Leyden Chsd 212, IL - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Leyden Chsd 212

Leyden Community High School District 212 serves a four-year high school population spread across East Leyden High School and West Leyden High School. The district enrollment sits at mid-size for its grade band, with roughly balanced class cohorts across grades nine through twelve. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share identifying as white, and Asian students also represented. The racial and ethnic composition of the district reflects the communities it serves across the northwest Cook County suburbs.

The district's communities—Franklin Park, Northlake, River Grove, Schiller Park, Des Plaines, Melrose Park, and a sliver of Chicago—form a historically working and middle-class suburban ring. Home values in the district range across its zip codes, with modest appreciation year-over-year. Rents, where reported, fall in the mid-range for the county. The housing market shows elevated supply relative to demand, which is typical of the broader Cook County market. For families considering a move, the affordability picture is roughly in line with state benchmarks but below national medians, meaning homes here cost somewhat less than the national average but still require planning.

State testing data for Leyden was not available in the provided information, so we cannot characterize proficiency rates or trends in English language arts, mathematics, or science at this time. Similarly, a graduation rate was not provided, making it impossible to report on four-year completion. The district does report a chronic absenteeism rate that places it in the bottom quartile among Cook County's districts, a soft spot worth exploring directly with the school. The district's per-pupil spending sits in the upper range for the county, indicating a resource-intensive budget.

The strongest and most immediately actionable asset in Leyden is its Career Pathways and dual-enrollment infrastructure. The district has built eight state-endorsed College and Career Pathway Endorsements across education, early childhood education, culinary, engineering, nursing assisting, computer science, computer programming, and computer systems networking. Students pursuing these pathways earn a state seal on their transcript signaling college and career readiness. Dual-enrollment offerings have expanded from a single course to sixteen options, many through Triton College, with tuition and fees covered by the district for students who complete coursework with passing grades. This means a Leyden graduate can earn significant transferable college credit and industry-aligned credentials while still in high school, materially reducing the time and cost of post-secondary education.

The district has also recently approved two new Advanced Placement courses—AP Business With Personal Finance and AP Environmental Science—to launch in the 2027-28 school year, broadening access to college-level coursework at both schools.

For a parent weighing the move or evaluating Leyden for their high school years, the career and dual-enrollment pathway system is the defining programmatic strength. The communities themselves are affordable relative to much of Cook County, and the district invests substantially in schools. A parent may want to look into the chronic absenteeism rate and the absence of recent state testing results to form a fuller picture of academic outcomes.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

3,606

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 71%

Black 2%

White 24%

Asian 2%

Two+ 1%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

East Leyden High School

West Leyden High School

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$317,332

Year-over-year change+4.0%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$305K to $384K

vs. state typical1.09x

vs. national typical0.86x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
60131	Franklin Park	$312K	+4.0%	31.8%
60164	Northlake	$305K	+3.2%	22.4%
60176	Schiller Park	$308K	+6.7%	14.7%
60171	River Grove	$309K	+2.2%	12.2%
60018	Des Plaines	$384K	+5.5%	9.5%
60160	Melrose Park	$317K	+2.5%	8.7%
60634	Chicago	$372K	+4.6%	0.7%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,755/mo

Year-over-year change+8.1%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$1,386 to $2,071/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
60131	Franklin Park	$1,700	—	31.8%
60176	Schiller Park	$1,825	—	14.7%
60171	River Grove	$2,071	—	12.2%
60160	Melrose Park	$1,386	—	8.7%
60634	Chicago	$1,889	+8.1%	0.7%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,601/mo

Home price / national median income3.8x

Annual rent / national median income25.1%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$154/mo

Market Activity: Cook County

Median listing price$349,900

Median listing price YoY+1.4%

Median price per sq ft$235

Median days on market35.5 days

Median days on market YoY+7.6%

Active listings6,653

Active listings YoY-16.6%

New listings4,792

New listings YoY-15.3%

Pending listings6,887

Pending listings YoY-3.4%

Hotness: median listing price$332,000

Hotness: median listing price YoY-0.9%

Supply score87.3

Supply score YoY-0.1%

Demand score39.6

Demand score YoY+4.9%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$290,210 (+4.9% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.