Grant Elem School, Melrose Park IL

Original Research by School Decision on Grant Elem School

Grant Elementary is a small public school in Melrose Park, serving grades one through five. The school enrolls students primarily from the local community, with an enrollment that includes substantial representation of Latino families and a small number of Black and multiracial students; the school serves very few white and Asian students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner enrollment were not available, though both are likely present given the demographic composition.

The school's state assessment results in math and English language arts show proficiency rates that are notably low across all tested grades. In third and fourth grade math, roughly a quarter of students score at proficient levels; by fifth grade that drops to roughly one in five. In English language arts, third-grade performance is similar, fourth grade is about a quarter, and fifth grade reaches its highest point at roughly two-fifths. A fifth-grade science assessment also shows proficiency at roughly one in five. These results place Grant Elementary in the bottom quartile of schools across Cook County districts on overall proficiency.

A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand what instructional supports and interventions are in place for students performing below grade level, what the school's literacy and numeracy approaches emphasize, and how the school communicates progress to families. It would also be helpful to ask about class sizes, staffing stability, and whether there are after-school or small-group tutoring programs available.

The school is located in Melrose Park, a densely built mid-sized village about a short drive west of downtown Chicago with a long industrial and commercial identity. The village is roughly split between residential blocks, business corridors, and industrial areas. Melrose Park has a large Latino population and hosts community festivals like the Taste of Melrose Park and Hispano Fest. The neighborhood is walkable, with bus service on major corridors and a commuter rail station providing access to downtown Chicago. Housing in the area is moderately priced, with home values in the mid-range for the Chicago metropolitan area and median rental costs affordable relative to regional income. The village is largely built out and not experiencing major new residential development, though there has been recent reinvestment in parks and commercial corridors.

Bellwood School District 88, the district serving Grant Elementary, had no publicly available information about recent curriculum changes, referendums, or other parent-relevant strategic initiatives, so that context was not included here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 36% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 14% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 15% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 37% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 22% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 37% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 16% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolBellwood SD 88, 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.