Lincoln-Way High Schools Maintain Top State Rankings; EL Progress Jumps

Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Meeting | December 18, 2025

Article Summary: The 2025 Illinois Report Card data reveals that Lincoln-Way Central and East have maintained “Exemplary” status, while Lincoln-Way West remains “Commendable.” District-wide, significant gains were made in English Learner (EL) proficiency, and new ACT-aligned benchmarks show high levels of college readiness.

Academic Performance Key Points:

• Designations: Central and East ranked in the top 10% of schools statewide (Exemplary); West remains in the Commendable category.

• EL Gains: English Learner progress to proficiency scores more than doubled this year following targeted intervention efforts.

• Benchmark Shift: The state has rightsized proficiency benchmarks to align with ACT college readiness standards.

• Financial Efficiency: Comparisons show Lincoln-Way schools performing at higher academic levels than many Will County peers while maintaining significantly lower per-pupil expenditures.

The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education received an update on the 2025 Illinois Report Card during its meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.

Administrative staff reported that Lincoln-Way Central gained half a point in its total score to remain “Exemplary,” and Lincoln-Way West improved by 1.2 points, bringing it closer to the Exemplary threshold. A standout metric was the “EL Progress to Proficiency,” where the district saw a substantial increase.

“A lot of efforts by Dr. Fury and our EL teachers across the district got those ratings back up to optimum points, and they over doubled their score in percentage met on that,” a district representative told the board.

The report also highlighted a shift in state benchmarks. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently aligned its proficiency standards with the ACT readiness benchmarks. Officials noted that under previous SAT-based standards, many solid students were being “mislabeled” as not proficient. The current data shows Central improved by 14% and West by 22% in students meeting math benchmarks.

Despite the high performance, the board noted challenges with how growth is measured for small subgroups. At Lincoln-Way West, the EL subgroup consists of fewer than 20 students, and the three-year rolling growth average includes scores from as far back as 6th grade—long before the students arrived at the high school district.

The board emphasized that the district remains one of the highest-performing in Will County while maintaining the lowest per-pupil expenditure line among its peers.