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Schools in Essex

Essex’s public schools

Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U has no state test or graduation results we can use, so there is no Schools grade for Essex. Each school below is shown with its own results.

—Not gradedK–12Where will my kid go?2/3schools above Illinois’s middle

Tests spring 2021, when 97% of students in Illinois’s tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s graduation rate (U.S. Department of Education). How TownRatings grades schools

Reading proficiency
36%
2020–21
Math proficiency
29%
2020–21
Graduate on time
98%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$19.6K
▼ 9% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
12.1
IL 13.6 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
1,393 students on the public path
In brief

Essex’s schools, in brief

School by school

2 of Essex’s 3 district schools with test results score above the middle of Illinois’s 3,406 public schools. Reed-Custer Elementary School places highest (better than 85%); Reed-Custer High School lowest (42%). 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.

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–5Reed-Custer Elementary Schoolin BraidwoodA
6–8Reed-Custer Middle Schoolin BraidwoodB+
9–12Reed-Custer High Schoolin BraidwoodC+

Which school depends on your address. To confirm it, ask the Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U.

The district

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

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

Well above the state in reading

Reading36%
State average 29.9% · 680 students tested
Math29%
State average 25.8% · 620 students tested

Essex vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Essex—Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U

Every school in Essex

3 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 Essexin other towns
Reed-Custer Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Braidwood
A
690 students13:1Rate it →
Reed-Custer Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Braidwood
B+
306 students11:1Rate it →
Reed-Custer High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Braidwood
C+
397 students12:1Rate it →

Questions about Essex’s schools

Are Essex’s schools good?

There’s no Schools grade for Essex. Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U has no state test or graduation results we can use, so there is no Schools grade for Essex. Each school below is shown with its own results. School by school, 2 of its 3 district schools with test results score above the middle of Illinois’s public schools on their 2020–21 results.

What school district is Essex in?

Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U.

Where do Essex kids go to high school?

Reed-Custer High School.

Parents talk

What Essex families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Essex → 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). Stars are from neighbors.