About Skokie School District 68
Skokie School District 68 serves more than 1,800 pre-K-8th grade students in four schools located in the northernmost portion of Skokie. Graduates of District 68 attend Niles North High School.
Brief History
Our school district opened in 1898 in a two-room schoolhouse called Sharp Corner School. It was located at the corner of Gross Point, Church, and Hwy 41. The school served a large township; children walked to school from areas now known as Glenview and Evanston. As the community grew, the District added schools to serve the growing population. In 1965 student enrollment in District 68 peaked at 4,216.
Sharp Corner School was rebuilt in 1928, with additions in 1934, 1936, 1950, 1958, and 1960. Sharp Corner School was vacated in 1978 and the building was sold in 2013.
Today’s Schools
Jane Stenson School was built in 1953 with additions constructed in 1956, 1959, 1963, and 2013.
Devonshire School was built in 1955 with additions constructed in 1956, 1963, and 2014.
Highland School was built in 1958 with additions constructed in 1959, 1963, and 2014.
Old Orchard Junior High was built in 1960 with an addition constructed in 1969.
Since 1989 the Educational Service Center (ESC) has been used as the administrative center and as the meeting location of the Board of Education. In recent years, a portion of the building has been rented to the Niles Township ELL Parent Center. The Center is supported by eight of the ten township school districts.
Student Demographics
36.4% of students are white, 10.4% are black, 16.1% are Hispanic, and 32% are Asian. 51.9% of students are classified as low-income. 15.5% of students are defined as Limited English Proficient and are eligible for English Language Learner services. The percentage of students identified as Limited English Proficient in District 68 is more than one and a half times the state’s average, with 65 languages represented.
Teacher Demographics and Characteristics
District 68 has 148 certified staff members. All teachers have Bachelor’s degrees and 77.7% have Master’s degrees. 86.9% of teachers are white, 0.7% are black, 4.1% are Hispanic, and 3.9% are Asian.
The average pupil to teacher ratio is 14.1:1. Class sizes are lower in the primary grades (K-2) and average 20 students per class. In the intermediate grades (3-5) class sizes average 23 students per class. The middle school (6-8) has an average class size of 18 students.
Student Performance on State Assessments
40% of District 68 students met or exceeded standards on the PARCC test in 2015. In the area of English Language Arts, 45% of students met or exceeded standards. In the area of Mathematics, 38% of students met or exceeded standards.
District Finances
District 68 received a Aa2 bond rating from Moody’s Investor Service in 2015. For the past five years, the district has received the highest financial rating (recognition) from the Illinois State Board of Education. Being good stewards of district resources, the Board of Education has implemented conservative fund balance policies to assure that expenditures do not exceed revenues.
The District receives the majority of its revenue from local property taxes. Local funding accounts for 88% of the district’s total budget. State funding represents 8.8% of the budget and federal funding represents 3.3% of the budget.
District 68 continues to have a low tax rate, which is offset by a very high commercial property base. These factors allow the district to maximize its dollars available to educate students with a lower burden on the taxpayers.
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