October 30, 2024

Dear District 115 Families and Community,

Today, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released its 2024 Report Card. Once again, LFHS students have collectively earned the highest designation of Exemplary, putting us in the top tier of school districts in the state—In fact, District 115 ranks in the 99th percentile for academic achievement while having a tax rate ranking in the 1st percentile in Illinois.

The annual ISBE Report Card provides valuable insights into how schools across the state progress on key student success indicators and identifies areas for continued attention. I am proud of our Lake Forest Community High School students and staff for their steadfast commitment to growth and continuous improvement, as evidenced by this year’s significant gains.

“Our Board is pleased with the steady progress being achieved by our students, faculty, and staff,” says District 115 Board of Education President John Noble.“While there is always more work to do, we view today's 2024 Illinois State Report Card results as a validation of the direction Dr. Lenart and her team are taking the high school through their alignment with our Portrait of a Learner, Five-Year Strategic Plan, and District 115 Board of Education Priorities.”

2024 District 115 Report Card Highlights
We are proud to report several notable LFHS 2024 Report Card achievements:

For the 3rd consecutive year, LFHS has earned the highest designation of Exemplary.
District 115 has the highest 4-year graduation rate among both selective and non-non-selective schools in Illinois.
Our 2024 Report Card results place District 115 within the top 1% of all non-selective enrollment Illinois school districts for average SAT scores or 3rd out of 470 districts in the state of Illinois.
11th-grade student proficiency in Science, as measured by the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA), increased by 4%, ranking LFHS in the top one percent, and 2nd among all non-selective enrollment schools in Illinois.
11th-grade SAT performance showed steady growth, with 4% more students meeting or exceeding Illinois ELA standards, and 3.7% more students meeting or exceeding Illinois Math standards.
In alignment with the Board’s goal of increasing student achievement by 3% annually, LFHS performance rose from 60% to 64%, meaning that an additional 4% of LFHS students met their goals this year.
District 115 continues to rank in the top 2% of Illinois school districts for attendance, leading Illinois in this critical metric. Research indicates that attendance is one of the most significant indicators of student achievement.

The following graph below features all SAT scores across all non-selective enrollment districts in Illinois. The red represents District 115 achievement relative to others in Illinois.

All Non-Selective Illinois School Districts

Note: ISBE is currently reporting proficiency based on the SAT taken by 11th-grade students during the 2023-2024 school year. ISBE is moving from the SAT to the ACT as the Illinois proficiency test for 2024-2025 and beyond.

Continuous Improvement

As we celebrate these accomplishments, we remain focused on identifying opportunities for continued growth. This year, we have implemented and refined several key initiatives that will help us achieve the board’s goals and support student success:

A customized, full-scale ACT diagnostic and test preparation protocol includes personalized analysis, a targeted improvement curriculum, and tutoring.
The Core Support Team, which includes counselors, deans, teachers, and parents, provides one-on-one support and follows up on absences to ensure consistent attendance.
Furthering dual credit opportunities and advanced placement support to ensure students have the tools and opportunities needed to meet our 2028 goal.
Increased focus on extracurricular engagement ensures every student feels connected and supported within the District 115 community.

To Learn More
If you are interested in learning more about the 2024 Report Card metrics, please note the upcoming and past District 115 Board of Education Reports:

November 2024: Dr. Erin Lenart will present an overview of all the report card metrics, highlighting areas for improvement and previewing new and upcoming report card indicators. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.
December 2024: Mr. Frank Lesniak will present an overview of our assessment data, including last year’s SAT and ACT data, as well as current interventions and opportunities for 11th-grade students who will participate in the school’s spring ACT test administration. He will give an overview of Advanced Placement performance and participation as well as Dual Credit opportunities and participation at LFHS. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.
February 2025: Dr. Patrick Sassen and Mr. Stephen Douglass will present an overview of the career pathway data and the college admissions and post-secondary landscape. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.
April 2025: Mr. Tim Burkhalter and Ms. Ashleigh Malec will present an overview of student participation rates in extracurricular athletics and activities. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to support your students in this chapter of their educational journey.

Sincerely,

Matthew L. Montgomery, Ph.D.