Original Research by School Decision on Elizabeth Ide Elem School
Elizabeth Ide Elementary School serves students in prekindergarten through second grade in Darien, a residential suburb in southern DuPage County about 17 to 18 miles west of Chicago. The school enrolls a modest student body for its grade band, with the majority of students in kindergarten and first grade. The student population is majority white, with Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students each representing smaller shares. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so the economic profile of the school's families cannot be determined from the data provided.
State testing data is not available for Elizabeth Ide. The school serves only prekindergarten through second grade, and Illinois state assessments begin in grade three. This is not a limitation specific to the school but reflects the testing structure for early elementary grades statewide. As a result, there is no proficiency data to report.
The school sits in Darien, a planned community organized around residential neighborhoods and expressway access rather than a walkable downtown. I-55 runs through the city with two interchanges at Cass Avenue and Lemont Road. Housing follows a suburban pattern of quarter- and half-acre lots; the median home value in the school's zip code is in the mid-to-upper range for the region, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents in the area are also in the upper range. The area is car-oriented and requires a car for most errands and commuting.
The school belongs to Center Cass School District 66, a small district of three schools serving portions of Downers Grove and Darien. In June 2022, voters initially rejected a referendum to increase the district's permanent tax rate. After budget cuts that included shortened school days at Elizabeth Ide and reductions in bus routes, aide positions, and custodial staffing, a second referendum passed in November 2022 by a narrow margin. The property tax increase it authorized is permanent and substantial, funding restoration of the school day, bus routes, and staffing that had been cut. For families moving into the area, this means the district's portion of the property tax bill is higher than before and will remain so. The referendum outcome reflected a divided community; parents should expect that school funding and programming will continue to be topics of active discussion.
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