October 30, 2025

“As a Board, we celebrate the unique academic journey of every Lake Forest High School student,” said District 115 Board President John Noble. “We applaud the foundational work of our exceptional faculty and staff, and their commitment to outstanding instruction, continuous improvement, and finding ways for all LFHS students to thrive. We also thank our community for investing in the future of our students through their generous and ongoing support.”

2025 District 115 Report Card Highlights

• For the 2024–25 school year, 85.5% of LFHS juniors met the state’s new right-sized ACT proficiency benchmarks for English Language Arts (ELA) with an average score of 23.7. This places LFHS third among our board-defined comparable districts.
  
  

• For the 2024–25 school year, 77.6% of LFHS juniors met the state’s new ACT Math proficiency benchmarks with an average score of 24.7.
  
  

• Using ACT–SAT concordance tables to align with the previous ISBE SAT proficiency targets, last year’s LFHS juniors’ ACT scores correspond to a 72.1% SAT pass rate, a 3.9 percentage point increase from the prior year’s cohort, and are in line with our District 115 Board Priorities.
  
  

• Using ACT–SAT concordance tables to align with the previous ISBE SAT proficiency targets, last year’s juniors’ ACT scores correspond to a 69.4% SAT pass rate, a 3.8 percentage point increase from last year, and are in line with our District 115 Board Priorities.
  
  
• LFHS sits at the very top of its peer group and ranks 2nd among all Illinois schools for highest attendance and lowest chronic absenteeism rates.

The following two graphs feature all ACT 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

All Non-Selective Illinois School Districts

The following three graphs feature Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and Science ACT scores across board-defined comparable districts in our area. The yellow represents District 115 achievement relative to those peers.

ACT - 2025 English Language Arts Proficiency

ACT - 2025 Math Proficiency

ACT - 2025 Science Proficiency

ACT Readiness

The ACT will continue to evolve, and our teachers are already adapting. This year, we’ve built even more college-readiness and test-prep skills into our courses, strengthened our diagnostic tools for instant feedback, and expanded free tutoring, available during the school day and on weekends, thanks to Board and community investment in academic excellence.

Climate Survey

The CSCI Climate Survey gathers feedback from teachers and students to assess our school’s learning environment. Its results are a key part of the Illinois Report Card and directly inform our Strategic Plan. High participation ensures we capture an accurate, complete picture of how best to support our students and staff. We will continue to encourage participation in this annual survey.

Attendance Matters

We will continue to focus on consistent school attendance. While LFHS ranks among the top 5% of Illinois school districts for low chronic absenteeism and leads all of our comparable districts, there is still room for improvement. Students who miss school miss out.

English Learners

We’ve expanded opportunities for our multilingual students through co-taught classes and additional bilingual staff. LFHS now ranks in the top 8% statewide for English Learner progress toward proficiency.

Graduation Success

Lake Forest High School continues to graduate nearly all students each year and recorded no dropouts among the Class of 2025. Some students in our Transitions program take more time to reach graduation. We’re enhancing those supports by adding job coaching and post-secondary planning to help every Scout succeed after high school.

To Learn More
If you are interested in learning more about our 2025 Report Card and related metrics, please note the following opportunities:

• November 2025: Dr. Erin Lenart and Dr. Renée Fitzsimmons will provide an overview of Report Card metrics, highlighting areas of academic achievement and growth. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.
  
  

• December 2025: Mr. Frank Lesniak, LFHS Assistant Principal of Student Operations, will share assessment results, including ACT data, concordance with prior SAT proficiency rates, and available interventions for 11th graders ahead of 2026 spring testing. He will also review Advanced Placement and Dual Credit participation. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.
  
  

• February 2026: Dr. Patrick Sassen and Mr. Stephen Douglass will present updates on career pathway data and the post-secondary landscape.Here is a link to last year’s Board report.
  
  

• April 2026: Mr. Tim Burkhalter and Ms. Ashleigh Malec will report on student participation in athletics and extracurricular activities. Here is a link to last year’s Board report.

There is always more to do, but today’s 2025 Illinois State Report Card results show what’s possible when faculty, staff, families, and students pull in the same direction—leading and learning together.

Sincerely,

Erin B. Lenart, Ed. D.

Principal, Lake Forest High School

Assistant Superintendent, District 115

elenart@lfschools.net