Parkwood Elem School, Hanover Park IL

Original Research by School Decision on Parkwood Elem School

Parkwood Elementary School is a small elementary school in Hanover Park, Illinois, serving grades pre-K through sixth grade in a predominantly Latino community within School District U-46. The school enrolls students across all these grades, with enrollment concentrated in the upper elementary and middle grades.

The student body is highly ethnically diverse: approximately three-quarters of enrolled students identify as Hispanic, with Black students making up a significant secondary share. Asian, white, and multiracial students comprise smaller portions of the population. The data on the free-or-reduced-price lunch rate, which would indicate economic need, was not available in the information provided. In April 2023, voters in the district approved a substantial bond referendum with no tax rate increase to rebuild aging schools; Parkwood is among the five elementary schools scheduled for rebuilds under this initiative, which will reshape building quality and capacity across the district over the coming years.

On Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) math and English language arts tests, proficiency rates at Parkwood are notably below where schools typically perform statewide. In mathematics, fourth grade is the strongest performing grade, though still at modest levels. Third, fifth, and sixth grades all show proficiency rates well below the midpoint among schools countywide. English language arts proficiency follows a similar trajectory across grades. In science, fifth grade testing shows particularly low proficiency. Across all assessments, the school achieved full or near-full test participation, indicating students were present and took the exams. A parent may want to look into what specific academic supports the school is putting in place in light of these results, particularly in math where the pattern is consistent across grades.

District U-46 has initiated a shift to a 6-8 middle school model starting in 2025-26, introducing a daily advisory period focused on social-emotional learning and academic intervention, along with new mathematics and literacy curricula. Additionally, the district's elementary schools, including Parkwood, have extended their instructional day as part of a recent teachers' contract, adding instructional time to the school week.

Hanover Park itself is a mid-sized Chicago northwest suburb, ethnically diverse and family-oriented with a strong business-park employment base. The village has easy Metra commuter rail access to downtown Chicago and is in the midst of transit-oriented redevelopment around the Metra station. Housing values in the area are moderate for the region, and the market shows reasonable stability. The village markets itself as "America's Global Village," reflecting its multicultural character with roughly eighty nationalities represented among residents.

When positioned against the other districts in Cook County, Parkwood's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint. Test results alone do not capture the full picture of a school's strengths, but the numbers here suggest families should have direct conversations with the school about curriculum, intervention programs, and the specific ways the recent schedule expansion and advisory model are being deployed to address student learning.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 45% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 39% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 31% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 26% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 38% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 42% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 48% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 45% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 32% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 1 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.