The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Central Middle School
Central Middle School serves grades six through eight in Evergreen Park, a dense, historically residential suburb immediately southwest of Chicago organized around the 95th Street commercial corridor. The school draws from a predominantly Hispanic and Black student body across the roughly three-hundred-square-mile Cook County district system. Middle school testing results, available for the most recent school year, show proficiency levels that warrant attention from any parent considering this pathway.
In English language arts, the results are mixed by grade. Sixth graders achieved proficiency rates around the lower-to-middle range, while seventh graders performed noticeably stronger, with roughly half of students meeting proficiency. Eighth grade proficiency in ELA dropped to the lower-middle range. Mathematics shows a steeper challenge. Sixth grade math proficiency sits well below half, seventh grade slightly above a quarter of students, and eighth grade proficiency falls to roughly one in five students. Science testing data for the full grade span was not available; eighth grade science proficiency came in at roughly four in ten students. The school participated fully in state testing across the grades tested. Across subjects and grades where data was reported, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Cook County district schools.
Central Middle School's enrollment is small to moderate for a middle school, distributed fairly evenly across its three grades. The student body reflects the broader demographic composition of the suburb: roughly equal shares of Hispanic and white students, with a substantial Black student population and a very small Asian enrollment. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, nor was detailed information on special education or English learner enrollment, so a parent would want to contact the school directly about the proportion of students qualifying for reduced meals or receiving language services.
The district context matters here. Evergreen Park ESD 124 pursued a major facilities bond referendum in late 2025 to replace Central Middle School's aging building, which dates back nearly a century, and to remove temporary classrooms at the four elementary schools. The referendum failed to advance to the ballot after community support polled around the low-to-mid forty percent range, below the threshold district leadership sought. This means the facilities challenges persist and the school continues to operate in its current aging structure. The district will now pursue only improvements it can fund within existing budget capacity. A parent weighing this school should understand that future bond referendums remain likely, which could affect property taxes in the near term.
Evergreen Park itself is densely built and car-oriented, organized around retail corridors and big-box anchors rather than a traditional walkable center. Housing values have been appreciating modestly, and rental costs are moderate for the region. The area is stable and well-established, with civic institutions including the public library and community centers, though daily street life concentrates on the arterial 95th Street corridor lined with commercial chains and restaurants.
A parent considering Central Middle School should expect a middle grades experience in a middle-income suburb with a diverse, balanced peer composition, but should also recognize that recent test results in mathematics are substantially below proficiency, particularly in eighth grade, and that the school operates in facilities the district has already identified as needing replacement. The school's strength in reading at seventh grade offers a brighter spot. Direct conversation with the school about tutoring support, intervention programming, and the specific curriculum being used in mathematics would be prudent before enrollment.
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