The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Stratford Middle School
Stratford Middle School serves grades six through eight in Bloomingdale, a predominantly residential village in DuPage County roughly a short drive northwest of Chicago. The school enrolls a student body of around five hundred. The student composition is diverse: students identifying as white make up a large share, with substantial populations of Asian and Hispanic students, alongside smaller numbers of Black, multiracial, and Native American students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education enrollment rates was not available.
The school's most recent state testing data, from spring 2025, shows math and English language arts proficiency on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. In eighth-grade English language arts, the proficiency rate was notably stronger, with a clear majority of students meeting proficiency. Sixth-grade English language arts proficiency was about half. Math proficiency across the school's grades ranged from around four in ten to a bit above four in ten, a softer picture than English language arts. Eighth-grade science proficiency was just above half. Sixth-grade science data was not available. The school's overall proficiency index positioned it below the midpoint among the county's districts when comparing across all tested subjects and grades. Test participation rates were very high, above ninety-eight percent in all grades and subjects offered.
A parent should understand that Stratford's math results are an area to examine further with the school. English language arts shows relative strength, particularly in eighth grade, and science proficiency in eighth grade is solid. The data reflects a school where one subset of learners is reaching grade-level standards while another substantial group is not yet there, a pattern that invites questions about intervention, support, and curriculum pacing that are worth discussing directly with administrators.
The school sits in CCSD 93, a district of modest enrollment serving elementary and middle grades only. The district recently transitioned to standards-based grading across K-8, moving away from traditional A-F letter grades and reporting progress on Illinois Learning Standards through a four-level scale. This reflects a pedagogical shift that parents will see on report cards; progress is now communicated as movement toward standards rather than as an overall grade. The district is also operating under a 2023-2028 Strategic Plan that shapes curriculum and instructional decisions.
Bloomingdale itself is a suburban village in the process of significant transformation. A large shopping mall that anchored the village for decades closed in 2024, and the site is being redeveloped into a mixed-use district called The Grove, with new retail, restaurants, residences, and a sports recreation center as the anchor tenant. The redevelopment is expected to unfold over several years. The village's everyday landscape combines subdivisions with large commercial centers along major roads, though a small restored historic Old Town core centered on Lake Street and Bloomingdale Road offers walkable retail and civic gathering space. The local economy centers on NOW Foods, a large natural products manufacturer headquartered in the village, and the retail base. Housing values in the area are moderate to upper-middle, with home prices and rents reflecting a fairly affluent DuPage County market. Schools in the immediate area and the broader housing market are active; the village is growing.
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