The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Independence Elem School
Independence Elementary is a K-5 school serving roughly 600 students in Bolingbrook, a car-dependent suburb about 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago that mixes residential neighborhoods with industrial and commercial corridors. The school sits within Valley View Community Unit School District 365U, which also covers Romeoville and has earned a Moody's bond upgrade to Aa1 in recent years while avoiding new tax levies since a point further back, a sign of fiscal stability that translates to lower long-term property-tax pressure for homeowners in the district.
Independence's enrollment is notably diverse. Roughly half the student body identifies as Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population making up about a quarter. White and Asian students each comprise smaller shares. The school serves a population where economic diversity likely exists but which the available data does not fully characterize, since free-or-reduced-price lunch counts were not reported. This demographic reality shapes the peer environment in a way that families moving to the area should understand: Independence is not a majority-white school in a majority-white suburb, but rather a genuinely diverse elementary in an increasingly mixed-income exurb.
On state math testing, Independence's performance sits below the midpoint when compared against other districts in Will County. Third graders posted proficiency rates around 42 percent; that declined to roughly 37 percent in fourth grade and 32 percent in fifth. English language arts results run somewhat parallel: third and fourth grades hover in the low-to-mid 40s, while fifth grade edges slightly above half. Science proficiency in fifth grade stands at roughly 26 percent. These are lower attainment numbers. A parent may want to look further into the school's approach to math instruction and remediation, and to understand how the district supports students who fall short of grade-level benchmarks. The school does test all its students, so participation is complete; the issue is learning outcomes rather than assessment avoidance. The state changed cut scores on these assessments, making year-over-year trend analysis uncertain, so this snapshot represents current performance rather than a decline from known prior results.
Valley View CUSD has moved aggressively on college and career readiness at the secondary level, tripling the share of students meeting Illinois benchmarks over several years and expanding AP and dual-credit coursework significantly. At the elementary level, whether those gains began in classrooms like Independence is not clear from the available data; the district has also shifted to two early-release days per month district-wide starting in 2023, a scheduling change families must factor into childcare and work routines.
Bolingbrook itself is car-dependent and sprawling, with a Walk Score in the low 30s. The village centers on The Promenade, an open-air shopping and dining hub rather than a traditional downtown, and everyday life relies on subdivisions, arterials, and big-box retail. The housing market in the area has shown steady appreciation and rental growth; median home values sit well above the state benchmark, and rents have climbed at a pace above inflation. The village continues to attract new residential construction from builders like Pulte, and transit access via Pace bus routes connects residents to Chicago and the Illinois Medical District via park-and-rides at Old Chicago and Canterbury. For families choosing this area, schools like Independence serve younger students in a diverse, resource-conscious suburban district, and the community itself offers both new housing options and a large industrial and commercial job base anchored by retail, healthcare, and distribution.
See more original research from School Decision →