Garfield Elem School, Elgin IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Elem School

Garfield Elementary School is closed and no longer operating. The school served middle grades in Elgin, Illinois, as part of School District U-46, and its final state assessment results on file are from the 2022-23 school year.

That data shows persistently low proficiency across grades three through six in both math and English language arts. In math, fewer than a quarter of students tested met the state's proficiency standard in any grade; the lowest result was in fifth grade. In English language arts, results were similarly low across grades three, four, and five, though sixth-grade performance was higher. Science assessment data for fifth grade was suppressed by the state due to small group size, though participation in that assessment was strong.

No enrollment figures, demographic breakdowns, free-or-reduced-price-lunch counts, staffing data, special education or English learner rates, attendance information, or program details are available in the record. The academic testing data represents the only quantifiable snapshot of the school's final year of operation.

The school's closure is part of a broader reshaping of U-46 that extends far beyond Garfield. In April 2023, voters approved a major bond referendum with no tax increase, committing the district to rebuild aging elementary schools and construct its first new middle schools in decades. Hawk Hollow Middle School in Bartlett opened in 2025-26, and a new Legacy Middle School in Elgin is scheduled to open in 2027. The district has also shifted to a 6–8 middle school model, introduced a daily advisory period for social-emotional learning and academic support, and extended the elementary school day starting in 2025-26 under a new teachers' contract. For families in the Elgin area, these transitions mean that the schools their children attend now differ fundamentally from Garfield's era in grade configuration, building condition, schedule, and instructional approach.

Elgin itself is a mid-sized Fox River Valley city of roughly 110,000 people, located about 35 to 40 miles northwest of Chicago. It has a walkable downtown along the Fox River with civic anchors including the Gail Borden Public Library, the Hemmens Cultural Center, and three Metra stations serving the Milwaukee District West Line to Chicago. The city is experiencing active growth, with new downtown apartments and performing arts spaces, plus expansion in west Elgin along the Randall Road corridor and near Bowes Road. Housing values in the Elgin area are moderate relative to the broader Cook County market, and the city's employment base spans healthcare (Advocate Sherman Hospital), education (U-46 and Elgin Community College), finance (JPMorgan Chase), manufacturing, and retail.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 45% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median

Grade 47%

School 7% · District 39% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 31% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 26% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 310%

School 10% · District 38% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median

Grade 410%

School 10% · District 42% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 48% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 45% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median

This schoolSD U-46, 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.