Oak Ridge Elem School, Palos Hills IL

Original Research by School Decision on Oak Ridge Elem School

Oak Ridge Elementary School serves students in grades two through five in Palos Hills, a mid-sized residential suburb southwest of Chicago in Cook County. The school enrolls a student population that is majority white with meaningful representation across other racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanic, Black, Asian, and other students. Free and reduced-price lunch data were not available in the school's most recent reporting.

The school's academic performance shows solid proficiency in reading and math across its grade band. In reading, third-grade students performed at proficiency rates in the low-to-mid range, while fourth graders posted stronger performance. Fifth graders achieved notably high proficiency in reading, well above the school's third-grade baseline. In math, the pattern is similar: third and fourth graders show mid-range proficiency that grows to stronger performance by fifth grade. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level, where it is tested, sits below the school's reading and math results; a parent may want to ask the school about how science instruction is being approached. Testing participation was nearly universal across grades, indicating reliable data.

When compared to other schools within Cook County, Oak Ridge's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's schools. This positioning reflects strong fundamentals in the elementary grades and notably solid upper-elementary performance.

The school is part of North Palos School District 117, which serves the Palos Hills community and is in the midst of a significant long-term commitment to expand kindergarten offerings. The district approved a multi-phase capital project that will enable full-day kindergarten for all students beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, funded without additional borrowing or a tax increase. This addresses a widely reported parent request and signals the district's investment in early elementary programming.

Palos Hills itself is a stable, residential community with a notably diverse ancestry including Polish, German, Irish, Italian, Palestinian, Hispanic, and Black populations, and with over a quarter of the population foreign-born. The housing market in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with homes in the mid-range and a slow-growth, infill development pattern. The community is anchored by Moraine Valley Community College, parks including the notably well-designed Bennett Park, and is served by growing public transit including new electric bus service. There is no traditional downtown; daily life centers on neighborhood parks, the college campus, and small commercial strips.

Oak Ridge does not report special education or English learner identification rates, so prospective parents should ask the school directly about available support services for students with identified needs or English language learners. State testing data show no results for sixth through eighth grade, which aligns with the school's enrollment of only grades two through five; students transition to middle school after fifth grade.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 71% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 75% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 74% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 58 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 75% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 83% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 89% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Science

Grade 552%

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

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolNorth Palos SD 117, 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.