Mark Twain Elem School, Niles IL

Original Research by School Decision on Mark Twain Elem School

Mark Twain Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in Niles, part of East Maine School District 63. The school serves a student body that is notably diverse: about two-fifths of enrollment is Asian, with meaningful shares of white, Hispanic, and multiracial students. The enrollment is small enough that class sizes are likely manageable at each grade level, ranging from about sixty to one hundred students per grade.

On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, Mark Twain's proficiency rates sit below what most schools in Cook County are achieving. In mathematics, third-grade students achieved proficiency at close to half of students; fourth and fifth graders' proficiency dipped into the mid-to-high thirties. In English language arts, third and fourth graders hovered around one-third proficiency, while fifth graders were near half. In science at fifth grade, roughly two-fifths of students met proficiency. These numbers reflect a school where fewer than half the students tested are meeting state standards in most grades and subjects, and where performance trends downward as students move through the primary grades before stabilizing or slightly recovering by fifth grade. State testing data was not available for sixth, seventh, or eighth grade, because the school only enrolls through fifth grade; sixth graders in the district attend Gemini Middle School.

A parent considering Mark Twain may want to look into the school's instructional approach and any targeted supports for students below grade level, since proficiency rates show a notable share of students not yet meeting expectations. The school participates fully in state testing, so data quality is not a concern.

Niles itself is a mixed-use inner-ring suburb directly adjoining Chicago's far northwest side, known for heavy retail development and ethnic diversity with large Asian, Polish, Assyrian, Greek and Italian heritage populations. The village is auto-oriented and dominated by shopping centers and big-box retail rather than a traditional walkable downtown, though it operates an unusual free bus service connecting major retail anchors and civic centers. The area is in the middle of a significant redevelopment push centered on converting aging shopping malls into mixed-use housing and retail, most notably the Golf Mill Town Center project. Housing values in the area are moderate for the Chicago region; median home values sit in the low-to-mid hundreds of thousands, and rental costs are moderate as well. The property tax burden is a live issue: District 63 is weighing a substantial bond referendum for the November 2026 ballot to fund major renovations to aging school buildings, most now decades old, which if approved would add a meaningful annual property tax cost to homeowners in the district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 47% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 36% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 37% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 41% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 53% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 41% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

This schoolEast Maine SD 63, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income62%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income48%10 pp gap