Rockdale Elem School, Rockdale IL

Original Research by School Decision on Rockdale Elem School

Rockdale Elementary School serves pre-K through eighth grade in a small village immediately south of Joliet in southern Will County. The school enrolls a modest number of students and sits within a mixed blue-collar and white-collar community with significant Hispanic and Latino representation, substantial economic diversity, and a growing industrial and warehouse sector. The school's test results show consistent and persistent weakness across mathematics and English language arts, with proficiency rates that place it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Will County.

In mathematics, proficiency is low across all tested grade levels. Third grade shows the highest proficiency rate at roughly one in five students meeting the state standard. Fourth, fifth, and eighth grades cluster in the low range, with eighth grade slightly ahead of fifth. Sixth grade records no students meeting proficiency on the state assessment. These results suggest that students are not meeting grade-level mathematical expectations, and a parent may want to look into further detail with the school about how the staff plan to address this gap.

Reading and language arts proficiency is also below state expectations, though the pattern differs. Younger students score lower: third grade is around one in six proficient, and fourth grade around one in four. Results improve substantially in the upper grades. Seventh grade shows about one in two students at proficiency, and eighth grade reaches roughly four in ten. This improvement with age suggests that some students may be gaining competency as they progress, but the early elementary foundation appears weak.

Science is assessed at grades five and eight. Grade five science proficiency is very low, around one in six students meeting the standard. By eighth grade, science proficiency reaches roughly four in ten, a much stronger showing. The school participates fully in state testing with near-complete assessment participation rates across subjects and grades.

The overall proficiency index, averaging across all tested subjects and grade levels, places the school in the bottom quartile among Will County districts. Strength in eighth-grade English and science does not offset the pervasive challenges in early mathematics and reading. A parent considering this school should understand that it is currently not demonstrating proficiency across the K-8 spectrum at rates close to state or county norms.

The student population is diverse, with a majority identifying as Hispanic or Latino, a substantial Black population, and smaller white and multiracial enrollments. Data on free and reduced price lunch eligibility, English learners, and students in special education are not publicly available for this school, so a parent seeking that information should contact the school directly. The enrollment spans pre-K through eighth, with larger cohorts in the early elementary grades and smaller groups in the middle school years.

Rockdale itself is a very small village with a long industrial heritage anchored by freight rail and heavy manufacturing, now transitioning to warehouse and distribution uses. The village has experienced modest population decline since 2020. The for-sale housing market is extremely tight, with very few active listings and home prices rising year over year. Median home values remain well below the state and national benchmarks, and rent levels are correspondingly moderate, making affordability reasonable by national standards. The village has no local public transit; families drive to work and school. Recreational amenities include trail networks along preserved industrial corridors and former rail lines.

No recent major district policy changes, curriculum initiatives, or referendum activity were found in available sources, so the district context beyond the school's day-to-day operations is unclear from public reporting. Parents should reach out directly to the school and district if they wish to understand current improvement efforts, staffing stability, or planned instructional changes aimed at lifting proficiency, particularly in mathematics and early literacy.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 48%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 22%

even with state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolRockdale SD 84, 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.