The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Heritage Elem School
Heritage Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Streamwood, a car-oriented northwest suburban village anchored by manufacturing, health care, and retail employment. The school enrolls a small cohort of roughly three hundred seventy-five students spread across eight grades, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial representation of Black students, and smaller numbers of white, Asian, and multiracial learners. Race and ethnicity data show a diverse population; information about free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, students with disabilities, and English learner status was not available.
Academic performance across math and English language arts is below the midpoint among Cook County districts on a proficiency index. In math, only a small share of third graders reached proficiency, with the proficiency rate falling sharply by fourth grade and remaining low through sixth grade. In English language arts, third and sixth graders show somewhat stronger relative performance than their fourth and fifth grade peers, though all grades remain well below state proficiency benchmarks. A science assessment for fifth grade shows minimal proficiency. State test results for seventh and eighth grade were not available, which reflects the fact that the school's official grade band extends only through sixth; state assessments for those grades are likely administered at a middle school rather than at Heritage. Student participation in testing was high across reported grades, suggesting that reported proficiency rates reflect actual student performance rather than testing barriers.
The broader context matters here. Heritage is one school in School District U-46, which in April 2023 won voter approval for a major bond referendum to rebuild five aging elementary schools, of which Glenbrook in Streamwood is one. That rebuilding is underway. Additionally, starting in 2025-26, all thirty-eight elementary schools in U-46 extended their instructional day, a change made under the district's new teacher contract. The district is also shifting to a new 6–8 middle school model with daily advisory periods for social-emotional learning and academic intervention, and piloting new math and literacy materials. These systemwide changes mean that Heritage is in motion, with new resources and extended time now in place and building improvement in progress.
Streamwood itself is a maturing suburb with a balanced mix of housing types (apartments, condos, townhomes, starter homes, and executive residences) and an active commercial and industrial base. The median home price in the zip code is moderate for the region, with properties typically spending roughly a month on the market, indicating steady but not booming demand. Schools are within walking distance of most neighborhoods, though the village itself is car-oriented, with most residents driving alone to work. Civic life centers on the Poplar Creek Public Library District, the Streamwood Park District (which operates a recreation center with pools and fitness facilities), and the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve to the north.
A parent considering Heritage should be aware that current state test results show proficiency levels substantially below state benchmarks across the grades tested, though the school's performance sits alongside district and community-level shifts in resources, instructional time, and teaching materials that are newly in effect. Whether Heritage is the right fit depends on what instructional approach and peer environment align with a child's learning profile, the school's capacity to sustain the extended day and new supports, and how those changes take hold over time. The school's location in a stable, family-oriented suburb with accessible amenities and active community institutions is a straightforward asset for families already rooted in Streamwood.
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