Waukegan schools report improved registration; district sets July in-person sessions for late enrollees

Waukegan Public Schools told the board that online annual registration for the 2025–26 school year rose to 71% districtwide, up from about 50% last year, and the district will run in‑person registration events July 29–31 to help remaining families complete enrollment and provide proof of residency when required.

The report came during a presentation to the Board of Education by a district staff member, who said the parent portal in Infinite Campus allowed many families to click through and confirm information quickly. “Students that are entering sixth grade and ninth grade … we ask those parents to submit two proofs of residency,” the staff member said, noting the district had reduced the prior practice of annual proof checks to a targeted requirement at those transition grades.

The district highlighted that elementary schools saw an average 79.5% registration rate; Clark Elementary and Greenwood Elementary reached 100% parent-submitted registration this cycle. Middle- and high-school parent participation was lower: roughly 65.6% for families with students in grades that feed into middle and high school. The district reported 543 of 918 fifth-graders moving to sixth grade were fully registered; for ninth grade roughly half were fully registered while 307 ninth-graders had not registered at all.

To help families complete the process, Superintendent Placencia and staff scheduled three back-to-school registration nights — July 29 at Benny Middle School/Clearview Elementary, July 30 at Smith Middle School/Whittier Elementary, and July 31 at Lewis Middle School/Carmen Buckner Elementary — each from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The district said staff at those events will help families finish applications, accept proofs of residency for sixth- and ninth-grade registrants, and assist pre-K families where applicable.

The district urged families who have moved into Waukegan to begin online registration at wps60.org and said the district welcome center will continue to accept appointments for registration support.

District leaders and several board members praised the organization and outreach that produced the registration increase and encouraged continued outreach to families who remain unregistered.

The board took no separate action beyond receiving the presentation and public recognition of schools that met high registration rates.