The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Brooks Middle School
Brooks Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in Harvey, a south-suburban Chicago city that has experienced decades of population decline and economic distress but is now in an active reinvestment phase. The school draws from a student body that is roughly three-fifths Black and more than one-third Hispanic, with small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The school's state test results show weak proficiency across math and English language arts in 2024-25. In sixth-grade math, proficiency was in the low-to-mid range. Seventh-grade math proficiency was substantially lower. Eighth-grade math improved slightly. English language arts results were stronger than math across all three grade levels tested: sixth and eighth grade both showed proficiency levels around or just above 30 percent, while seventh grade was near that mark as well. Eighth-grade science proficiency was in the low-20s. Testing participation rates were high, near 98 to 99 percent across the grades assessed, indicating that the results reflect most of the enrolled student body. Among districts in Cook County, Brooks's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, meaning the school's performance lags that of most comparable districts in the region.
The enrollment is small to moderate for a middle school, with a roughly even distribution across the three grades. Free and reduced-price lunch data were not available in the reporting, so the prevalence of economic need cannot be stated from the sources here.
Brooks sits within Harvey School District 152, which faces significant fiscal headwinds. The district has imposed steep property tax levy increases in recent years, including an above-cap hike between tax years 2022 and 2023 that required state authorization, signaling ongoing financial strain. The district also collected well below its budgeted property tax revenue in prior years, reflecting broader south suburban collection struggles. For families considering enrollment or a move to the area, this volatility affects the local tax burden and the district's stability.
Harvey itself is a mixed-income suburban city about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago with a predominantly Black and substantial Hispanic population. Historically a manufacturing hub, the city has lost most of that industrial base but is beginning an active reinvestment in its downtown around the Metra Electric Line station, including new mixed-income housing and transit improvements. Housing values in the area are moderate, with affordability metrics suggesting a reasonable price-to-income ratio for the region. The city is car-dependent overall, though the downtown has a traditional grid that is walkable.
Parents evaluating Brooks should be aware of the gap between the school's current test results and those of districts performing closer to the county midpoint. The school participates fully in Illinois state assessments and serves a community in flux. A parent may want to discuss with the school directly what support structures exist for students below proficiency level and what steps are underway to improve instruction in mathematics, where the performance gap is most pronounced.
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