The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Chippewa Middle School
Chippewa Middle School is a regular public middle school serving sixth through eighth grades in Des Plaines, an inner-ring suburb about seventeen miles northwest of downtown Chicago adjacent to O'Hare International Airport. The school sits within Community Consolidated School District 62, which serves the Des Plaines area and is currently undergoing a structural transition to full-day kindergarten beginning in the 2026-27 school year, alongside implementation of a new five-year strategic plan adopted in 2024 that emphasizes academic readiness for high school, inclusive learning culture, and community partnerships.
The enrollment is small to mid-sized for a middle school, with students distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with close to two in five students identifying as Hispanic, two in five as white, roughly one in six as Asian, and smaller shares identifying as Black or mixed-race. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch rates and counts were not available in the data, so a reader cannot gauge the school's economic composition from this information.
The most recent state testing data available is from 2024-25. In English language arts, Chippewa's proficiency rates show a clear upward trend across the grade band. Sixth graders achieved a modest proficiency rate, roughly at or slightly above the midpoint of what one would expect. Seventh graders matched that, while eighth graders performed noticeably stronger. In mathematics, the pattern is different: sixth-grade proficiency sits below the sixth-grade ELA rate, seventh grade inches up slightly higher, and eighth grade remains flat with sixth grade. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the 122 districts in Cook County that submitted comparable testing data, suggesting performance in the middle range of the county's schools. Science proficiency was assessed only in eighth grade, where roughly half the students met proficiency standards.
A parent reviewing these results may notice that the school shows relative strength in literacy by eighth grade, while mathematics proficiency across all three grades remains lower. This gap between ELA and math performance is worth exploring directly with the school to understand what instructional or support approaches are already in place and where additional help might be available for students who need it. Attendance data, chronic absenteeism rates, graduation rates (not applicable for a middle school), and course offerings were not available, so a prospective family cannot assess the full picture of student support, academic programming, or engagement from the information provided.
Des Plaines itself is pursuing downtown revitalization centered on transit-oriented development around its Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line station. The city blends historic downtown storefronts with newer mixed-use development; the downtown core near the Metra station is walkable and anchored by the Des Plaines Public Library, Metropolitan Square mixed-use marketplace, and the recently renovated historic Des Plaines Theatre. Beyond downtown, the city spreads across roughly fifteen square miles of residential neighborhoods alongside industrial and office corridors tied to the O'Hare market. Major regional employers include Rivers Casino, Allstate, NorthShore University HealthSystem, and logistics and federal agencies. Housing in the 60016 zip code is moderately priced for the Chicago area and has seen modest appreciation year-over-year, with rental housing somewhat tighter than homeownership.
The district is grounded in a K-8 configuration across Community Consolidated School District 62, meaning Chippewa students will transition to a separate high school (likely Maine West High School, which is operated by Maine Township High School District 207, outside District 62). A reader focused on continuity may want to understand how that transition is supported and what high schools serve this attendance area.
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