The 7th and 8th Grade Symphonic Band from Gurnee School District 56 earned a division 1 rating, the highest possible, at the Illinois Grade School Music Association Contest, according to a Mar. 17 announcement. The district said this achievement continues its tradition of excellence.
This recognition highlights the district’s ongoing commitment to music education and student performance. A division 1 rating is considered the top honor an ensemble can receive in this competition.
Gurnee School District 56 serves Lake County and includes Prairie Trail School, River Trail School, Spaulding Elementary School, and Viking School, according to the Illinois Report Card. The district enrolled 1,966 students in the 2019-2020 school year and provides education for grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Gurnee and Lake County according to the Illinois Report Card.
The district has a diverse student population: it is composed of approximately 21.7 percent White students, 21 percent Black students, 45 percent Hispanic students, and six percent Asian students according to the Illinois State Board of Education. In terms of staffing, there are 153 teachers with an average salary of $63,616 before pension contributions; women make up about 86.3 percent of teachers while men account for about 13.7 percent. No teacher had more than ten absences in a school year according to state data.
Financially, Gurnee School District 56 spent $21,128 per student in the year 2020 for a total expenditure of $41,537,628 as reported by the Illinois Report Card. The district also reported having a chronic truancy rate of about 6.7 percent during that period—lower than the statewide average of 9.6 percent—with “chronically truant” defined as missing five percent or more of mandated school days without valid excuse according to ISBE data.
As students continue to earn high marks in extracurricular activities such as music competitions, observers may look for continued academic and artistic achievements from Gurnee School District 56.
