ETHS board hears comprehensive data report showing attendance, discipline and equity challenges while highlighting some gains

Evanston Township High School District 202 presented a comprehensive year‑end and first‑quarter data report at its Nov. 10 Board of Education meeting that combined enrollment, attendance, discipline, special education outcomes and academic measures.

The district reported official Sept. 30 enrollment of 3,570 students and said it reconfigured attendance reporting to match the state’s method, now tracking the percentage of students with 5% or more unexcused absences and 10% or more total absences rather than raw absence counts. “So instead of numbers, we’re looking at the portion, which is what the state does,” Doctor Carrie Levy said while demonstrating the new dashboard.

Administrators highlighted several positive outcomes: the district’s four‑year graduation rate for the class of 2025 was 93.9%, dual‑credit enrollment more than doubled (from 179 in 2023 to 488 in 2025), and early‑college/AP participation was high — Pete said 89% of the class of 2025 took at least one early college course and that AP exam results had strengthened, with 85% of AP test‑takers earning at least one score of 3 or higher.

Special education staff reported gains for some students with IEPs: “We’re happy to report that 85 percent of students with an I.E.P. in the class of 2028 were on track for the four‑year graduation marker,” Amy Verbrecht said, crediting tiered intervention and systematic monitoring.

At the same time, discipline data and racial disproportionality drew sustained attention. The dashboard showed 91% of students had no discipline incidents in the first quarter, but presenters pointed out a small cohort of students accounts for many repeat incidents and that suspension rates by race remain disparate. Staff described the state’s exclusionary disproportionality calculation and noted the district has been on the state list for related metrics in prior years. Doctor Levy and others emphasized restorative approaches and targeted interventions to address disproportionality.

Board members pressed for more granular follow‑up data. John Martin and others asked whether the district can cross‑reference rosters to see whether students who receive discipline also participate in extracurriculars; Pete said roster/ID data allow that cross‑tabulation and staff agreed to produce it. Several trustees asked for cohort projections, comparison of incoming ninth‑grade numbers to feeder‑district graduates, and disaggregated suicide‑risk and belonging data. Panel presenters said they will return with quarterly updates and additional breakdowns.

Staff also reported academic and social supports: a large increase in pre‑algebra sections (Pete cited a 207% enrollment increase) led to co‑taught classes with roughly a 1:9 ratio in intensive sections; freshmen‑on‑track rates improved, and the district is expanding MTSS tiered supports and partnerships with local agencies to address attendance and well‑being.

Administrators framed the presentation as a new baseline for board monitoring: the consolidated annual report will make subsequent quarterly deep dives more actionable. “Now when we do the quarterly reports, we can really drill down on what the real right now is,” a superintendent‑level speaker said during the discussion. The board asked staff to return with requested cross‑tabulations and cohort growth figures at future meetings.

The board did not take formal policy action on these data items during the Nov. 10 meeting; staff said the findings will inform program evaluations, including a program evaluation of special education now underway.