The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in English language arts. The lowest is 71% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Shabonee School
Shabonee School is an elementary school in Northbrook serving grades three through five, with an enrollment of about midway between small and medium for a three-grade elementary building. The school is located on Pfingsten Road in a residential North Shore suburb about twenty-five miles north of Chicago, known for affluent single-family neighborhoods alongside office and industrial corridors.
The school's academic performance on Illinois state tests shows proficiency concentrated in the competent-to-strong range. In English language arts, students perform more consistently: grade four leads at over ninety percent proficient, while grades three and five each attain mid-to-high eighty-percent ranges. Math proficiency sits in the upper seventies to low eighties across the three grades, with grade four's mid-eighty performance slightly higher than grades three and five. Science, tested only in grade five, shows a measurably softer picture at just over seventy percent proficient. Across all subjects and grades tested, Shabonee's mean proficiency rate places it in the top quartile among schools in its county comparison set. Participation rates in testing are very high, above ninety-five percent in all cases.
The student body is predominantly white and Asian, with white students representing roughly three-fifths of enrollment and Asian students about a quarter. Small numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, and other students round out the composition. Detailed data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and on students with learning disabilities or English learners was not available, so a reader seeking to understand the economic profile or support needs within the school should contact the district directly.
Shabonee feeds into the Northbrook Elementary School District 27 system. In April 2025, district voters approved a significant capital measure: a Debt Service Extension Base that will fund facility repairs, safety upgrades, classroom technology, and expanded space for early childhood and special education programs. This referendum creates an ongoing property tax commitment for families—the kind of recurring cost that shapes long-term affordability in the community. Northbrook as a whole sits in a strong real estate market with median home values well above state and national averages; rental costs are also considerably above average for the region, driven by the suburb's affluent, established character.
The town itself is car-dependent, though a revitalized downtown core around the Metra station and Shermer Road offers walkability and civic anchors including the library and village green. Major residential development is underway, particularly the conversion of the Northbrook Court mall into a mixed-use neighborhood; this growth may gradually shift the character of the area over the next several years. The presence of major employers like Allstate, UL (Underwriters Laboratories, headquartered at Pfingsten Road), and others sustains a professional-class community with strong household incomes.
Shabonee is a conventional public school with no charter or magnet status. Its grade band means no high school data applies, and no graduation rate is reported because the school serves only upper elementary grades. The combination of solid proficiency, a demographically affluent and established community, and forthcoming facility improvements through the district referendum positions Shabonee within a stable, resource-rich educational context—though parents should factor in the new ongoing tax commitment and the suburban, car-dependent setting when weighing the school's fit for their family.
See more original research from School Decision →