The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jackson Middle School
Jackson Middle School serves grades six through eight in Villa Park, a residential suburb west of Chicago. The school is part of School District 45 DuPage County, a district that educates elementary students across Villa Park, Lombard, Oakbrook Terrace, and Elmhurst. Jackson itself sits in an area of active redevelopment; the district built a new Early Childhood Center near the school following a successful 2020 bond referendum.
The school enrolls roughly five hundred thirty students, with roughly half white, roughly one-third Hispanic, and smaller populations of Asian and Black students. Detailed enrollment by free-or-reduced-price lunch status was not available, nor were counts of students with IEPs or English learners. Information about school attendance, discipline, staffing levels, and course offerings was not provided.
State assessment results are available for grades six and eight. In sixth-grade math, students reached proficiency at a rate lower than the midpoint among DuPage County districts; in seventh and eighth grade, proficiency rates continue to decline. Sixth-grade English language arts results are closer to the county median; seventh and eighth-grade performance is also in the lower half. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits in the bottom quartile among county schools. Across tested subjects and grades, Jackson's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of county schools. Testing data for grades three through five was not included in the data provided, likely because those grades are tested elsewhere; Jackson serves only middle grades.
A parent interested in Jackson should understand that state proficiency results show low attainment, and a parent may want to look into further detail with the school about the specific academic supports, curriculum changes, and instructional approaches in place to address this. The district reports that it has completed a multi-year curriculum overhaul paired with modernized learning environments and expanded social-emotional supports over the past several years. The district also reports that reading scores more than doubled and that its students rank first in math and tied for first in science among peer DuPage County districts on state proficiency assessments. Jackson's lower results may reflect school-level or student-population factors distinct from the district's overall standing; conversations with school leadership about the gap could clarify the picture.
Villa Park itself is a compact, mixed-use suburb with an identifiable historic downtown anchored by the Metra station and a new Community Recreation Center. The village is in active redevelopment, with mixed-use apartments and commercial revitalization focused on the downtown and St. Charles Road corridor. The median home value in the zip code is in the mid-to-upper three hundreds of thousands, with median monthly rent around twenty-two hundred; home prices have risen modestly year over year, and the housing market shows moderate supply with fewer new listings than the prior year.
A significant development affecting the district is the rejection on March 17, 2026, of a referendum that would have raised the limiting tax rate. The defeat leaves the district facing a substantial projected deficit for 2026-27 and has prompted board discussion of reductions including thirty to forty certified staff cuts, larger class sizes, reduced programming, extracurricular cuts, and possible redistricting and school closures starting in 2027-28. Parents should be aware that these discussions are active and that decisions about staffing and program offerings may shift in coming months and years.
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