The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Math. The lowest is 63% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mokena Elem School
Mokena Elem School serves prekindergarten through third grade in Mokena, a predominantly residential suburban village in Will County, about 35 miles southwest of Chicago. The school draws from a family-oriented community with steady commercial and light-industrial growth, newer single-family homes (many built in the 1990s through 2010s), and shopping centers clustered along Route 30 and surrounding corridors. The community markets itself around small-town character alongside planned development, and the property market is modest and stable, with median home values in the low to mid hundreds of thousands and a relatively balanced supply of active listings.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade band, with a predominately white student body; a notable share of students identify as Hispanic, and smaller shares represent Black, Asian, and multiracial backgrounds. Demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learner count, and special education enrollment were not available.
In the most recent state assessment results available, third-grade students showed mixed proficiency in foundational literacy and numeracy. In mathematics, proficiency was above the midpoint of what other schools across Will County report. In English language arts, proficiency was closer to the county midpoint. Science testing data were either not available or suppressed. Because the school serves only early grades, state assessments apply only to third grade; grades before that fall below the state testing window, which is why results are sparse. The school's participation rate in tested grades was near complete, suggesting reliable data where reported.
Mokena School District, the parent district, has made structural investments relevant to early learning. The district recently adopted a phonics program for kindergarten through fifth grade as part of a new curriculum adoption, reflecting a curricular commitment to reading foundations at the elementary level. The district also launched a new framework for advanced learners starting in 2025-2026, using tiered instruction to serve students with advanced learning needs across the grade band. These are lasting pedagogical changes that shape daily instruction.
The district maintains a multi-year strategic plan developed through community input in 2021 that organizes priorities across curriculum, instruction, and other areas. The school's location on Willow Crest Lane sits within a suburban residential area served by the Mokena Community Park District and Will County Forest Preserve, which offer outdoor recreation and community programming. The Metra commuter rail station on the Rock Island District line provides direct access to downtown Chicago via the historic Front Street area, though daily car dependence is high across the village.
Parents considering Mokena Elem should understand this as a small, early-grades school in a growing suburban community with foundational state proficiency results, a curriculum refresh underway in phonics and tiered instruction for advanced learners, and limited testing data due to grade band. A parent may want to reach out to the school directly about how third-grade results this year inform their reading and math programs, and how the new phonics and advanced learner frameworks are being implemented in the prekindergarten through third-grade setting.
See more original research from School Decision →