Summary:
The city of Ford Heights, Illinois is home to two schools - Medgar Evers Primary Acadmc Center, an elementary school, and Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center, a middle school. Both schools serve a predominantly low-income student population within the Ford Heights School District 169, which is ranked 795 out of 811 districts in Illinois and rated 0 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.
The data reveals that neither Medgar Evers Primary Acadmc Center nor Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center are performing well academically. Both schools have extremely low proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, only 16.5% of students at Medgar Evers were proficient or better in ELA, and just 6.3% were proficient or better in Math, far below the state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively. Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center also struggles, with only 4.8% of 5th graders and 22.9% of 8th graders being proficient or better in Science, compared to the state averages of 40.6% and 45.4%.
Despite the relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratios at both schools, the data suggests that simply allocating more resources may not be enough to improve student performance. The schools in Ford Heights face significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates of 25.4% at each school. Addressing the underlying issues and improving educational outcomes in this district will likely require a comprehensive approach that goes beyond just increasing funding and resources.
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