Arbury Hills Elem School, Mokena IL

Original Research by School Decision on Arbury Hills Elem School

Arbury Hills Elementary serves grades one through four in Mokena, a suburban village southwest of Chicago in Will County. The school draws a student body that is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students, and a very small Asian enrollment. Free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility data is not available, limiting visibility into economic need.

On the most recent state testing, Arbury Hills showed mixed results. In grade three math, students proficient or above stood at a rate that was noticeably stronger than in grade four, where proficiency dipped substantially. In English language arts, grade three students fell below grade four; grade four was stronger in reading than in writing and communication. Across both subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index placed it below the midpoint among Will County districts.

The school's current standing comes against a backdrop of significant change. In December 2023, the Summit Hill School District board voted to close both Arbury Hills and Frankfort Square Elementary, citing enrollment decline. Arbury Hills closed at the end of the 2023-24 school year. The school closures became a flashpoint in the district: a parent-initiated referendum in November 2024 asked voters whether they approved of the closures without a corresponding tax levy reduction, a property-tax question that directly affected homeowners across Frankfort, Mokena, and Tinley Park. That same April, a slate of board candidates including the parent who organized the referendum petition won election, shifting the board's composition. These changes signal ongoing community disagreement over the district's direction.

Mokena itself is a car-dependent suburban village where homes cluster in newer residential subdivisions, particularly on the south end where most houses date from the 1990s through early 2010s. The historic downtown along Front Street, centered on the Metra commuter rail station, has historically struggled to sustain retail but is now seeing renewed investment, with a new restaurant opened downtown in August 2025 as part of ongoing TIF-district revitalization. The local housing market in Will County shows moderate conditions: median listing prices have ticked upward modestly, pending sales have increased, and the supply-demand balance is relatively balanced for a suburban market.

The closure of Arbury Hills means that families with elementary-age children in Mokena seeking a traditional public school within Summit Hill SD 161 would now be reassigned to other district buildings. A parent exploring the area should understand that this school no longer operates and should check with the district directly about current attendance boundaries and available schools.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 78% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 68% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 68% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 76% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolSummit Hill SD 161, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income48%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income48%23 pp gap