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Schools in Essex Township · Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District, Herscher Community Unit School District 2

Essex Township’s public schools outscore 75% of Illinois districts

Math proficiency in Essex Township’s districts is 31%, above the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the three public school districts serving Essex Township, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.

K–12Where will my kid go?

From Illinois state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
35%
▲ 5 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
31%
▲ 5 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
95–100%
▲ 7–12 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$19.6K
▼ 9% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024 · Herscher Community Unit School District 2
Students per teacher
12.8
IL 13.6 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
2,842 students on the public path
In brief

Essex Township’s schools, in brief

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 35% and math 31% across its districts in spring 2021, against 30% and 26% statewide; 95–100% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

Gardner-South Wilmington Township High spends $30,824 per student and Herscher Community Unit School District 2 $19,611, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Two elementary schools, then two middle and three high schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Essex Township’s grade

B+ Test scoresA Graduation

A−: better than 75% of Illinois school districts. Test scores and graduation are both above the Illinois average; graduation is the stronger of the two.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 75%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1064)Better than 78%
Towns in Kankakee County (16)Better than 94%
B+A−A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,546 test results and a graduating class of 119 could put Essex Township anywhere from B+ to A−. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Essex Township’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,516 in math, 1,578 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Essex Township, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressA
6–82 middle schoolsDepends on your addressB to B+
9–123 high schoolsDepends on your addressC+ to B+

Parts of Essex Township (9% of its land) are served by South Wilmington Consolidated School District 74 instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Three districts serve Essex Township

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School DistrictGrades 9–12 · 1 schools · 154 students, down 15% since 2020–21 · 8.6 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$30,824IL $21,567 · FY2024
B−
Herscher Community Unit School District 2Grades PK–12 · 4 schools · 1,686 students, up 2% since 2020–21 · 14.2 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$19,611IL $21,567 · FY2024
B+
Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255UGrades PK–12 · 3 schools · 1,393 students, up 4% since 2020–21 · 12.1 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$19,619IL $21,567 · FY2024
A−
Test scores · 2020–21

Above the state in reading

Reading · 9–12, Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District24%
State average 29.9% · 39 students tested
Math · 9–12, Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District24%
State average 25.8% · 50 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Herscher Community Unit School District 234%
State average 29.9% · 859 students tested
Math · PK–12, Herscher Community Unit School District 232%
State average 25.8% · 846 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U36%
State average 29.9% · 680 students tested
Math · PK–12, Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U29%
State average 25.8% · 620 students tested

Essex Township vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Essex Township’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Essex TownshipA−Herscher Community Unit School District 2 PK–12 · Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U PK–12 · Gardner-South Wilmington Township High 9–12
SalinaB+Herscher Community Unit School District 2
GreenfieldB+Herscher Community Unit School District 2 PK–12 · South Wilmington Consolidated School District 74 K–8 · Gardner-South Wilmington Township High 9–12
Norton—Herscher Community Unit School District 2 PK–12 · Tri-Point Community Unit School District 6-J PK–12

All 3 neighbors share Herscher Community Unit School District 2 with Essex Township for grades PK–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Essex Township

7 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Essex Townshipin other towns
Reed-Custer Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Braidwood
A
690 students13:1Rate it →
Bonfield Grade School
Elementary · Grades PK–1 · Bonfield
285 students17:1Rate it →
Limestone Middle Sch
Middle · Grades 5–8 · Kankakee
B
468 students13:1Rate it →
Reed-Custer Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Braidwood
B+
306 students11:1Rate it →
Herscher High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Herscher
B+
542 students15:1Rate it →
Reed-Custer High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Braidwood
C+
397 students12:1Rate it →
Gardner-South Wilmington Twp H S
High · Grades 9–12 · Gardner
B+
154 students9:1Rate it →

Questions about Essex Township’s schools

Are Essex Township’s schools good?

By Illinois’s own tests, yes: the public schools Essex Township children attend outscore 75% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 78%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Essex Township in?

Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District, which runs grades 9–12 and enrolls 154 students in 1 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Essex Township are served by South Wilmington Consolidated School District 74.

Where do Essex Township kids go to high school?

One of 3 high schools, depending on your address: Herscher High School, Reed-Custer High School and Gardner-South Wilmington Twp H S.

What is Essex Township’s graduation rate?

95–100% of the class of 2023 in Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Essex Township spend per student?

$30,824 in Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District, $19,611 in Herscher Community Unit School District 2 and $19,619 in Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Essex Township families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Essex Township → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Illinois. Stars are from neighbors.