The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on York Center Elem School
York Center Elementary is a small school serving grades three through five in Lombard, situated in a stable residential community roughly 20 miles west of Chicago. The school enrolls a modest population with notably diverse student composition: roughly two-fifths of students identify as Hispanic, one-quarter as Asian, and smaller shares from Black, white, and multiracial backgrounds. Exact counts for free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner status are not available in the public data.
The school's state test results, from the 2024-25 Illinois Assessment of Readiness, tell a mixed story across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency is quite low, while fifth-grade proficiency is notably stronger. Math results show a downward trend: fourth grade performs roughly at midpoint, while fifth-grade math proficiency falls significantly. Science testing, available only for fifth grade, shows similarly modest proficiency. When these results are combined into an overall index, York Center ranks in the bottom quartile among the county's schools. A parent may want to look into further with the school what instructional shifts, curriculum pacing, or support structures are in place to address the steeper performance drop between grade four and grade five.
Illinois changed its testing cut scores recently, which affects whether year-to-year trend reading is reliable; the data does not yet permit a clear read on whether results are improving or declining over time.
The broader context matters. District 45, which operates York Center, has completed a substantial curriculum overhaul over the past several years, reporting that reading scores more than doubled and that students now rank first in math and tied for first in science across the district's peer group in DuPage County. That districtwide progress has not yet fully manifested in York Center's results relative to its county neighbors, suggesting either that the school is earlier in implementation, serves a student population with different starting points, or both.
The district faces significant budget pressure. On March 17, 2026, voters rejected a referendum that would have raised the tax rate; preliminary results showed roughly 40 percent support and 60 percent opposition. The failure leaves the district projecting a substantial deficit and discussing reductions for 2026-27 that include potential certified staff cuts of 30 to 40 people districtwide, larger class sizes, reduced programming and extracurriculars, and possible redistricting and school closures starting the following year. For families with children at York Center, this means class sizes may grow and program breadth may contract in the coming school year, with potential further change if schools are consolidated.
Lombard itself is a stable, family-oriented community with a strong civic identity anchored in Lilacia Park, an historic lilac and tulip garden adjacent to the Metra commuter rail station, and a newly renovated public library. The village is actively redeveloping, with new multifamily housing at the Yorktown retail corridor and luxury single-family construction underway. Housing values in the Lombard area have risen modestly over the past year and remain at a reasonable affordability relative to regional standards, though they reflect the broader Chicago suburbs pricing. Homeownership remains accessible, and rental options exist across the village's mix of older and newer housing stock.
The school is a neighborhood site serving a walkable, residential part of Lombard without significant competition from other elementary options in its attendance area. Families choosing York Center are generally committing to the public school district and this particular school's academic pathway. That choice carries both the promise of the districtwide curriculum gains now rolling out and the immediate reality of modest state test results and the budget uncertainty hanging over the district through at least 2027.
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