The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in English language arts. The lowest is 73% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sandburg Middle School
Sandburg Middle School is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Elmhurst, a predominantly residential inner-ring Chicago suburb in DuPage County. The school enrolls a student body of about six hundred students, with roughly equal distribution across the three middle grades. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, and Black students; the school also serves a population that is about one-tenth Hispanic. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and on English learner and special education populations were not available.
In English language arts, Sandburg's state assessment results show solid proficiency across the tested middle grades. Sixth graders reached proficiency at a strong rate, as did seventh graders at a somewhat higher rate; eighth graders performed at a comparable level to sixth graders. All three grades showed near-universal test participation. Results in science, reported for eighth grade only, placed proficiency at a strong level with very high participation.
Mathematics results reveal a pattern of declining proficiency as grade level advances. Sixth and seventh graders achieved proficiency at solid rates, with seventh graders performing slightly better. Eighth grade math proficiency dropped noticeably compared to the earlier grades, though test participation remained high across all three grades. The shift in performance between grade seven and eight is the most prominent academic feature visible in these results; a parent may want to look into how the school addresses the transition to more abstract algebra and geometry content at that level, and what supports exist for students who find the jump challenging.
Overall, Sandburg's proficiency index—a measure of performance across tested subjects and grades—places it in the top quartile among schools in DuPage County, indicating that the school's academic standing is stronger than the median. The school demonstrates stronger results in English language arts than in mathematics, particularly at the eighth-grade level.
Elmhurst itself is a walkable, transit-oriented community centered on downtown's commercial district and Wilder Park, which anchors the public library, art museum, and cultural programming. The Elmhurst Metra station, which serves dozens of weekday trains, sits downtown on York Street, supporting car-optional access to employment and cultural activity across the Chicago region. Housing in the area is well above national median values, and the community has been in active redevelopment with transit-oriented mixed-use projects, new townhome proposals, and renewed focus on downtown activation in recent years.
Elmhurst School District 205 has undergone significant recent change. Two new elementary school buildings opened in 2022 and 2023 following a substantial referendum, replacing aging facilities and adding space for full-day kindergarten, STEM learning, and modernized security and technology. The district also restructured middle school scheduling so that all students now take science and social studies all year rather than one semester each, while daily time in math and English decreased—a pedagogical shift that affects the rhythm of every middle schooler's week. Additionally, the district launched a Two-Way Immersion Spanish-English dual language program at the elementary level a few years ago, which has grown one grade per year and is expanding to include middle school, creating a K-8 bilingual pathway for interested families.
State testing data for grades below six were not available, as those grades are not assessed by Illinois' state system. Attendance data, graduation rates, and detailed civil-rights breakdowns for the school were also not provided.
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