The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in English language arts. The lowest is 63% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Field School
Field School serves grades six through eight in Northbrook and is a traditional public school operated by West Northfield School District 31, which also covers Glenview. The school enrolls a small to mid-sized student population drawn from an affluent North Shore suburb about a short drive north of Chicago. Northbrook is a car-dependent residential village with a concentrated downtown around the Metra station but is defined mostly by single-family neighborhoods interspersed with significant office and industrial corridors. Housing values in the area are well above both state and national medians, and rental costs are correspondingly high; the housing market is moving inventory steadily but demand remains measured.
The student body at Field School is racially diverse, with substantial shares of white, Asian, and multiracial students, alongside smaller populations of Hispanic and Black students. The school does not report free-or-reduced-price lunch rates or special education enrollment counts in the available data, so a reader cannot assess economic diversity or the scope of services for students with IEPs from these numbers.
On Illinois state testing, Field School shows proficiency in English language arts that notably outpaces its performance in mathematics. In eighth-grade ELA, the school achieves proficiency well above the median for comparable schools statewide. Sixth and seventh grade ELA results are also solid. By contrast, math proficiency across grades six, seven, and eight clusters in the low-to-middle range, with the highest performance in eighth grade. Science testing was available only for eighth grade, where proficiency stood at a moderate level. Participation rates across all assessed grades are very high, indicating consistent test engagement. The school had no state test data for third through fifth grades because it does not serve those grades; the data shown reflects only grades it enrolls.
Across tested subjects and grades, Field School's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among schools in Cook County, suggesting stronger combined performance than most comparable schools in the county district universe. However, state testing data for prior years was not available, so growth trends cannot be assessed.
District 31 operates under a strategic plan adopted in spring 2021, facilitated by the Consortium for Educational Change, which now shapes the district's mission, goals, and school calendar. No major recent curriculum adoption or bond referendum is documented in available sources.
Northbrook itself is in the midst of significant long-term development. The Northbrook Court mall site on Lake-Cook Road is being redeveloped into mixed-use housing and retail, with residential construction projected to begin in summer 2026. The village is also actively revitalizing its downtown core around the Metra station and Village Green to increase walkability and community gathering. These development projects may reshape school demographics and enrollment patterns over the coming years, though near-term effects are uncertain.
A parent considering Field School will find a middle school in an academically stronger-than-typical setting with ELA results well above regional norms but math performance that lags behind reading. The school serves a diverse, affluent community in a suburb with active civic institutions (library, parks, Metra station) but heavy car dependence outside its small downtown. Housing costs are high, and families should expect the community to change as major residential development moves forward.
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