Melzer School, Morton Grove IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Melzer School

Melzer School is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade elementary school serving Morton Grove, a mixed-character Cook County suburb roughly a dozen to seventeen miles northwest of Chicago. The school sits within residential neighborhoods, not isolated on a campus, and is part of East Maine School District 63.

The school enrolls a modest-sized population balanced across its grade band, with substantial racial and ethnic diversity. Asian and white students together make up the majority; Hispanic students represent a meaningful share; and Asian enrollment is particularly high relative to many districts. The school does not report free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility or counts of English learners or students with IEPs, so those baseline need measures are not available in the public data.

On Illinois state assessments, Melzer's proficiency picture shows mixed performance that warrants direct conversation with the school. In English language arts across tested grades (three through five), results range from about half of third-graders meeting standard, to a low point in fourth grade, to stronger performance in fifth grade where nearly seven in ten students met the state's proficiency bar. Math shows a similar spread but generally lower points: third and fifth graders cluster around half meeting standard, while fourth graders fall just shy of that mark. Fifth-grade science sits at about half proficiency. These results are above the county median when proficiency is averaged across all tested subjects and grades, positioning Melzer in the upper half among Cook County school districts.

Two important caveats apply. Illinois changed its state assessment cut scores after the prior year, meaning year-to-year trend comparisons are not clean. Additionally, the tested population reported is small (about seventy-eight students in fifth grade, the one grade for which full numbers appear), which can make single-year results more volatile. A parent may want to ask the school directly about whether recent math and third-grade ELA results reflect the school's ongoing approach, what support is in place for students not yet at standard, and whether results have shifted since spring of this year.

The district is currently weighing a major bond referendum for the November ballot that, if approved, would fund substantial renovations to aging school buildings. Most schools in District 63 are between fifty-six and sixty-five years old; Melzer likely falls into that range. This is a direct housing cost question for parents: the referendum would translate to a specific annual property tax increase on homes in the catchment area, making it a material factor in deciding whether to buy or rent in the district.

Morton Grove itself is a village with mixed walkability. Along the Dempster Street corridor running east-west through town, neighborhoods score as very walkable with nearby grocery stores, restaurants, and bus lines. Most other areas score as somewhat walkable; the majority of residents drive to work. The village has an extensive parks system anchored by Harrer Park (a twenty-two-acre facility with sports fields, pools, and free summer events), and the Metra commuter rail station offers direct service to Chicago. Recent development includes Sawmill Station, a large mixed-use project with retail, apartments, and a shopping center. Housing values in the Morton Grove zip code have appreciated modestly and are running above the state benchmark but below the national median, positioning the area as moderately priced for the Chicago metro region.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 36% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 37% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 40% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 41% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 53% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 41% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 26 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-income46%Higher-income75%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income50%23 pp gap