The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Math. The lowest is 62% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Willowbrook Elem School
Willowbrook Elementary is a small school in an affluent North Shore suburb, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in a single-family-home neighborhood setting. It's located on Happy Hollow Road in Glenview, a predominantly residential community about 15 to 20 miles north of Chicago that has seen substantial growth and price appreciation in recent years, with active luxury construction, major corporate headquarters like Astellas Pharma, and strong civic anchors in parks, libraries, and cultural institutions.
The school's academic profile shows solid proficiency across tested grades in math and English language arts. In third grade, proficiency rates run in the upper 80s for both subjects; fourth grade performs slightly higher; and fifth grade, the highest-tested level, shows upper 70s to low 80s. The science assessment in fifth grade—the only grade currently tested in science—shows proficiency in the low 60s, a softer spot compared to the math and reading results. Statewide assessment rules changed this year, affecting comparability with prior years, so trend data is not available. Among the county's school districts, Willowbrook's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, an indicator that its performance is strong relative to peers in Cook County.
The enrollment is small, with roughly 330 students across the grade band, distributed fairly evenly across grades. The student body is predominantly white, with substantial Asian representation and smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and other groups. The school does not appear to serve a high proportion of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, though that figure was not available in the data. Information about students with individualized education plans or English learners was also absent from the provided records.
Willowbrook is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation, operating within the Northbrook/Glenview School District 30. The district has recently shifted its elementary literacy instruction: starting in 2025-26, the district adopted HMH's Into Reading for grades K-5 and Heggerty's Bridge to Reading for early grades, replacing prior materials. This represents a meaningful curriculum change that families should expect to see reflected in classroom practice and home learning materials. The district also finalized a new 2024-29 Strategic Plan built with community input, which will guide resource allocation and priorities through the end of the decade.
The Glenview community context is affluent and growth-oriented. Home values in the area are substantial and rising. The immediate neighborhood is tree-lined and family-focused, with active parks, farmers markets, and commuter rail access through two Metra stations. Walkability is uneven—the downtown core around the original Metra station scores higher—but overall the village averages a Walk Score indicating most errands require a car. Civic life is anchored by the Glenview Park District, recognized as a finalist for national excellence, and a well-regarded public library with strong children's programming.
The school's location and enrollment size position it as a neighborhood elementary with a suburban feel in a college-educated, stable community. For families in the area seeking a public school option, Willowbrook offers above-average proficiency scores and a small-school environment. Parents may want to explore further with the school the softer science results and ask how the new literacy curriculum materials and approach fit with their child's learning style, since curriculum adoption is a recent and district-wide shift that affects every student.
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