The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Elden D Finley Jr High School
Elden D Finley Jr High School serves sixth through eighth grade in Chicago Ridge, a fully built-out suburban community about miles southwest of downtown Chicago in Cook County. The school draws students from a residential village organized around commercial corridors anchored by Chicago Ridge Mall, with housing stock of single-family homes, townhouses, and condos at relatively affordable price points. Residents commute primarily by car; transit access includes the Metra SouthWest Service line at the Chicago Ridge station.
The school enrolls a modest-sized cohort distributed fairly evenly across its three grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Latino population and smaller Black, multiracial, and Asian populations. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch data was not available, and counts for students with individualized education plans or English learners were not reported.
State assessment results for 2024-25 show performance well below the state median across tested grades. In English language arts, proficiency in grades six through eight ranged from just under two-fifths to two-fifths of students tested. Mathematics proficiency was notably lower, ranging from under one-fifth in sixth grade to just under three-tenths in seventh grade. Science proficiency in eighth grade sat at just under three-tenths. High rates of test participation across grades indicate that these results reflect actual student performance rather than incomplete testing. A parent may want to look into what the school and district are doing to address these gaps, especially in mathematics, where proficiency trails significantly.
The school is part of Chicago Ridge School District 127-5, which adopted a multi-year Strategic Plan in winter 2022 organized around five focus areas: student needs, finance and buildings, curriculum and instruction, technology, and human resources. The district has continued to implement and monitor this plan annually. This framework shapes curriculum direction, building investments, and instructional priorities through roughly 2027. Beyond this strategic initiative, limited information was publicly available about recent curricular adoptions, bond activity, or property-tax changes.
Housing values in the school's zip code are below the state and national benchmarks, reflecting the suburb's position in Chicago's inner ring. The local housing market shows modest appreciation year-over-year and relatively stable median listing prices, with homes taking about a month on market. Affordability metrics are better than the national average, positioning Chicago Ridge as accessible to families seeking suburban schooling without premium pricing.
The school's proficiency index—a composite measure of performance across tested subjects and grades—places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Cook County. This positioning suggests that families choosing the school should do so with clear eyes on its academic standing and a plan for understanding where students sit relative to proficiency benchmarks as they progress through middle grades.
See more original research from School Decision →