CHICAGO MAGAZINE (OCT. 2006) NAMES THREE DISTRICT 96 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AMONG TOP 15 PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN LAKE COUNTY, IL

In the October 2006 issue of Chicago magazine, in an article entitled "The Best Elementary Schools/The A+ Team" by Dennis Rodkin and Amy Rainey, three of the top 15 Public Schools named in Lake County are in Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96. The schools are: Kildeer Countryside Elementary, Ivy Hall Elementary, and Prairie Elementary.

Quote from the article (pp. 148-149)
Instructional Expenditure per Pupil: This is a measure of how much each of the school district's money goes to teaching, rather than construction, transportation, debt service, or other operations. The idea is not that money spent equates directly to student achievement; instead, this figure shows a community's commitment, via taxation, to high educational standards, as well as the efficiency with which a school allocates its resources. There's no denying that in a place like Northbrook School District 27, which spends $9,595 per pupil, the most of any public elementary school district in the region, the abundant resources available to students facilitate learning. (Read The A+ Team: How We Ranked Them.)

How closely does spending correlate with achievement? Well, three schools in Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Lake County spend $5,518, the least of all the schools that made it to the top ranks, but more of their students meet or exceed state testing standards than Northbrook District 27 students.