Beulah Park held a spring Chat and Chew event last Thursday, bringing together families and school administrators to share updates and build stronger partnerships in a relaxed environment.
The event aimed to foster communication between the school community and district leadership, providing an opportunity for parents to engage directly with those overseeing their children’s education. Such gatherings are part of ongoing efforts to strengthen relationships within the Zion Elementary School District 6.
Zion Elementary School District 6 serves Lake County and includes Beulah Park Elementary School, East Elementary School, Elmwood Elementary School, Lakeview School, Shiloh Park Elementary School, West Elementary School, and Zion Central Middle School, according to the Illinois Report Card. The district enrolled 2,483 students in the 2019-2020 school year and provides education from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is located in Zion and Lake County as reported by the Illinois Report Card.
The district employs 164 teachers who earn an average salary of $58,629 before pension contributions; 83.3 percent are women while 16.7 percent are men. Notably, there were no teachers with more than ten absences in a school year according to data from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Demographically, Zion Elementary School District 6 is composed of 4.9 percent White students, 36.6 percent Black students, 50.9 percent Hispanic students, and 0.2 percent Asian students as reported by the Illinois State Board of Education. In terms of finances, the district spent $27,927 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $69,342,294 according to the Illinois Report Card.
Chronic truancy remains below state averages in this district: during the 2020 school year there were 179 chronically truant students enrolled—a rate of 7.2 percent—compared to a statewide average of 9.6 percent as detailed by the Illinois State Board of Education. “Chronically truant” refers to students missing five percent or more of mandated school days without valid excuse.
Events like Chat and Chew reflect ongoing efforts by Beulah Park and Zion Elementary School District 6 to connect with families while addressing educational needs across their diverse student population.
