The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tefft Middle School
Tefft Middle School is a two-grade middle school serving seventh and eighth graders in Streamwood, a northwest Chicago suburb. The school sits in a predominantly Hispanic residential area with a mix of housing types and active commercial corridors. The surrounding community is car-oriented and suburban in character, with most families having two vehicles and commutes averaged around thirty minutes.
The school's enrollment is drawn from the district's transition to a new 6–8 middle school model, which launched recently with schedule changes including a daily advisory period for social-emotional learning and academic intervention. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Asian population and smaller shares of Black, white, and multiracial students. The school is substantially smaller in both seventh and eighth grade than typical comprehensive middle schools, which creates a tight, familiar environment but may mean fewer course offerings and extracurricular options than a larger building would support.
Math proficiency results show a clear challenge. Fewer than a quarter of seventh graders scored at proficient or above on the state assessment, and only about one in five eighth graders reached proficiency. English language arts performance is somewhat stronger, with more than a third of seventh graders and about four in ten eighth graders proficient. Science proficiency for eighth grade was roughly in the mid-thirties. Across all subjects and grades with reported data, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of Cook County's school districts. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what support structures exist for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards, and what intervention or tutoring pathways the building offers.
Testing participation was consistently high, above ninety-nine percent in both math and English language arts for both grades, indicating the school captured a full picture of its student population's performance.
The district is in the midst of substantial facility and curriculum changes. A bond referendum passed in 2023 without a tax rate increase is funding rebuilds of five aging elementary schools and two newly constructed middle schools, with Hawk Hollow Middle School in Bartlett opening in 2025-26 and Legacy Middle School in Elgin opening in 2027. Elementary schools have also extended their day by thirty minutes as of the 2025-26 school year under a new teacher contract. These changes reshape school assignments and building quality across the district but create transition and uncertainty as families navigate new middle school locations, schedules, and staffing. Tefft itself is part of that restructuring and is being reimagined within the new model.
Housing in the Streamwood area has a median listing price in the mid-to-high hundreds of thousands, with typical homes selling in roughly a month. Rental costs are in the mid-range for the Chicago area. The local economy centers on manufacturing, health care, and retail, with major employers including AbbVie, McDonald's, and various manufacturers and healthcare providers. The Poplar Creek Public Library and the Streamwood Park District with its recreation center serve the community's civic life.
State testing data for grades three through six was not available, likely because Tefft serves only grades seven and eight and those elementary grades are not tested there. No graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, free-or-reduced-price-lunch participation, English learner enrollment, or special education enrollment data appeared in the available school records. Clarifying these figures and asking the school directly about support systems and remediation pathways would give a fuller picture of what this school offers and how it serves students who are below grade level.
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