The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in English language arts. The lowest is 60% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Emerson Elem School
Emerson Elementary is a regular public school of modest size in Wheaton, Illinois, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits at the center of a residential suburb about 25 miles west of Chicago, in the DuPage County seat, and draws from neighborhoods that mix affluent single-family homes, Wheaton College's college-town character, and a revitalized walkable downtown. The school is part of CUSD 200, which recently won voter approval for a substantial bond referendum focused on upgrading its three middle schools.
The school's enrollment is stable, with roughly 280 to 290 students spread across six grade levels from kindergarten through fifth. The student body is predominantly white, with meaningful Asian, Hispanic, and Black representation and a small number of students from other groups. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so a reader cannot determine from this source how many families qualify based on economic need. Special education and English learner enrollment counts were also not provided in the school's public reporting, so those numbers remain opaque.
On the Illinois state assessment (IAR) in math, Emerson's performance varies by grade. Fourth grade shows strong proficiency, while third and fifth grades show lower results. Science results in fifth grade are in the same lower range. In English language arts, performance is somewhat higher and more consistent across grades three through five, with fifth-grade ELA outperforming fifth-grade math. Participation in both math and ELA testing is near complete. All assessment data carries a caveat: Illinois changed its proficiency scoring criteria in the most recent year, so trends backward in time are not reliable, and the school notes that to readers. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the spread between fourth-grade and third-grade math performance, and about any targeted supports being used to address the softness in fifth-grade math and science.
When positioned against other districts in DuPage County, Emerson's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, suggesting that on balance the school's test results are stronger than half its peer district averages. Graduation rate data does not apply to an elementary school, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
Wheaton itself is an affluent, well-served suburb with highly walkable downtown anchors, Metra commuter rail connections to Chicago, a strong park district, and active downtown revitalization under way. Median home values in the area are in the mid-range for the Chicago suburbs, with a modest year-over-year appreciation. Mortgage rates and rental costs are materially high relative to household incomes, making housing affordability a real constraint for some families, though unemployment is low and median household income is above national benchmarks. The community is stable rather than booming.
CUSD 200 is in an active period. A major, recently approved bond referendum—the largest in district history—will fund substantial upgrades to the three middle schools, beginning in summer 2025. The district structured the borrowing over a longer timeframe than typical, projecting significant interest savings and an estimated decline in the bond-and-interest portion of taxpayer bills. This signals that the district is making lasting infrastructure investments and thinking carefully about their financial geometry, and it directly matters to families planning to move to the area or stay through the elementary years and into middle school.
Emerson Elementary itself is a neighborhood school without specialized programming, a regular public elementary with typical grade progression. It draws from a residential part of Wheaton and serves a diverse, stable student population. Testing results show competent performance in the middle grades and lower results at the tails, which parents may want to understand better in conversation with the school. For families in the area seeking an elementary school with no special focus but solid community roots and positioning above the countywide average, Emerson fits that profile.
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