Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 has received the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International for its 2025–2026 budget, according to a March 18 announcement. This marks the ninth consecutive year the district has earned this recognition.
The award highlights the district’s ongoing efforts toward financial transparency, responsible budgeting, and clear communication with its community. The district continues to improve its budgeting process by using data-informed planning and accessible reporting to keep stakeholders updated.
Budgets submitted for this award are subject to a thorough peer review and are evaluated based on clarity, accuracy, and accessibility in line with ASBO’s criteria. The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 represents Lake County and includes schools such as Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School, Carman-Buckner Elementary School, Clearview Elementary School, Daniel Webster Middle School, Early Learning Center, Glen Flora Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School, Greenwood Elementary School, H.R. McCall Elementary School, Hyde Park Elementary School, Jack Benny Middle School, John S. Clark Elementary School, Little Fort Elementary School, Lyon Magnet Elementary School, Miguel Juarez Middle School, North Elementary School, Oakdale Elementary School, Robert E. Abbott Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Washington Elementary School, Waukegan High School and Whittier Elementary School according to the Illinois Report Card.
The district serves a diverse student population that is 3.2 percent White, 13.2 percent Black, 79.5 percent Hispanic and 1.3 percent Asian according to the Illinois State Board of Education. In the 2019-2020 school year it enrolled 15,332 students across grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Waukegan and Lake County according to state data.
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 employed a total of 1,014 teachers earning an average salary of $63,524 before pension contributions; women made up about 71 percent of teachers while men accounted for nearly 29 percent. No teachers had more than ten absences in a school year according to state records.
In terms of spending and attendance challenges: The district spent $23,429 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $359 million as reported by state sources. That same year saw a chronic truancy rate of about 21 percent—meaning over three thousand students missed at least five percent of school days without valid excuse—compared with a statewide average of just under ten percent according to ISBE data.
As Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 continues its focus on financial responsibility and transparency recognized by this award cycle after cycle, it also faces ongoing challenges related to student attendance.
