The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in English language arts. The lowest is 52% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Forest Road Elem School
Forest Road Elementary serves grades one through six in La Grange Park, a compact, tree-lined residential village in Cook County west of Chicago. The school enrolls students across a relatively modest range, with sixth grade the largest cohort and kindergarten the smallest. The student body is diverse: just over half the enrollment identifies as white, with Hispanic students comprising about a quarter of enrollment, black students around a tenth, Asian students a small share, and students identifying as two or more races making up the remainder. Data on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so a reader looking for household income context will not find it here.
Academically, Forest Road's recent state test results show a mixed picture tied to subject and grade. In reading and language arts, the school's proficiency improves as students advance: third graders show proficiency near two-thirds, fourth graders around seven-tenths, fifth graders above three-quarters, and sixth graders above four-fifths. Math proficiency is less consistent. Third and fourth graders meet proficiency at rates in the low to mid-sixties, but fifth-grade math proficiency drops to around half the students tested, before rising back to near two-thirds in sixth grade. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, sits at just above half. These numbers reflect the reality that some students are reaching grade-level benchmarks while others are not, with particular softness in upper-elementary math. A parent looking into the school may want to discuss how the school is addressing math performance in fifth grade specifically and what support pathways exist for students who are not yet proficient.
When placed against the districts across Cook County, Forest Road's overall proficiency index—the mean of all its reported proficiency rates—sits in the top quartile, meaning it outperforms a clear majority of schools in the county. That broad comparison masks the uneven performance by subject noted above, but it does position the school as academically above median for the region.
The school sits in a community undergoing quiet reinvestment. La Grange Park is built out and largely stable, with civic life anchored by a recently renovated public library, memorial and forest preserve parks, and walkable business corridors along La Grange Road and 31st Street. The village is surrounded by Cook County forest preserves on three sides and connected to the Salt Creek Trail system. Housing ranges from early-twentieth-century homes to mid-century "Joern" homes (built by Charles Joern in the 1940s through 1960s) to newer construction and senior-living facilities. The median home value in the area is in the mid-range for the broader Chicago region, and rental options are available alongside ownership. The village lacks its own Metra station but sits a short distance from BNSF commuter rail in adjacent La Grange, with service to Union Station.
In April 2025, district voters approved a bond referendum to address overcrowding, safety and security upgrades, accessibility improvements, and infrastructure repair across schools. This authorization comes with an annual property tax increase for residents and signals both that the district has identified growth or facility constraints and that the community has backed capital investment to address them. For families already in or considering the area, this reflects real property tax impact that extends beyond the school year and carries forward across years.
Forest Road offers a grounded, neighborhood-embedded elementary education in a stable, tree-lined community with reinvestment underway and test results that exceed the county median. The academic pattern shows strength in early reading and upper-elementary language arts, with math requiring attention, particularly at the fifth-grade level. This is the right fit for families seeking a community-rooted, suburban elementary school with above-average regional standing and capacity to observe whether the school's approach to supporting all learners—especially in math—aligns with their child's needs.
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