The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hufford Junior High School
Hufford Junior High School serves the middle grades across a mixed-income Joliet neighborhood where the student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black. The school enrolls a solid-sized cohort distributed evenly across grades six through eight, with strong test participation rates showing nearly universal classroom engagement.
The academic picture reveals a significant proficiency gap. In English language arts, the school shows a split: sixth-grade proficiency sits at roughly a third of students meeting standards, while seventh and eighth grades hover in the mid-range, though still below half. Mathematics performance is notably lower across all three grades, with proficiency rates in the low teens. Eighth-grade science testing shows proficiency near a quarter of students. These results place Hufford in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency when compared to districts across Will County. The data reflects genuine challenge; this is not a school where academic performance is currently a strength.
The housing market around Joliet is moderately priced for the Chicago region and has been climbing steadily. Median home values are accessible compared to national benchmarks, and rental rates remain manageable, though housing costs as a share of income are edging upward. The broader Joliet area is in a transition phase, with newer development on the west side competing with older, denser neighborhoods where schools like Hufford sit. Population growth has slowed in recent years.
A major shift is coming. The district passed a substantial bond referendum in 2023 to rebuild aging facilities, and the new Hufford is scheduled to open for the 2026-27 school year, materially larger than the current building to relieve overcrowding families and staff have long described. That construction context may affect current operations and morale, though it signals district commitment to modernizing school infrastructure. For families considering the school now, the immediate question is whether they prefer to see their child in a newer facility upon opening or to help the current school manage through its final year in the existing building.
State assessment data for grades below sixth grade was not available, so the complete early-literacy picture across the elementary and middle grades is not visible here. Special education enrollment counts and English learner counts, which would help clarify the school's support profile, were not reported in the available data and merit a conversation directly with the school if those details matter to your situation.
Hufford is a regular public school serving a neighborhood student population, not a choice or magnet school. Academic performance is well below the county median, and a parent weighing this school should expect to have frank conversations with staff about intervention, tutoring, and support systems they rely on to move students forward. The building is aging and scheduled for replacement, which brings both disruption and eventual relief. This is a school in transition, and the fit depends on whether your family values a soon-to-be-modern facility, acceptance of current academic gaps with realistic expectations about what support the school can provide, and comfort with a diverse, working-class student peer environment.
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