The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Science. The lowest is 62% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Oliver W Holmes Elem School
Oliver W Holmes Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Oak Park, a walkable Chicago suburb known for Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and dense, mixed-use neighborhoods. The school enrolls a diverse body of students across roughly equal representation of young learners from kindergarten through fifth grade, with meaningful racial and ethnic diversity: roughly one in two students are white, one in five are Black, and another one in six are two or more races, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and other backgrounds.
The school's state testing results, drawn from the most recent Illinois Assessment of Readiness, show a profile split between stronger performance in English language arts and notably weaker performance in mathematics. In English language arts, fourth and fifth graders posted proficiency rates that fell into the upper band for the state, while third-grade ELA proficiency was lower. In mathematics, proficiency rates were substantially below those ELA numbers across all three tested grades, with results in the low-to-mid range. Fifth-grade science proficiency was solid. The proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places Holmes in the top quartile among Cook County schools, a meaningful strength, though the mathematics weakness invites closer attention. Parents may want to discuss with the school what supports are underway for math competency, especially in the early elementary years where foundational arithmetic skills take root.
State testing at grades three, four, and five aligns with the school's grade configuration; the school does not serve sixth, seventh, or eighth grade and therefore has no results for those grades.
The school sits within Oak Park Elementary School District 97, which serves roughly a mid-sized enrollment across eight elementary and two middle schools. The district is in the midst of significant curriculum shifts. For families with children at Holmes, the most direct change is a multi-year K-5 English Language Arts review that included pilot testing of three new reading and writing resources during 2024-25 at Holmes and several sibling schools. That pilot was meant to address gaps the district identified in foundational phonological and phonics instruction under the prior Lucy Calkins curriculum. A board decision on the permanent adoption has not yet been announced, so families should clarify what the transition will look like and when. Additionally, the district recently enacted its first major staff reductions in at least a decade, laying off eight teachers and cutting two central-office positions for 2026-27, a signal of budget tightening that could eventually reshape class sizes and program availability.
Oak Park itself is an essentially built-out village anchored by walkable downtown districts, multiple transit options (CTA Green Line, Metra, bus), and a strong civic fabric of parks, libraries, and local institutions. Housing in the zip code is valued in the mid-range for Cook County and the rental market is similarly moderate, with demand and supply both tightening modestly over the past year. Median days on market are in the mid-range, and affordability relative to median household income remains a consideration for renters, though not in the most constrained tier.
The school's enrollment is stable and its test participation high, suggesting reliable data and steady engagement. The gap between ELA and math performance is worth understanding in conversation with school leadership, particularly given the school's otherwise respectable overall proficiency index. For families considering Holmes, the question is whether the ELA curriculum transition and the math performance trajectory align with their child's needs.
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