Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0Lake Bluff’s public schools outscore 95% of Illinois districts
On the state math tests, 65% of Lake Bluff’s students scored proficient, above the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Lake Bluff, 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.
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.
Lake Bluff’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 77 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Lake Bluff’s, its schools beat 71%, lower than their 95% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Lake Bluff runs its own schools through grade 8, then shares
Lake Bluff Elem Sch (PK–5) and Lake Bluff Middle School (6–8) are Lake Bluff’s own. From grade 9, students attend the Lake Forest Community High School District 115 with Lake Forest, North Chicago, Shields and West Deerfield: Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest. The high school’s own results earn an A+, the highest on the path. See the path ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 55% and math 65% across both districts in spring 2021, against 30% and 26% statewide; 98% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 spends $26,375 per student and Lake Forest Community High School District 115 $43,306, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
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.
What’s behind Lake Bluff’s grade
A+: better than 95% of Illinois school districts, #20 of 768 Illinois towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Illinois average; graduation is the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Lake Bluff, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
Kindergarten in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Elem Sch
Grades PK–5 · 572 students · 11:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 305 students · 10:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 305 students · 10:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 305 students · 10:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Forest High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,359 students · 10:1 students per teacher · in Lake Forest
10th grade in Lake Bluff
Lake Forest High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,359 students · 10:1 students per teacher · in Lake Forest
Lake Bluff runs its own schools through grade 8 (Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65). From grade 9, students attend the Lake Forest Community High School District 115, shared with Lake Forest, North Chicago, Shields and West Deerfield. Its elementary school is in Lake Bluff. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Lake Bluff
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Lake Bluff vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Lake Bluff’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Bluff | A+ | Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 PK–8 · Lake Forest Community High School District 115 9–12 |
| Shields | B+ | Lake Forest School District 67 PK–8 · North Chicago School District 187 PK–12 · Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 PK–8 |
| North Chicago | B+ | North Chicago School District 187 PK–12 · Lake Forest Community High School District 115 9–12 · Libertyville Community High School District 128 9–12 |
| Lake Forest | A | Lake Forest School District 67 PK–8 · Lake Forest Community High School District 115 9–12 |
| Libertyville | A+ | Libertyville School District 70 PK–8 · Oak Grove School District 68 K–8 · Libertyville Community High School District 128 9–12 |
3 of the 4 neighbors share Lake Forest Community High School District 115 with Lake Bluff for grades 9–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Lake Bluff
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).
Questions about Lake Bluff’s schools
Are Lake Bluff’s schools good?
By Illinois’s own tests, yes: the public schools Lake Bluff children attend outscore 95% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A+ Schools grade, #20 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 71%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Lake Bluff in?
Two districts: Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 runs grades PK–8, and Lake Forest Community High School District 115 runs grades 9–12, shared with Lake Forest, North Chicago, Shields and West Deerfield.
Where do Lake Bluff kids go to high school?
Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, with 1,359 students; its own test results earn an A+.
What is Lake Bluff’s graduation rate?
98% of the class of 2023 in Lake Forest Community High School District 115 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.
How much does Lake Bluff spend per student?
$26,375 in Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 and $43,306 in Lake Forest Community High School District 115 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Lake Bluff families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Lake Bluff → 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.