward, helping our children process this experience and restoring their learning must sit at the heart of every action," Pritzker said. "Together, with our incredible educators at the forefront, we are revitalizing our classrooms, student by student, for the betterment of all of Illinois."

Complete Illinois Report Cards: Lake Forest Community High School District 115 — Lake Forest High School

• Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Lake Forest area news — or invite a friend
  
• Make a Neighbor Post on the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch
• Check out the events calendar for what's going on around Lake Forest
• Like the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch on Facebook