The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center
Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center is a public middle school serving seventh and eighth grade in a suburban village in the Chicagoland region. The school sits in a community anchored by Olivet Nazarene University, traditional downtown civic spaces, and a mix of neighborhoods and highway commerce. Bourbonnais itself is experiencing modest residential growth, with new subdivisions approved and home values climbing incrementally year over year.
The school enrolls a small to mid-sized cohort for its grade band, split nearly evenly between the two grades. The student body is majority white, with a meaningful presence of Black and Hispanic students; specific data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education or English learner populations were not available. Demographic information itself is limited in scope, so parents wanting a fuller picture of the school's student composition and support infrastructure may want to contact the school or district directly.
Testing data is sparse because the school serves only grades seven and eight, and Illinois tests only a subset of grades at those levels. For grade seven, the school's English language arts proficiency rate was in the mid-to-upper range, while math proficiency was substantially lower. In grade eight, both subjects showed modest results: English language arts remained above the midpoint, but math continued to fall short. Grade eight science proficiency was also below the midpoint. Across all tested subjects and grades where data appeared, the school's overall proficiency index placed it below the midpoint among districts in Kankakee County. Graduation rates, chronic absenteeism data, and other outcome measures do not apply to a middle school setting.
The district that operates this school, Bourbonnais SD 53, was publicly reported to be among a national cohort of districts deemed to have fully recovered academically from the pandemic, a signal of upward trajectory after earlier deficits. However, the district has also taken on substantial debt to address aging facilities. In 2024, it issued bonds for roof replacement, bus garage repairs, and bathroom renovations at other buildings. More recently, in early 2025, the board approved over one million dollars in taxable bonds specifically for health and life safety code improvements at this school along with three elementary buildings, improvements that will be repaid through a direct annual tax levy. For the 2025 tax year, the district approved a final levy request that increased by a modest percentage and sits at or near the county's tax cap, a lasting bump to school portions of homeowners' property tax bills. Parents and residents should anticipate these tax increases as facilities work progresses.
The school's location in Bourbonnais offers reasonable access to civic infrastructure. The village has a traditional downtown with walkable character and a strong parks system including trails along the Kankakee River. A car is generally helpful for getting around the village's broader layout, though local bus service runs on main thoroughfares and connects to regional Metra transit. The community has anchored employment in health care, education, retail, and manufacturing, and the housing market is stable and modestly appreciating.
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