The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Plum Grove Jr High School
Plum Grove Jr High School is a regular public middle school serving grades 7 and 8 in Rolling Meadows, within Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15. It is part of the district's recent shift from junior highs to middle schools, which included moving sixth grade into those buildings and redrawing attendance boundaries for the 2024-25 school year. The school draws from a residential area anchored by corporate offices, light manufacturing, and major employers along the community's highway corridors.
The school has a small enrollment concentrated in its two grades, with families that are substantially Asian and white, and smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch status and special populations data were not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these demographics if they are relevant to their decision.
In English and language arts, the school shows a clear strength. In grade 6, proficiency on the state assessment was around three-quarters, rising to about three-quarters again in grade 7 and climbing to approximately three-quarters in grade 8. This trajectory suggests students are gaining competence in reading and writing as they move through the grades. Math proficiency is more uneven. Grade 6 math proficiency sits at a little more than half, rising slightly to about three-fifths in grade 7, then dropping back to approximately half in grade 8. This dip at the older grade is worth noting. Science proficiency in grade 8 was about three-fifths. Test participation across these grades is near universal. The school's overall proficiency index ranks in the top quartile relative to other schools in Cook County, a meaningful position, though this aggregate measure includes the mathematics dip. A parent interested in understanding the math trajectory would benefit from discussing it with the school, particularly what support is available for students who struggle with algebra and advanced topics in eighth grade.
Rolling Meadows is a mature post-war suburb with a mix of residential neighborhoods and corporate campuses. The community has limited walkability by design and lacks a traditional downtown center, though the city is actively planning to transform the Kirchoff Road corridor into a mixed-use town center over the coming years. Parks and recreation are integrated throughout, and while public transit is minimal within the city itself, the Arlington Park Metra station provides a short drive to train service into Chicago. The housing market is tight and moderately priced relative to state and national benchmarks, with homes selling fairly quickly.
The district has invested significantly in facilities through its 2022 bond referendum, funding five years of renovation across school buildings, updated science labs, and new STEM spaces. The district also rolled out full-day kindergarten district-wide in 2024-25, reorganized its middle school feeder patterns, and redrawn school boundaries. These changes reshape the experience for families with younger children and affect which building a given address is assigned to.
State assessment data is current for grades 6, 7, and 8. Data for grades 3, 4, and 5 were not reported, which reflects the fact that this school serves only middle grades; Illinois does not publish results for those elementary grades separately at the school level in this context. Graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, and detailed staffing do not apply to a middle school. The school does not report IEP or English learner enrollment counts in the available data.
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