The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in English language arts. The lowest is 68% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Palos West Elementary School
Palos West Elementary is a small, highly residential public school serving grades pre-K through fifth in the southwestern Cook County village of Palos Park. The school enrolls roughly a handful more than 700 students, distributed evenly across grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with Asian and Hispanic students each forming smaller shares, and very few Black students and minimal representation of other racial groups. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data were not available, so the school's economic profile cannot be directly assessed from that metric.
The school's location in Palos Park places it in a low-density, wooded suburban village built around one-acre residential lot requirements and surrounded by forest preserve land. Housing values in the broader Cook County market have remained relatively steady with modest recent appreciation. This is a commuter-oriented area where most working residents travel out to Chicago or surrounding employment centers, and the village's character is defined by its green space and quiet residential setting rather than by commercial or industrial activity.
On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), Palos West's third-grade proficiency rates in math and English language arts both land solidly in the upper range: third graders show strong performance in both subjects. Fourth grade dips notably in math, dropping to the mid-range, while ELA holds steady in the upper range. Fifth grade rebounds in both subjects, with ELA reaching strong levels and math returning to the upper-mid range. Science proficiency for fifth graders (the only grade tested in science at this school) falls in the moderate-to-upper range. The school tests at or near full participation across all administered assessments.
When compared to other districts in Cook County, Palos West's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among schools in its county. This is a meaningful position: the school is performing well relative to a large and diverse peer set. The specific grade-by-grade variation, particularly the fourth-grade math dip, may be worth understanding further; a parent might ask the school whether that reflects particular grade-level curriculum pacing, student cohort factors, or other circumstances that have since shifted.
The school is part of Palos Community Consolidated School District 118, which passed a significant referendum in early 2024 that shifted property tax assessment to provide operating budget stability without raising overall property taxes. Using those funds, the district launched free full-day kindergarten beginning in fall 2024, a year and a half ahead of the state mandate. These moves signal a district working to sustain programs and expand access for younger students.
Palos West serves an area with stable, established family housing and appeals to residents valuing a quiet, green suburb with good schools. The school's small to moderate size, full-day kindergarten availability, and solid academic standing across most grade levels make it a natural choice for families in Palos Park with elementary-age children. The fourth-grade math performance pattern is the only soft spot visible in the data, and parents considering the school might want to explore that timing and context directly with school leadership.
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