Worthwoods Elem School, Worth IL

Original Research by School Decision on Worthwoods Elem School

Worthwoods Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the small, quiet village of Worth, which sits in Cook County just south of Chicago. The school is part of Worth School District 127, a PreK–8 district of moderate size spread across four buildings.

The school's academic results show low performance across both tested subjects. In math, third grade achieved proficiency in the low range, fourth grade in the very low range, and fifth grade in the low range. In English language arts, third and fourth grades fell in the low range, while fifth grade was substantially higher in the low-to-moderate band. Science proficiency in fifth grade was low. Performance across the board falls below the midpoint of proficiency among the county's tested schools. A parent should look carefully at the school's capacity to help students meet grade-level standards and ask the school directly about its intervention strategies, especially in math where outcomes are notably weak.

Worthwoods is a small school with an enrollment of roughly the size typical for a K–5 building. The student body is predominantly white, with a minority composition of about one-third of the school drawn mainly from Hispanic students, with smaller populations of Asian and Black students. The school's race and ethnicity profile reflects the broader Worth residential character. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so a reader cannot assess the share of students from lower-income households or the intensity of economic need in this school's population. Similarly, enrollment counts for students with IEPs or English learners were not reported.

The district is in the midst of a substantial multi-year building modernization. Worthwoods itself underwent a full renovation completed in 2020, and the district has continued improvements at other sites through 2024–2025. For families, this means children are learning in substantially renewed facilities rather than aging buildings.

Worth itself is a built-out, small residential village with a stable rather than rapidly growing population. The commercial spine runs along 111th Street and Harlem Avenue, with civic anchors like the public library and village hall within walking distance. The village benefits from Metra commuter-rail access to Chicago and proximity to green spaces including a municipal golf course and nature preserve. Housing values in the area are moderate for the Chicago metropolitan region. The setting offers a small-town atmosphere and suburban quiet rather than urban density or rapid change.

Worthwoods is a neighborhood school for the Worth area, not a magnet or charter, and offers no special program designation in the data. The school's website or district office can clarify what instructional programs, specialist support, and enrichment offerings are available to families. The data did not include information on class size, teacher experience, discipline approaches, or school culture, so a visit and conversation with staff would help a parent understand the day-to-day learning environment.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 29% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 24% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 39% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 54% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolWorth SD 127, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.