The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on John J Lukancic Middle Sch
John J Lukancic Middle School is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Romeoville, located in Valley View CUSD 365U. The school enrolls roughly a mid-sized middle-school cohort, with each grade holding about equal numbers of students. The student body is ethnically diverse: roughly half the enrollment identifies as Hispanic, about a quarter as white, and a sixth as Black, with smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students. Demographic data on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner status are not available.
The school's most recent state test results show a mixed academic profile. In English language arts, performance is stronger in the upper grades: seventh and eighth graders scored substantially above the half-way mark on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, while sixth graders scored closer to a narrow majority of students meeting the standard. In mathematics, proficiency is lower across the board—roughly a third of sixth and eighth graders met the standard, and about two-fifths of seventh graders did. Science results for eighth grade fall in the low-to-mid range. State assessment data for grades three through five are not available; the school serves only middle grades, and those earlier grades are assessed in other schools.
The reading-over-math pattern here is worth noting. A parent may want to look into whether the school has specific plans to strengthen mathematics instruction, particularly for incoming sixth graders, and whether there are targeted supports or pathways in place to help students close that gap as they progress through eighth grade. The school participates fully in state testing—participation rates are consistently near or at full enrollment across subjects and grades.
Among the districts in Will County, Lukancic's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint, meaning its composite performance across tested subjects and grades trails the typical school in the county. Graduation rate data do not apply to a middle school, and chronic absenteeism figures are not available in the data provided.
Romeoville itself is a mixed-use village about midway between Chicago and Joliet, blending suburban residential neighborhoods with significant industrial, distribution, and commercial zones. The area retains echoes of its limestone-quarrying past—the "Stone City"—but today it is a car-oriented suburb, sparsely walkable by design, with postwar ranch homes, newer subdivisions, and retail corridors tied to the interstates. Growth has been steady since the 1990s, with new commercial and residential development continuing to add housing and e-commerce distribution facilities. The Metra station, which opened in the mid-2010s on the Heritage Corridor line, offers weekday service to Chicago Union Station and sits on the east edge of town near the Des Plaines River.
The district itself is positioned for some stability. Valley View tripled the share of students meeting college and career readiness benchmarks between 2021 and 2025, a trajectory driven by expanded Advanced Placement and dual-credit offerings at the high school level. The district's bond rating was upgraded by Moody's in late 2023, and it has not asked taxpayers for an additional levy in decades—an unusual posture that translates into property-tax predictability for homeowners. Starting in 2023-24, the district shifted to new student and staff start times and now runs two early-release days each month, a standing schedule change families need to accommodate in their own routines.
Housing in the Romeoville zip code is moderately priced for the Chicago area, with median home values in the low-to-mid range and rents climbing but still below the national median rent burden as a share of income. The local market is showing inventory growth and modest year-over-year price gains. This is a place where a middle-class family can find solid suburban housing, schools with room to grow, and a working commute connection to the city.
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