The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Aux Sable Middle Sch
Aux Sable Middle School is a grade six through eight school in Joliet serving a diverse student body drawn from the Plainfield School District 202 attendance area. The school enrolls a student population that is roughly equally distributed across its three grades, with White and Hispanic students each representing a plurality of the enrollment, and Black students comprising a substantial minority.
On the most recent state assessments, the school's proficiency in English language arts is notably stronger than in mathematics. In sixth grade, the proficiency rate in ELA stood at approximately three-fifths of students, and seventh and eighth graders performed similarly or slightly better. By contrast, mathematics proficiency across the school's grades ranged from roughly a third in sixth grade to a somewhat higher share in seventh grade, with eighth grade again declining to roughly a third. The school's eighth-grade science proficiency was close to half. Test participation rates across subjects and grades were very high, suggesting reliable measurement of student performance. The pattern suggests that students at Aux Sable are reading and writing more proficiently than they are applying mathematical reasoning, which is a common profile in schools and worth understanding if your child may need additional support in quantitative work.
When positioned against other middle schools in Kendall County, Aux Sable's overall proficiency index—a combined measure across subjects and grades—falls below the county median, placing the school in the lower half of the local group.
The school has not reported free-or-reduced-price lunch rates or special education and English learner enrollment figures, so data on those populations is not available. Similarly, state testing data for grades below grade six are not reported because those grades are not tested under Illinois assessment policy.
Plainfield District 202 is currently navigating significant fiscal change. The district was reclassified from a higher state funding tier to a lower one, resulting in a substantial annual reduction in state education funding that the district has indicated may force staffing and program reductions beginning in the 2026-27 school year. For a family considering Aux Sable, this signals likely pressure on class sizes, elective offerings, and support services in the years ahead. On the positive side, the district earned a "commendable" state designation for all schools in 2025, including Aux Sable, lifting the district off Illinois' targeted-support list, and the district recently redesigned its kindergarten model with full-time paraprofessionals in every classroom—changes that suggest ongoing attention to foundational instruction.
The school sits in the context of broader changes to the district's high school assignment system. Beginning in 2026-27, certain Plainfield subdivisions will feed into different high schools to address overcrowding at Plainfield North. While Aux Sable itself is a middle school and this change does not directly affect its students' placement, understanding the district's approach to managing enrollment pressure gives a fuller picture of the environment.
Joliet itself is a large suburban city roughly forty-five miles southwest of Chicago, with a mixed character: a downtown anchored by the Rialto Square Theatre, Harrah's Casino, and civic institutions, older residential neighborhoods with pre-war housing on the east side, and extensive newer subdivisions spreading across the west side. Employment is concentrated in logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, and education, with major employers including Amazon, ExxonMobil, IKEA, Ascension Saint Joseph Medical Center, Joliet Junior College, and the Joliet Township High School District. Housing values in the broader area are moderate by suburban Chicago standards, and the market has remained relatively stable in supply and affordability, though the region's housing has increased moderately in value year over year.
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