The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Jefferson Elem School
Thomas Jefferson Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Joliet, with an enrollment of about a few hundred students. The student body is diverse: roughly half the enrollment is Hispanic, with substantial Black representation and smaller shares of white, Asian, and multiracial students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so family income profile cannot be drawn from the data.
The school's recent state assessment results show a pattern of low proficiency across tested grades and subjects. In math, third-grade students reached proficiency at a modest rate, but performance dropped sharply in grades four and five, where proficiency fell to single digits. In English language arts, third through fifth grades all showed proficiency in the roughly one-third range. Science testing in grade five showed proficiency below a third of students. When compared against other districts in Will County, Thomas Jefferson's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. Parents should recognize this is a school where most students are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks, and a parent may want to look into this further with the district to understand what instructional supports are in place and what the school's trajectory has been.
The state assessment in Illinois shifted its cut scores in proficiency criteria in 2024-25, which means prior-year comparisons are complicated. State testing data for grades six through eight are not reported because the school does not serve those grades; Thomas Jefferson is an elementary school. Participation rates in tested grades were at or near complete, so results reflect nearly all enrolled students.
Joliet is a large suburban city about forty-five miles southwest of Chicago's downtown, with an industrial and railroad legacy, newer west-side subdivisions, a historic downtown anchored by the Rialto Square Theatre and Harrah's Casino, and a growing logistics and manufacturing base including Amazon, IKEA, ExxonMobil, and other major employers. The housing market in Will County has been moderately active, with median home values in Joliet's zip code in the mid-range for the region and rental costs rising at a pace above national averages. Mortgage rates and local unemployment figures are in line with national trends.
The broader district, Joliet Public School District 86, approved a major bond referendum in April 2023 to fund facility improvements across its schools. The referendum included an addition at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, which was publicly announced as underway in the spring of 2026. The district also approved replacement of two aging junior high buildings, scheduled to open for the 2026-2027 school year. The bond statement indicated that the district would not increase the current tax rate, as expiring debt would be replaced. This capital investment reflects the district's response to overcrowding and aging facilities, a consideration families weigh when evaluating the school.
Thomas Jefferson serves a community-based student population in a district actively modernizing its physical plant. The low proficiency results are a material consideration and warrant direct conversation with school and district leadership about instructional approach, support services, and improvement initiatives currently underway.
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