The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in English language arts. The lowest is 70% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Freedom Elem School
Freedom Elem School is a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in Plainfield, serving a student body that is diverse in composition and relatively stable in size. The school sits in the Heritage Meadows neighborhood on the southern side of the village, in a newer subdivision setting rather than near the historic downtown core.
Test results from the most recent school year show a mixed picture across grade levels. In third grade, reading and math proficiency both run high, with strong performance from the tested students. Fourth grade presents a steeper slope: reading proficiency holds at a respectable level, but math performance drops notably, falling to just above half the students meeting the standard. By fifth grade, performance rebounds across both subjects and science, with reading and science results approaching or exceeding the third-grade benchmarks and math returning to solid ground. All students tested participated fully in the assessments. The proficiency index calculated across all tested subjects and grades places the school in the top quartile among the county's elementary schools, a genuine strength that reflects uneven but overall solid foundational academics.
The fourth-grade math dip is worth noting directly. A parent may want to ask the school about what underlies that pattern, whether it reflects the particular cohort, specific skill gaps in the curriculum, or instructional factors at that grade level. Understanding whether the school has identified and addressed the issue makes a meaningful difference in assessing whether it is a one-time variation or a persistent challenge.
The enrollment is approximately five hundred thirty students across the six grades, with roughly balanced cohorts year to year. The student body is about half white, with a substantial Asian population making up roughly one-third of the enrollment, and smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Detailed demographic breakdowns by grade are not available in the provided data.
Data on free-and-reduced-price-lunch eligibility, students with IEPs, and English learners were not reported, so the school's economic diversity and the share of students receiving specialized services remain unclear. A parent seeking that information should contact the school directly.
Plainfield itself is a fast-growing southwest Chicago suburb with ongoing residential expansion, particularly in newer subdivisions. The village has a walkable historic downtown along Lockport Street, but most residential growth has occurred in separated neighborhoods, and walkability drops sharply outside the downtown core. The housing market in the zip code is moderately priced relative to the region, with home values stable and a growing supply of new construction feeding the continued suburban expansion. The Plainfield Park District is among the state's largest with well over ninety parks, and major civic anchors include Settlers' Park and the Plainfield Public Library District.
Two significant contextual shifts affect the broader district environment. The district recently moved all twenty-nine school campuses to a "commendable" state designation and out of the state's targeted-support list, a durable vote of confidence in overall academic direction. At the same time, the district faces a substantial reduction in state funding due to a reclassification in the state's funding formula, a cut that is expected to compound in future years. For families, this signals likely pressure on staffing, class sizes, and program breadth in the near term. The district has redesigned its kindergarten model to place full-time paraprofessionals in every classroom, a structural staffing change now in place.
For parents considering this school, the takeaway is a solidly performing elementary with strong third and fifth-grade results, a notable dip in fourth-grade math worth investigating, and a diverse student peer group in a growing residential community. The school sits within a district managing both recognition and fiscal pressure simultaneously.
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