A F Ames Elem School, Riverside IL

Original Research by School Decision on A F Ames Elem School

A F Ames Elementary School in Riverside, Illinois, serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a small, historically planned suburban village about nine miles west of Chicago. The school enrolls a moderately sized student body that reflects both the affluent character of Riverside and rising demographic diversity: the population is roughly evenly split between white students and Hispanic students, with a small Asian and Black representation and a meaningful multiracial cohort. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch status was not available in the data.

The most recent state test results, from the 2024-25 school year, show strength in early elementary math and a consistent spread across grade levels and subjects. Third-grade math proficiency is high, while fourth and fifth-grade results drop noticeably, sitting in the mid-to-high range. English language arts results are more stable across grades, with fifth grade performing strongest. Science proficiency, measured only in grade five, is lower than reading and math and may warrant attention. Across tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other elementary schools in Cook County, a strong position.

The school sits within Riverside SD 96, a district that has made a deliberate, sustained investment in instructional coaching over the past four years. Beginning with a single coach in 2021-22, the district added a second, then a third approved in spring 2024, with a fourth planned for 2025-26. This expansion reflects a strategic choice to embed experienced teacher-coaches directly in classrooms to sharpen instruction across the district. The district also secured a four-year teacher contract in 2021 that reduced health-insurance premium costs for staff and locked in multi-year salary growth, a step intended to stabilize teacher retention and continuity in classrooms.

Riverside itself is one of the nation's earliest planned suburbs, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the late nineteenth century. The village is essentially built out and has maintained a slow-growth stance under strict historic preservation and zoning rules. It is a low-density, leafy residential enclave of roughly two square miles with curvilinear streets, ample parks, and extensive green space. The village has a modest civic core centered on the Olmsted-designed landscape, a historic Metra station on the BNSF line with frequent service into downtown Chicago, and a small downtown with coffee shops, restaurants, and antique stores reflecting an older, affluent resident base. Recent home values in the area show upward pressure, with modest year-over-year appreciation. The housing market supply remains elevated while demand is moderate, a buyer-leaning environment by recent standards.

For families considering this school, the takeaway is a stable, suburban elementary environment with solid state test performance, particularly in the primary grades, backed by a district commitment to classroom coaching and teacher stability. The school's grade-five science result may be a conversation starter with the principal. The community is quiet, historically preserved, and transit-connected to Chicago, with a student body that is becoming more diverse while the town remains predominantly affluent.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 391%

School 91% · District 83% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 73% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 76% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 71% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 77% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 86% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 562%

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

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

This schoolRiverside SD 96, 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.