Photo: 22thecrobot · CC BY-SA 4.0Zion’s public schools score below 89% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation
On the state math tests, 8% of Zion’s students scored proficient, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the three public school districts serving Zion, 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.
Zion’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2021, 10% of tested students were proficient in reading and 8% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
88% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 spends $22,286 per student and Zion Elementary School District 6 $24,770, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
Seven elementary schools, then three middle and two 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.
What’s behind Zion’s grade
D: better than 11% of Illinois school districts, #718 of 768 Illinois towns. Graduation is above the Illinois average; test scores are below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Zion, with each school’s own grade.
6th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Beach Park Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 715 students · 15:1 students per teacher · in Beach Park
Shiloh Park Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 358 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Zion Central Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 330 students · 11:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Beach Park Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 715 students · 15:1 students per teacher · in Beach Park
Shiloh Park Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 358 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Zion Central Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 330 students · 11:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Beach Park Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 715 students · 15:1 students per teacher · in Beach Park
Shiloh Park Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 358 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Zion Central Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 330 students · 11:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Zion-Benton Twnshp Hi Sch
Grades 9–12 · 2,114 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Zion-Benton East High School
Grades 9–12 · 419 students · 16:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Zion-Benton Twnshp Hi Sch
Grades 9–12 · 2,114 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Zion-Benton East High School
Grades 9–12 · 419 students · 16:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Zion-Benton Twnshp Hi Sch
Grades 9–12 · 2,114 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Zion-Benton East High School
Grades 9–12 · 419 students · 16:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Zion · depends on your address
Zion-Benton Twnshp Hi Sch
Grades 9–12 · 2,114 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Zion-Benton East High School
Grades 9–12 · 419 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Parts of Zion (5% of its land) are served by Winthrop Harbor School District 1 instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Three districts serve Zion
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Zion vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Zion’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Zion | D | Zion Elementary School District 6 PK–8 · Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 PK–8 · Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 9–12 |
| Zion Township | — | Zion Elementary School District 6 PK–8 · Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 PK–8 · Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 9–12 |
| Benton | C− | Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 PK–8 · Winthrop Harbor School District 1 PK–8 · Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 9–12 |
| Beach Park | D | Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 PK–8 · Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 PK–12 · Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 9–12 |
| Wadsworth | C | Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 PK–8 · Gurnee School District 56 PK–8 · Warren Township High School District 121 9–12 |
| Newport | B | Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 PK–8 · Millburn Community Consolidated School District 24 PK–8 · Warren Township High School District 121 9–12 |
| Winthrop Harbor | C | Winthrop Harbor School District 1 PK–8 · Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 9–12 |
All 6 neighbors share Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 with Zion for grades 9–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Zion
12 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 Zion’s schools
Are Zion’s schools good?
On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Zion children attend score below 89% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D Schools grade, #718 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 7%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Zion in?
Zion-Benton Township High School District 126, which runs grades 9–12 and enrolls 2,533 students in 2 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Zion are served by Winthrop Harbor School District 1.
Where do Zion kids go to high school?
One of 2 high schools, depending on your address: Zion-Benton Twnshp Hi Sch and Zion-Benton East High School.
What is Zion’s graduation rate?
88% of the class of 2023 in Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.
How much does Zion spend per student?
$22,286 in Zion-Benton Township High School District 126, $24,770 in Zion Elementary School District 6 and $20,690 in Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Zion families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Zion → 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.