The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jack London Middle School
Jack London Middle School serves the middle grades in a busy northwest Chicago suburb that is actively reinventing itself through development and boundary change.
The school sits in Wheeling, a mixed-use village in Cook County known for a strong manufacturing base, a well-established dining and entertainment corridor along Milwaukee Avenue, and recent transit-oriented development anchored by Wheeling Town Center. The village itself is growing steadily, with new residential projects and transit connections to downtown Chicago via the Metra North Central Service line. Wheeling is automotive in character outside of the Town Center development zone, and the median home value in the area is mid-range for the region, with rents moderate relative to peer suburbs.
Jack London enrolls a small cohort of about six hundred students across grades six through eight. The student body is majority Hispanic, with substantial white and Asian representation and smaller populations of Black and multiracial students. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not available; demographic breakdowns by special populations such as English learners and IEP enrollment were also not available.
State testing results show mixed proficiency. In mathematics, sixth graders reached just below one-fifth proficiency, seventh graders climbed to roughly one-third, and eighth graders improved to around two-fifths. In English language arts, the pattern is stronger: sixth graders at roughly one-third, seventh graders near half, and eighth graders at just above half. Science was tested only in eighth grade, where just under half met proficiency. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint relative to districts across Cook County. Participation rates in state assessments were very high, above 98 percent across all grades. It is worth noting that Illinois cut scores for these assessments changed in the current school year, so year-to-year trends cannot yet be reliably computed.
The district is currently managing two major shifts that affect Jack London directly. The first is a boundary-redistricting process. For the first time in roughly thirty years, the district opened a community-led Map Design Committee in 2026 to redraw attendance zones. This was driven by overcrowding at schools on the east side of the district, including Jack London, which is operating above capacity, while west-side schools have empty seats. Any approved boundary changes would not take effect before the 2027-28 school year. For families considering moving into or already living in the Jack London attendance area, this process may eventually shift where their child can attend middle school, so it is worth monitoring the district's ongoing work. The second major shift is a substantial facility investment. The district is undertaking more than a hundred million dollars in construction and improvement projects beginning in summer 2025, following a bond referendum that funded district-wide air conditioning, enhanced security features, and renovation of spaces for full-day kindergarten. These investments reshape the physical learning environment and are expected to extend through the coming years.
Program data and staffing details for Jack London were not available. A parent may want to reach out to the school or the district directly to learn about course offerings, clubs, athletic programs, special services, and other supports specific to the middle grades at this location.
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