Emerson Middle School, Niles IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Emerson Middle School

Emerson Middle School serves grades 6 through 8 in Niles, a dense Chicago suburb anchored by retail and manufacturing, with significant ethnic diversity and a high share of foreign-born residents. The school sits in Park Ridge CCSD 64, a seven-school district that just completed a substantial bond referendum focused on facility upgrades across all buildings.

The school's enrollment is small to mid-sized for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with substantial representation of Asian and Hispanic students. Specific counts of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, students with individualized education plans, or English learners are not available in the public data.

On Illinois state assessments in math, Emerson's proficiency in grades 6, 7, and 8 clusters in the low-to-mid range, with roughly three in five students reaching proficiency. In English language arts, performance is stronger: grade 6 reaches the mid-to-high range, while grades 7 and 8 reach the mid-range. In science, the one available result from grade 8 shows proficiency in the mid-to-high range. Testing participation across grades is strong, consistently near or above the mid-90s percentage. State assessment data was not available for elementary grades tested at this school. Illinois changed proficiency cut scores for the 2024-25 school year, so trend comparisons to prior years are not yet meaningful.

When compared to districts across Cook County, Emerson's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile of the county's school universe. This is a meaningful measure relative to peers in its geographic region, though a parent may want to look further into the district's full course and program offerings to understand the school's academic context more completely.

The district has adopted Eureka Math² as its core K-8 mathematics curriculum starting in 2022-23, a shift that has drawn ongoing parent feedback in Park Ridge. In November 2024, voters approved a substantial bond referendum funding facility work including security, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, classroom and science lab updates, and special education space across all seven district schools. This multi-year capital program is now underway and represents a significant public commitment to school buildings.

Housing in the Niles area is moderately valued by Chicago suburban standards. Mortgage affordability sits near the national benchmark; rent as a share of household income is above the national norm. The rental market shows steady supply and moderate current demand.

Niles itself is actively redeveloping: the Golf Mill Shopping Center will be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use center featuring luxury apartments, retail, and gathering spaces under a major public-private partnership, and smaller projects are adding housing along Milwaukee Avenue. The village operates a free bus service connecting shopping centers, the library, civic facilities, and recreation centers—an unusual amenity for a suburb this size. Overall population has declined modestly since 2020, though the village is in its largest redevelopment cycle in decades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 60% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 63% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 65% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 687%

School 87% · District 84% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 775%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 78% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Science

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 74% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

This schoolPark Ridge CCSD 64, 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.