Horizon Elem School, Hanover Park IL

Original Research by School Decision on Horizon Elem School

Horizon Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Hanover Park, an ethnically diverse northwest Chicago suburb that combines residential neighborhoods with three large business parks. The school's enrollment is small, with students fairly evenly distributed across grades; the student body is diverse, with roughly equal shares of Hispanic, White, and Asian students, plus meaningful representation of Black students and families from multiple language backgrounds.

The school's state test results show modest proficiency rates across grades three through six. In math, proficiency ranges from around one-fifth at sixth grade to roughly half at fifth grade, with grades three and four closer to four in ten. In English language arts, results are similar: grades three and four sit in the mid-to-upper thirties, while grades five and six reach around half. In science, the sole reported result, for fifth grade, shows proficiency near a little over half. Across subjects, fifth grade performs strongest; sixth grade performance in math is notably lower. The school participates fully in state testing, with participation rates at or near all students tested.

When measured against the district U-46's other schools in DuPage County, Horizon's overall proficiency falls in the bottom quartile among district schools, considerably below the median. A parent looking at these results should know that state testing changed scoring thresholds across subjects in 2024-25, so direct year-to-year comparisons are not available. The school would be worth a direct conversation with staff about instructional priorities, supports for students not yet proficient, and any targeted initiatives underway.

Hanover Park itself is experiencing modest population shifts and is now focused on transit-oriented development around the Metra Milwaukee District West Line station. Housing values are moderate for the Chicago area, and the community markets itself as "America's Global Village," with strong representation from immigrant families and international businesses. The village center is being redeveloped around the station with new residential construction and a planned civic plaza.

At the district level, this is a moment of change. Voters approved a substantial bond in 2023 with no property tax increase, directing funds toward rebuilds of aging elementary schools, including Parkwood in Hanover Park (Horizon's sibling facility), and the district's first new middle schools in decades. The district is simultaneously shifting to a six-to-eight middle school model, extending the elementary school day, adding an advisory period focused on social-emotional learning, and adopting new math and literacy materials. These changes are rolling out now and will reshape classroom schedules and instructional resources across the district for years ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 39% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 31% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 26% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 38% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 48% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 45% · ▲ 5 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 32% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county 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.