The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Plainfield Elem School
Plainfield Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Des Plaines, an inner-ring Chicago suburb about seventeen miles northwest of downtown and directly adjacent to O'Hare International Airport. The school sits in a residential neighborhood within a diverse, compact city of roughly fifteen square miles that blends older storefronts and newer mixed-use development in its downtown core with residential neighborhoods and industrial corridors spreading outward.
The enrollment of around mid-sized for an elementary school draws from a predominantly Hispanic student body, with substantial Asian and white representation and smaller Black enrollment. A notable gap: free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, so a reader looking to understand the economic makeup of the school population may want to reach out to the school directly. Similarly, English learner and special education counts were not reported in the available data, which limits a full picture of student needs the school serves.
On state testing, the school shows mixed performance across grades. Third grade proficiency rates in English language arts and math both fall in the mid-range, with stronger results in language arts. Fourth grade language arts holds steady, but fourth grade math drops markedly. Fifth grade shows a steeper decline: language arts remains solid, but math proficiency is below the midpoint, and science proficiency is low. These grade-by-grade patterns suggest math may be a concentration point for academic support or curriculum review. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the Cook County districts used for comparison, a meaningful position even as individual grade bands show variability.
This is Plainfield's current snapshot; no prior-year data was available to show whether these results represent a trajectory of change or a stable pattern. A parent may want to ask the school directly about what drives the fifth-grade math decline and what support structures exist for students who do not meet proficiency in tested areas.
Des Plaines itself is undergoing downtown revitalization centered on transit-oriented development around its Metra station on the Union Pacific Northwest Line. Recent projects include a renovated historic theatre, mixed-use housing and retail developments, and new transit-oriented apartment buildings. The city hosts major employers tied to O'Hare and regional office, industrial, and service businesses. Housing values in the area have appreciated modestly year over year, and the median home value sits slightly above the state benchmark. The housing market shows moderate inventory and demand relative to Cook County, making it a reasonably balanced buyer's market at present.
The district serving this school is CCSD 62, which encompasses Des Plaines elementary grades through a grade configuration that feeds into a regional high school system. The district is moving to full-day kindergarten beginning in the 2026-27 school year, a significant structural change for families with incoming kindergarteners. The district also adopted a new five-year strategic plan in April 2024 centered on five goals: academic growth and readiness for middle school, an inclusive learning culture, workforce investment, family and community partnerships, and effective use of resources. These priorities shape the instructional and support environment families will encounter.
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