The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Forrestal Elem School
Forrestal Elementary School is a newly opened K-3 school serving roughly 400 students at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago School District 187. The school opened in May 2026 as a modern, purpose-built replacement for an aging facility, funded through a substantial U.S. Department of Defense grant. The design includes sensory spaces, nature-themed learning areas, and updated technology. About one in four students have direct connections to the naval installation.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with smaller shares of White, multiracial, and Asian students. Specific data on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility and rates of special-education identification or English learner status were not available from the district. The school serves only kindergarten through third grade, so state testing data is limited to third grade.
On the most recent state assessment available, third-grade students showed proficiency rates well below the state median on both math and ELA, with roughly a quarter of tested students meeting the state's proficiency standard. The testing universe in third grade was small, making performance snapshots from a single grade less stable. State testing data for earlier grades was not reported, as kindergarten through second grade are not tested under Illinois's assessment system. The school is new, so prior-year performance data does not exist and trend analysis is not possible.
Positioned within the broader Lake County school district landscape, Forrestal's reported proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into the school's detailed instructional approach and how the district supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks, particularly since the school is still in its first year of operation.
The district has adopted a new high-quality K-5 ELA curriculum with multi-tiered intervention support for students performing below grade level, and has implemented the Marzano High Reliability Schools framework district-wide for consistent, structured teaching and safe culture. Forrestal achieved Level 3 certification in the High Reliability Schools model. The district itself has recently transitioned back to local governance after more than a decade under state control, with an elected school board now fully restored by 2027, returning decision-making authority to parents and community members.
The school sits on a military installation with a controlled environment and specialized population, serving families of sailors, officers, and civilian personnel alongside local residents of North Chicago. This military-connected context shapes the peer environment and family composition in ways distinct from a typical suburban or urban school, though the school itself is located off the base in the surrounding North Chicago area. Housing near the base varies widely, from privatized military family housing to community neighborhoods in North Chicago and adjacent Lake County towns.
See more original research from School Decision →