The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Virgil I Grissom Middle School
Virgil I Grissom Middle School is a regular public middle school in Tinley Park, Illinois, serving grades six through eight in Kirby School District 140. The school enrolls roughly six hundred students across its three grade levels, with a student body that is predominantly white, followed by a sizable Hispanic population and smaller Asian, Black, and multiracial communities. Demographic data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learners, and students with IEPs was not available.
The school's academic profile shows mixed results across Illinois state assessments. In sixth-grade mathematics, proficiency sits near the midpoint statewide, while seventh grade performs notably stronger in math. Eighth grade math proficiency drops back to about the midpoint. In English language arts, the pattern is different: sixth graders show solid performance, seventh graders reach a high threshold of proficiency, and eighth graders land in the mid-to-upper range. A single science proficiency measure for eighth grade sits near the midpoint. Across the grades with available data, test participation rates are very high, suggesting the school achieves near-universal testing. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Cook County, which is a genuine strength. A parent may want to look into the school's approaches in sixth-grade mathematics, where proficiency runs lower than in seventh, to understand whether that reflects the nature of transition to middle school, specific instructional strategies, or demographic shifts in the cohort.
Tinley Park is a mixed-use Chicago southwest suburb, combining a small walkable downtown along Oak Park Avenue with two Metra stations, extensive residential subdivisions, and substantial commercial, manufacturing, and hospitality corridors along Interstate 80. Downtown has been the focus of active redevelopment in recent years, including the 2025 opening of Harmony Square, a multiuse plaza with concert and community amenities, and other mixed-use projects bringing apartments and retail to the historic core. The village describes itself as one of the faster-growing communities in the Chicago region, with major employers in manufacturing, corporate headquarters, distribution, and retail. Housing in Tinley Park's zipcode runs modestly below state medians, and the market shows moderate activity with rents representing a reasonable share of household income for the area.
Kirby School District 140 covers Tinley Park and a portion of Orland Hills. A significant recent development for the district was a 2022 voter-approved referendum to replace the decades-old Fernway Park Elementary with a new, larger facility funded entirely from cash reserves with no property tax increase. The new school opened for the 2025-26 school year, and the district also centralized its early childhood services at that location, freeing classroom space at other elementary buildings. This kind of infrastructure and program consolidation is the type of lasting change that matters to families weighing a move into the district.
State testing data for grades three through five were not available, as this is a middle school and those grades are not served here. A graduation rate does not apply. Information on the school's course offerings, student support services, attendance, or discipline was not provided in the available data.
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