The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in Math. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Elem School
Garfield Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Chicago Heights, a mixed-use industrial suburb about 30 miles south of downtown Chicago. The school enrolls a small student body that is demographically dominated by Hispanic/Latino students, with a much smaller Black student population and very few white students. About a third of families live in the attendance zone; the majority of the housing stock consists of vintage ranch homes, bungalows, and Cape Cods in established neighborhoods where affordability remains modest compared to national benchmarks.
The school's academic results show consistent weakness across tested subjects. In math, proficiency rates range from the low-to-mid range in third grade and decline as students move through the upper elementary grades. English language arts proficiency is similarly low across third through fifth grade, with no grade reaching even mid-range attainment. In science, where only fifth grade is tested, results fall below other subject areas. All students tested participated fully in state assessments. A parent may want to look into what supports the school offers to address these proficiency gaps, particularly in how it structures literacy and numeracy instruction in the early grades.
The school sits within Chicago Heights School District 170, which has made two notable recent commitments that shape the learning environment. The district opened a new state-of-the-art middle school in the 2020-2021 school year in a shared facility with Bloom Township High School, consolidating sixth through eighth graders into one modern building. More directly relevant to Garfield, the district has built out a Dual Language program using the Literacy Squared biliteracy model, with dedicated dual-language classrooms at schools including Garfield itself. This represents an intentional pedagogical choice for a district where roughly nine in ten students identify as Hispanic/Latino. Bilingual families considering the school should ask specifically about how the dual-language program is structured at Garfield, whether classrooms are mixed throughout the school, and how bilingual literacy instruction integrates into the broader curriculum.
The broader community context reflects Chicago Heights' industrial heritage and ongoing change. The city has experienced recent population decline and sits primarily as a car-dependent suburb, though new housing development such as Otto Veterans Square opened downtown in 2024. The nearest commuter rail is in neighboring Olympia Fields; residents rely mainly on Pace bus service. Major employers include Esmark Steel Group and Ford's stamping plant, alongside healthcare and education. The housing market shows modest values with rents rising year over year, and properties remain substantially more affordable than the state and national benchmarks.
State assessment data does not include information on chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, or disciplinary outcomes, which would provide additional context on school climate and engagement. The school's website was not available, so details on specific programs, classroom structure, or parent communication channels are not part of this account. Families interested in Garfield should engage directly with the school to understand its approach to addressing proficiency gaps, the details of how the dual-language program operates in practice, and what additional supports are available for students learning English or working below grade level in core subjects.
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