Sunnyside Intermediate School, Berkeley IL

Original Research by School Decision on Sunnyside Intermediate School

Sunnyside Intermediate School serves grades three through five in Berkeley, a small, ethnically diverse village on Cook County's western edge. The school is housed in a newly constructed building that opened in late 2022 as part of a major district facilities initiative, built alongside MacArthur Middle School to accommodate Berkeley School District 87's modernized learning spaces, secure entries, and expanded STEM and exploratory programming.

The student body reflects the community's demographics: roughly half the enrollment identifies as Hispanic or Latino, a substantial share as Black, and smaller portions as White or Asian. Enrollment sits at roughly mid-sized for an elementary intermediate school, with each of the three grades numbering between about one hundred ten and one hundred twenty-five students.

State test results from Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) testing in 2024-25 show modest proficiency. In math, third-grade proficiency stands around two out of five students, fourth grade about one in four, and fifth grade around one in ten. English language arts results run similarly: third grade around three in ten, fourth grade roughly one in four, and fifth grade around three in ten. Fifth-grade science testing indicates about one in five students reached proficiency. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of proficiency when compared to other public schools in Cook County districts. A parent should note that no prior-year trend data is available to clarify whether performance is improving, stable, or declining, so understanding the school's trajectory would benefit from a conversation with the principal.

Regarding student needs, data on special education enrollment, English learner status, and free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility were not publicly reported, so those specifics are unavailable. Similarly, chronic absenteeism data was not reported. A parent interested in understanding student support services, intervention pathways, or staffing depth would want to request that information directly from the school.

The district's bond referendum, approved in 2020, funded the new facility and carries an ongoing property tax increase for Berkeley residents. The new building itself represents a material investment in infrastructure, security infrastructure, STEM lab space, and accessibility. That tangible facility improvement is present. What remains to be addressed through instruction and student support is bringing proficiency results in line with broader county performance.

Berkeley itself is a built-out, residential inner-ring suburb with modest population decline over recent years. Housing values in the area sit modestly below state median, and the Illinois Prairie Path, a regional trail corridor running through the village, anchors civic and recreational life. The village does not have a traditional downtown; most residents commute to work outside Berkeley. The Metra Union Pacific West line serves the community for regional transit access.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 47% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 25% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 13% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 33% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 33% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolBerkeley SD 87, 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.