Original Research by School Decision on Arbor Elementary School
Arbor Elementary School serves first and second grade students in Oak Forest, a south-suburban Cook County community about a short drive south of Chicago. The school is part of Arbor Park School District 145, a district serving this residential, tree-lined area.
The school's student body reflects the diversity of the Oak Forest area. The enrollment includes a substantial population of Hispanic students, as well as sizable shares of white, Asian, and Black students, with smaller populations of other backgrounds represented. Data on economic disadvantage (free or reduced-price lunch eligibility) and English learner status were not available for the school.
State assessment data was not available for Arbor Elementary. Because the school serves only grades one and two, these grades fall outside the state testing window; assessment results do not apply to this school by design. Parents seeking academic performance data for this grade band would need to contact the school directly.
Arbor Elementary has occupied a different physical location recently. The district consolidated its elementary footprint in 2021, selling the Morton Gingerwood building and moving first and second graders into the Arbor Park building. Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the school was renamed Arbor Elementary. This consolidation reshapes both current and future student pathways. The district has announced plans to build a new elementary school on the Scarlet Oak campus designed to house first through fourth grades, a project still in planning stages. Families in the district should understand that this current arrangement is part of a longer-term facilities transition, and the building and grade configuration children will attend may change as the district moves forward with new construction.
Oak Forest itself is car-oriented and has historically been a low-density suburb built around strip commercial corridors. The city sits in a housing market where home values are moderate by Chicago suburban standards. The local economy is anchored by health care and small business, with the nearby Acorn Public Library, park system, and Metra station providing community resources. The city is pursuing transit-oriented redevelopment around the Metra station at Cicero Avenue and 159th Street, with mixed-use housing and commercial projects underway or planned.
The neighborhood in which Arbor Elementary operates is solidly residential, with tree-lined streets and nearby parks and forest preserves. It is a school serving a tight grade span and a modest enrollment for its grade band. State-level testing comparisons were not available, so readers would need to speak with the school about academic outcomes and programs specific to early elementary instruction.
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