The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on J T Manning Elem School
J T Manning Elementary serves students in grades two through five in Westmont, a mixed-use suburb southwest of Chicago. The school's enrollment is small for its grade band, with students distributed fairly evenly across the four grades it serves. The student body is ethnically diverse: about a quarter of students are Hispanic, just under a fifth are Black, and a plurality are white, with smaller populations of Asian students and students identifying as two or more races.
The school's reading performance is solidly above the middle ground compared to other DuPage County schools. English language arts proficiency in grade four stands out as notably strong, while grade three reading shows more typical results for the district and grade five lands between those two. Mathematics proficiency in grade three and four clusters just above three-quarters of students, though grade five math drops noticeably lower. The school administered science assessments only in grade five, where results were weaker. Overall, J T Manning's proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among county schools, indicating that the school's average performance across its tested courses is stronger than the majority of district schools in DuPage County.
Westmont itself is a compact suburb with a walkable downtown centered on the Metra station and Cass Avenue, where cafés, shops, the public library, and Village Hall sit within a few blocks. The broader community is ethnically and economically mixed. Housing values in the area are moderate for the Chicago region, and the village has been investing actively in downtown redevelopment focused on transit-oriented residential and mixed-use projects. The neighborhood has significant employers in health care, professional services, and retail, alongside known companies like Ty Inc. and several auto dealerships. The Park District runs 18 parks including the large Ty Warner Park with fields, courts, and community events.
The broader context for families is the school district's bond referenda. Voters rejected a November 2024 bond proposal by a single vote, and then rejected a follow-up April 2025 bond referendum as well. That second referendum would have funded replacement of aging buildings, including the construction of a new elementary school to replace both J T Manning and Miller Elementary, along with classroom, science lab, mechanical, and security upgrades. Because both referenda failed, the district's aging elementary facilities, including Manning, remain in service without the planned modernization or consolidation. For parents, this means the school operates in an older building without currently funded plans for replacement or major renovation, though the school's academic performance suggests its age has not hampered teaching and learning so far. A parent may want to look into the district's longer-term facilities planning, should additional bond efforts move forward.
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