Waukegan High School’s music program has once again finished its competition season ranked as one of the top programs in Illinois. Students in the band, choir and orchestra combined for a 3rd place finish among all Illinois High School Association Class AA schools.

Join us for the world premiere of Un Solo Pueblo – a vibrant and emotional new work for concert band by award-winning Colombian composer Dr. Rubén Darío Gómez – on the WHS Spring Band Concert, Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 7:00 PM. This powerful piece celebrates the unity of Latin communities across the U.S. and beyond, offering Latin background musicians a chance to reconnect with their roots through music. Come experience this unforgettable night of music, culture, and celebration!

Waukegan High School’s Fine Arts Department will debut its production of "The Addams Family" musical April 24-26 in the Trapp Auditorium of the Waukegan High School-Brookside Campus.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

The registration deadline for the 2025-26 school year is quickly approaching, and families have until April 30, 2025 to complete the process.

Waukegan Public Schools' new student Kindergarten registration event originally scheduled for April 26 for families new to the District has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 3.

There’s still time for families to explore enrollment in our District’s Two-Way Dual Language program for the upcoming school year. To help parents learn more about the program, our District is hosting another informational meeting on Tuesday, April 29 at 5 p.m. at Oakdale Elementary School, 2230 McAree Road.

A Special Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, to discuss specific personnel performance - 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Public comment will precede the closed session in Room 120. The meeting will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings.

Waukegan Public School’s Family and Community Engagement Department will host its annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration on Thursday, May 8.

Waukegan Public Schools has begun registering incoming kindergarten students for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents of children who will turn 5 years old prior to September 1 can begin registering for the fall, depending on their current enrollments. See below for information on various timelines.

District 60’s Diverse Learners Department Parent to Parent Special Education Network support group will meet on Tuesday, April 22 from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in the Welcome Center, 742 W. Greenwood Ave.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) will debut its next production, Moana Jr., in April. 90 Waukegan students representing 10 elementary and 5 middle schools make up the cast and crew of the production.

Waukegan Community Unit School District #60’s annual Elementary Art Show is now open at the Waukegan Public Library and will run through April 30.

The Board of Education for Waukegan Public Schools will meet in a Special Meeting on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 6:00 pm in Room 120 at Lincoln Center. A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session.

Waukegan Public Schools’ annual Middle School Music Festival is right around the corner! The popular event will be hosted on Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, April 16 at the Genesee Theatre in downtown Waukegan.

The Waukegan Community Unit School District Board of Education is seeking two students to serve as Student Board Members for the 2025-2026 school year. Any student who will be a sophomore, junior, or senior next year is eligible to apply.

We know many of you have questions following the recent presidential executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. While the full impact and implementation of this decision remain unclear and are likely to take time, we want to assure our community that we are closely monitoring developments. We will continue to rely on guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education, which has been a strong and consistent ally through these changes. As we learn more, we will keep our families informed.

District 60 staff, students, and parents have until this Friday, March 28 to complete this year’s statewide 5Essentials survey! Click here to take the survey.

Spring Break is finally here, and I wanted to take a moment to send my best wishes for a peaceful and refreshing break. Whether you’re traveling, diving into your favorite hobbies, or simply taking some time to relax at home, I hope this time away brings you joy and relaxation.

Waukegan Public Schools will host a free meal distribution event for families during Spring Break on Monday, March 24 at the Waukegan High School-Brookside Campus, 2325 Brookside Avenue. Meals will be available between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Families can pick up food by driving up to door 25, which is located at the back of the Brookside Campus. Families will be asked to stay in their cars, and students are not required to be present to pick up meals.

Registration is now open for all returning Waukegan Public Schools students in grades Kindergarten through 11. Parents must complete the online registration process through the Parent Portal. To access registration, log in to Parent Portal and click on "More" to find the Online Registration link.

A Special Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, to discuss personnel - 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. A brief open session will follow in the Board Room at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings. On March 18, 2025, the regularly scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will held in the Lincoln Center Board Room.

District 60 will host its first of three (3) New Kindergarten Registration events for families not already registered in Waukegan’s EPIC preschool program this Saturday, March 15. The event will run from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Whittier Elementary School, 901 N. Lewis Avenue. Parents planning to attend these registration events are asked to please make an appointment at: https://wpskinder.youcanbook.me/

To ensure maximum student voice, engagement, and participation across all district activities, we are postponing the WPS Youth Summit: You Belong: Building Brilliance and Breaking Barriers to a later date. Due to scheduling conflicts with other events, we want to provide all students with the best opportunity to attend and fully experience this impactful event.

