Thomas Middle School, Arlington Heights IL

Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Middle School

Thomas Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in Arlington Heights, a northwest Chicago suburb with active redevelopment anchored on transit and mixed-use housing. The school sits within Arlington Heights School District 25, which in 2024 expanded full-day kindergarten district-wide following a closely voted referendum in 2022; families considering the district should know that referendum also raised property taxes modestly but durably for capital work.

The school's enrollment is distributed across its three grade levels, with the sixth-grade cohort the largest. The student body is predominantly white, with meaningful representation of Asian and Hispanic students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and counts for special education and English learner populations were not available.

Thomas Middle School's proficiency results show uneven performance across grade and subject. In English language arts, the school shows clear strength: sixth through eighth graders reached proficiency at robust levels, with eighth graders at the highest mark. Reading appears to be the school's strongest subject area. Mathematics proficiency is lower and flattens as students advance. Sixth graders reached proficiency at a solid rate in math, but seventh and eighth graders fell to lower proficiency levels. Science results, available only for eighth grade, are strong. Across subjects and grades where results were reported, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Cook County. Participation rates were very high across all tested grades and subjects.

State testing data for grades three through five do not appear in the school's results; this reflects the fact that Thomas Middle School does not enroll those grades. The data also notes that Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores, so direct year-to-year comparison with prior assessments is not possible.

The Arlington Heights housing market reflects broader Cook County conditions: median home values are in the mid-range for the region, and median rental costs are moderate. The market has ample inventory and shows modest supply relative to demand. Mortgage affordability is mixed at current rates.

A parent may want to look into the math proficiency trajectory with the school directly, particularly how seventh and eighth grade coursework addresses the observed decline. The strength in English language arts and science suggests the school's instruction in those areas is working. Because enrollment and demographic detail for special populations is missing, families with students needing special education or English learner services should ask the school directly about those support systems.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 51% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 74% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 80% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 882%

School 82% · District 77% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Science

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 78% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

This schoolArlington Heights SD 25, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.