The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Serena Hills Elem School
Serena Hills Elementary sits in Flossmoor School District 161, which spans Chicago Heights and Flossmoor in the southern suburbs of Cook County. The school enrolls a small population of students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with enrollment relatively stable across grade levels. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with just under half Black students, about one-third Hispanic students, and the remainder a mix of white, two-or-more-races, and very small counts of Asian and Native American students.
Academic performance across the school shows areas of concern that parents should understand directly. In English language arts, third through fifth graders show proficiency in reading and writing at rates around half the student body or slightly below, with third grade at roughly the middle of performance and fifth grade performing a touch better. Math proficiency is notably lower. Third graders show proficiency near four in ten; fourth graders proficiency falls to under one in four; fifth graders proficiency at roughly one in five. Fifth grade science proficiency sits near three in ten. Against other elementary schools in Cook County, the school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it below the median. These are soft results, and a parent may want to discuss with the school what classroom support, intervention pathways, and instructional approaches are in place to help students build foundational skills in math and reading.
The school serves a fully Title I-eligible population, though free-or-reduced-lunch eligibility data was not available from the state. The school's student body and learning profile align with a high-poverty setting in an industrial suburb experiencing population decline and modest housing demand.
Facilities received a major refresh recently. In its multi-year modernization program funded by district bond sales, Serena Hills underwent renovation work alongside sister school Heather Hill, completed in 2025. The upgrades included secure vestibules, relocated main office, expanded kindergarten classrooms, a new playground, LED lighting, new interactive flat panels in classrooms, and HVAC work. These improvements mean the physical plant is current and designed with security and learning in mind.
The broader district context matters for families. Flossmoor SD 161 voted in late 2025 to recapture property taxes that had been tax-abated under a state relief program, signaling that school funding will tighten going forward and homeowners in the district should expect their school portion of the property tax bill to rise. The board has also adopted a districtwide artificial intelligence implementation plan beginning in 2026-27, which will shape how students engage with technology and digital citizenship instruction in grades six and above as they move into middle school.
Chicago Heights itself is an older industrial suburb about a half-hour south of downtown Chicago, built in the 1890s around steel and manufacturing. Population has declined from a historic peak, and the housing stock consists mostly of vintage homes in established neighborhoods. Recent development has centered on downtown infill, such as the Otto Veterans Square affordable housing project that opened in 2024, rather than new residential construction in existing neighborhoods. The city is car-dependent, with major employers in manufacturing and healthcare, and nearby Metra rail service in neighboring Olympia Fields.
For a family considering Serena Hills, the school offers a stable, newly modernized building with current technology and a diverse peer group, situated in a familiar community with lower housing costs than many Chicago-area suburbs. The academic foundation in reading and math will require close partnership between home and school, particularly in elementary grades where skills are being built.
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