Komarek Elem School, North Riverside IL

Original Research by School Decision on Komarek Elem School

Komarek Elementary School is a small K-8 public school in North Riverside, a residential and commercial village west of Chicago, serving a community that has recently undergone major physical transformation. The school itself underwent a sweeping renovation following a voter-approved bond referendum, reopening for the 2022-23 school year with a new building addition, renovated west wing, demolished east wing, new gymnasium, and expanded parking. The facility now houses wider hallways, grade 3-8 lockers, updated classrooms, new music rooms, and a basement cafeteria—a modernized single-campus infrastructure that families in the area weigh as part of their housing and schooling decisions.

Academically, Komarek's test results show a mixed picture with a meaningful gap between elementary and middle grades. In grades 3 through 5, English proficiency runs mostly in the low to moderate range, while math proficiency is similarly modest across those grades. The school's strongest early performance comes in grade 4 English. Beginning in grade 6, performance drops substantially. Grade 6 and 7 math proficiency falls to well below early elementary levels, while grade 6 and 7 English remains closer to the middle-grades average. Grade 8 English rebounds to above the grade 6-7 levels, but grade 8 math remains low. Science proficiency in the tested grades (5 and 8) sits in the moderate range. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Cook County districts. When assessed against statewide benchmarks, proficiency results in all tested grades fall below where state standards target. A parent may want to discuss with the school the factors behind the marked decline in math performance starting at grade 6.

The student body is diverse. About half the enrollment identifies as Hispanic, roughly a quarter as white, a substantial minority as Black, and a small share as Asian. The school is a traditional public K-8, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is small for its grade span, with roughly even distribution across grade levels. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not available, and special population counts for students with IEPs or English learners were not reported.

North Riverside itself is a small village roughly ten miles west of downtown Chicago, where the retail landscape is dominated by the North Riverside Park Mall. The community is undergoing a visible repositioning, with mall ownership pursuing a mixed-use redevelopment that explicitly includes housing alongside retail and medical office. Housing values in the zip code are moderate for the Chicago metro area, and the market has remained relatively stable year over year. The village operates through a Village Commons civic center and maintains Parks and Recreation programming. Transit is provided by Pace suburban bus service.

The broader school context is shaped by Komarek School District 94, a single-school district serving only this building. The district's referendum, approved by voters in 2020, enabled the campus modernization and remains reflected in local property tax obligations.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

This schoolKomarek SD 94, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.