Forest Elem School, Des Plaines IL

Original Research by School Decision on Forest Elem School

Forest Elementary School in Des Plaines serves a mixed community in an inner-ring Chicago suburb on the edge of O'Hare International Airport. The school enrolls students from prekindergarten through fifth grade, with a substantial enrollment that skews heavily toward the younger grades, reflecting either the school's role as a primary early-childhood hub within the district or demographic patterns in the catchment area. The student population is diverse in racial and ethnic composition, with roughly equal shares of white and Hispanic students and a meaningful Asian enrollment.

In math, the school shows a declining pattern across grade levels, with proficiency stronger in grade three and falling noticeably by grade five. The same downward curve appears in English language arts, though fifth-grade ELA performance improves notably compared to math, suggesting different strengths in the two areas. Science proficiency in grade five is lower than in either core subject. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the Cook County districts in the comparison set, indicating that across tested subjects and grades, Forest sits in the stronger half of its county peer group despite the grade-level declines within the school.

Des Plaines itself is a mixed urban-suburban environment with an active downtown revitalization effort centered on transit-oriented development near the Metra station. The city has invested in heritage preservation, new residential and mixed-use projects, and downtown amenities, though the broader landscape remains car-oriented outside the downtown core. Housing values in the area are moderate for the Chicago region, and the real estate market shows the supply characteristics typical of suburban Cook County. The community is anchored by the Des Plaines Public Library, Metra transit, and Pace bus service, along with parks and recreational facilities managed by the Des Plaines Park District.

District 62, the school's parent district, is undergoing significant structural changes. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, all kindergarten will shift from half-day to full-day, a change that will affect childcare and daily schedules for families with kindergarten-age children. The district adopted a new five-year strategic plan in April 2024 emphasizing academic growth and high school readiness, inclusive learning culture, workforce investment, family-community partnerships, and resource effectiveness. These priorities will shape the instructional approaches and program offerings families encounter as their children move through the school.

State assessment data reported for 2024-25 are subject to a cut-score change in Illinois, which affects trend comparability; year-to-year comparisons are therefore not available in the data. Demographic breakdowns by income, special education, and English learner status were not available.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 53% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 46% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 63% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 59% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 64% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Science

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 41% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolCCSD 62, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.