The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Creative Communications Acad
Creative Communications Academy is a middle school serving grades seven and eight in Calumet City, a working-class suburb on the Illinois-Indiana border south of Chicago. The school sits in a diverse, mixed-income community shaped by industrial history and now anchored by retail and residential life; the River Oaks Center shopping complex and Sibley Boulevard corridor are the city's commercial spine. The school itself enrolls a small student body, almost all Black students, reflecting the neighborhood's composition.
The available academic data shows substantial challenges in core subjects. On the most recent state test reported, sixth-grade English proficiency stood around one-quarter of students, while sixth-grade math proficiency was significantly lower, at roughly one in sixteen. A science result from the prior year, eighth grade, showed proficiency at under one-fifth of tested students. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Cook County districts. Data on enrollment stability, attendance, discipline, special education services, English learner support, and free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility were not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about those supports and about whether these test results reflect recent trends or have shown movement in either direction.
The school's distinguishing programmatic strength is its anchor in the district's newly expanded Career and Technical Education pathway. Beginning in 2023-2024, Dolton School District introduced CTE offerings in agriculture, performing arts, music production, skilled trades, and culinary arts for middle schoolers; that program has grown to include cosmetology and barbering and now enrolls students from sixth through eighth grade. Creative Communications Academy, given its name and mission focus, is likely a home for some of these creative and technical pathways, making it a natural fit for middle-grade students with interest in hands-on, career-oriented learning. A parent interested in vocational exploration at the middle level would want to learn which specific CTE tracks are offered at this school and how students gain access to them.
Also significant: the district reorganized its middle schools for the 2024-2025 school year, moving sixth graders from elementary buildings into the middle school and creating grade-level centers. This means the transition to middle school now happens one year earlier than it historically did in the district. For families in Calumet City, this structural change alters which building their child attends and when that shift occurs.
The housing market in the immediate area is modest in value, with median home prices well below state and national benchmarks, and rents proportionally affordable for a Chicago-area suburb. The local economy remains mixed, anchored by the retail and service sectors, with Route 159 and Route 350 Pace bus service and the South Shore Line commuter rail providing transit access to the broader region.
A parent considering this school should ask directly about test score trends, the specific CTE offerings and enrollment process at this location, the full scope of special services and support staff, and whether recent academic results reflect current instruction or an earlier period. The available data points to significant academic need but does not yet tell the story of momentum, intervention, or recent change that would help a family make a grounded choice.
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