The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in English language arts. The lowest is 52% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Union Ridge Elem School
Union Ridge Elementary School is a PreK through eighth-grade school serving Harwood Heights, a small, densely populated village in Cook County that forms an enclave surrounded by Chicago. The school sits at the center of a compact, mixed-character community of post-WWII brick ranches and bungalows, where roughly a quarter of residents are foreign-born and Polish and Spanish language proficiency are common. Union Ridge is the only school in Union Ridge School District 86, making it the district's sole educational pathway from early childhood through middle school.
The school's academic picture shows a profile that needs attention. In English language arts, performance is stronger in the middle grades, where sixth and eighth graders are reaching proficiency in meaningful proportions, while third graders lag. Mathematics tells a steeper story: proficiency drops markedly as students progress from third grade through eighth, beginning at a reasonable level and declining through grades four through eight. Science proficiency in the tested grades sits below what would be expected. Overall, proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school above the midpoint among Cook County districts, but that position is supported mainly by stronger ELA results in the upper middle grades; the mathematics trend suggests students are encountering difficulty with more complex material and may benefit from close attention to instruction and support at the transition points between grade levels.
Enrollment of about six hundred students is fairly stable across grades, with no obvious flight or concentration at one level. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic presence, a modest Asian enrollment, and very few Black students or students of other backgrounds. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and counts of students with IEPs and English learners are not publicly reported for this school, leaving those demographics opaque to families considering enrollment. The school's website and publicly available district communications do not detail special education services, English learner support, or how the school approaches instruction for students working below grade level, so a parent concerned about learning gaps may want to reach directly to the district for specifics on support systems.
Harwood Heights itself is built out and car-centric. The village's civic life centers on Harlem Irving Plaza and the Lawrence and Harlem Avenue commercial corridors; there is no traditional walkable downtown. The Eisenhower Public Library, located at a nearby address, is an active community anchor offering children's programs and summer reading. Transit access includes CTA bus routes and the Blue Line Harlem station in the I-90 median, providing meaningful connections to O'Hare and downtown Chicago. The neighborhood texture is one of quiet residential streets with small fenced yards, single-family and small multi-unit housing, and a strong immigrant and multi-ethnic character.
Housing values in the area are moderate by Cook County standards. The median home value is in the mid-four-hundred-thousands, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Median rent runs in the mid-twenty-hundreds monthly. These figures are below county median asking prices, making Harwood Heights relatively accessible for families, though the affordability also reflects a housing stock dominated by post-WWII construction rather than new supply.
A significant recent development shapes the school's immediate future: in March 2024, voters approved a substantial building bond referendum, the district's first ever. The school had reached maximum capacity, with administrators displaced into on-site trailers. The referendum funds security upgrades and classroom expansion that will reshape facilities and capacity for years to come. This is directly relevant for families considering a move into the area: construction timelines and the resulting relief of crowding will reshape the student experience.
The school draws from a stable, settled community of working and middle-class families. Employment in the village concentrates in health care, retail, and professional services, rather than in large single employers. The community's immigrant profile and multi-ethnic character mean the school likely serves families managing language transitions and navigating the school system across cultural contexts, which may or may not be reflected in the support systems the school offers. A parent weighing enrollment would benefit from direct conversation with the school about ELL services, tutoring and intervention programs, and how the school structures instruction to meet learners at different starting points, particularly in mathematics where the proficiency decline across grades is notable.
See more original research from School Decision →