For the eighth consecutive year, Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 has been recognized with the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) for the 2024-2025 budget year.

Families interested in learning more about our District's Two-way Dual Language program will have another opportunity to do so during our next informational meeting on Tuesday, March 18, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Glenwood Elementary, 2500 Northmoor Ave.

Waukegan Public Schools will host a free meal distribution event for families during Spring Break on Monday, March 24 at the Waukegan High School-Brookside Campus, 2325 Brookside Avenue. Meals will be available between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Families can pick up food by driving up to door 25, which is located at the back of the Brookside Campus. Families will be asked to stay in their cars, and students are not required to be present to pick up meals.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

District 60 families, staff, and students have the opportunity to provide feedback on how to enhance their school by taking part in the 2024-25 statewide 5Essentials survey, which focuses on school climate and learning conditions. The survey can be accessed here.

State assessment season begins this month, and we want to share important information about the upcoming Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) for students in grades 3-8. These assessments are required annually by the Illinois State Board of Education and help measure student progress in key subject areas.

Waukegan Public Schools has begun registering incoming kindergarten students for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents of children who will turn 5 years old prior to September 1 can begin registering for the fall, depending on their current enrollments. See below for information on various timelines.

Waukegan Public Schools is excited to host the WPS Youth Summit, a day of inspiration, learning, and opportunity for students to take charge of their future. This engaging event is designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed, whether they’re preparing for college, exploring career options, or looking to grow as leaders.

District 60’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department will host a Parent University event on Thursday, March 13 focused on fire safety.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Diverse Learner Department will host a series of virtual special education training sessions this spring, as part of its Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) program. PAL is a free eight-week training program from the Family Resource Center on Disabilities that is designed to help parents navigate the special education process in Illinois.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has honored District 60’s Director of Student Access and Achievement, Dr. Tasia Fields, and Miguel Juarez Middle School 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher, Cynthia Stockman, with Those Who Excel awards for the 2024-25 school year. Dr. Fields and Ms. Stockman were two of more than 500 educators across the state honored earlier this month, with both staff members receiving the Award of Meritorious Service in the School Administrator and Classroom Teacher categories, respectively.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge recent developments at the federal level that may be on your minds. The recent executive order issued by the President regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in schools has brought forward discussions about how educational institutions approach student support and program development.

District 60 families, staff, and students have the opportunity to provide feedback on how to enhance their school by taking part in the 2024-25 statewide 5Essentials survey, which focuses on school climate and learning conditions. The survey can be accessed here.

Mr. Brian Johnson, an English Language Arts teacher at the Alternative/Optional Education Center (AOEC), has been named a finalist for the prestigious 2025 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mr. Johnson is one of just 30 finalists selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 470 nominations across Illinois.

We understand the current climate in Washington D.C. can be unsettling for our families. We want to assure you that our priority in Waukegan Public Schools remains to create a safe and supportive environment for all our students, families, and staff. While we must comply with federal law, we will continue to work to ensure that families can feel safe sending their children to school.

Earlier this week our District publicly presented important information related to both our End of Year (EOY) student data from the 2023-2024 school year, as well as Beginning of the Year (BOY) student data for 2024-2025.

On October 15, 2024, the Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No formal Board action will be taken during the meetings.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) is holding auditions for its next production, Frozen, next week. Auditions will be held at Cooke Magnet School, 522 Belvidere Road, on Thursday, August 22 from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All K-8 students are welcome to audition.

Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 schools are again participating in Professional Learning Days this school year. These days will allow for additional professional development opportunities for staff members and will result in altered bell schedules on these days.

Last week our Board of Education voted to approve updates to two important policies that impact students academically. The most significant policy is the re-introduction of our promotion/ retention policy, which affects how students move from grade to grade each year, based on academic performance. Below are more details on this policy, as well as more minor changes to our grading policy. Please take a moment to read up on these changes, and be on the lookout for more information on these policies in the near future.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) is holding auditions for its next production, Seusseical Jr. next month. Auditions will be held at Cooke Magnet School, 522 Belvidere Road, on Thursday, May 16, from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All K-8 students are welcome to audition.

Parents new to District 60 looking to enroll their children in kindergarten for the 2024/25 school year still have time to reserve a time slot to complete the registration process during one of our upcoming New Kindergarten Registration events.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, for the purpose of discussing negotiations and litigation. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting. The meeting will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings. On November 21, 2023, the regularly-scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room.

Waukegan Public Schools is excited to announce we will soon be rolling out a new facility scheduling and work order software. Later this summer FMX will officially replace SchoolDude. Our district-wide launch will take place in August.