Alex M Martino Jr High School, New Lenox IL

Original Research by School Decision on Alex M Martino Jr High School

Alex M Martino Jr High School serves seventh and eighth grade students in New Lenox, an auto-oriented suburb southwest of Chicago in Will County. The school draws from a community of modest residential and commercial growth where home values are moderate and steady construction brings new families year after year. Most of the school's enrollment is white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and Black students; free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about the proportion of students from lower-income households.

The school's academic profile is mixed. In English language arts, proficiency rates are stronger. Seventh grade students showed proficiency in the mid-range, while eighth graders scored in the mid-to-high range on the state assessment. In mathematics, results were weaker. Seventh and eighth grade proficiency both sat below the midpoint, suggesting that a meaningful share of students are not yet at grade-level mastery in that subject. Eighth grade science proficiency was also below the midpoint. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint among Will County school districts, which is a meaningful strength given the county's range of schools. State testing data for grades below seventh were not available; the school serves only grades seven and eight, so those younger grades do not apply here.

Illinois changed its proficiency scoring thresholds starting with the 2024-25 school year, so comparisons to prior years are not straightforward. The school's participation rates in testing were very high, meaning attendance and engagement during assessment windows was strong.

New Lenox SD 122, the parent district, approved a transition to full-day kindergarten beginning in 2027-2028, ending a long-standing half-day model. This change will affect younger families now, expanding instructional time and childcare planning. The district is in a growth phase, with new subdivisions and residential permits ongoing, and housing values in the area are climbing steadily. The community itself is family-oriented and quiet, centered on civic life at The Commons rather than a traditional downtown. Schools sit on separate campuses across the village. An older parent considering this school would want to look into the school's math support structures and whether interventions target students below proficiency, since roughly half of seventh and eighth graders did not reach proficiency in math.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 59% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 52% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 775%

School 75% · District 74%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 67% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 53% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolNew Lenox SD 122, 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.