Best Middle Schools in Normal, IL

Normal has three middle schools serving grades 6–8: Kingsley Junior High School (730 students), Parkside Junior High School (598), and Chiddix Junior High School (597). In 2025–2026, the schools’ average proficiency was above the state rate in all-grade ELA (60% versus 56%) and eighth-grade science (60% versus 52%), but below it in all-grade math (33% versus 40%). The clearest overall standout was Chiddix, which led the three schools in all-grade ELA and math and eighth-grade science.

Chiddix had 67% proficiency in ELA, 38% in math, and 71% in eighth-grade science—10, 2, and 19 points above the respective state rates. Its ELA score was 10 points above the other schools’ average, and its science score was 17 points above theirs. Kingsley showed a split: ELA was 59%, 3 points above the state, while math was 29%, 11 points below. Parkside had the lowest all-grade ELA of the three at 54%, but its sixth-grade math was a local strength: 42%, 6 points above the state and 9 points above the other schools’ average. Its eighth-grade math was 18%, 17 points below the state.

Average results improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: ELA rose 10 points, math 3 points, and eighth-grade science 8 points across the three schools. However, Kingsley’s math edged down, while Parkside’s ELA and math improved; Chiddix’s science rose 16 points. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking percentiles were highest for Chiddix in 2025–2026 (61st), followed by Kingsley (41st) and Parkside (38th), though all three ranked lower than in 2023–2024. As context, all three reported free/reduced lunch eligible figures for 2024–2025: 31% at Chiddix, 41% at Kingsley, and 46% at Parkside. Student-teacher ratios ranged from 11.8 at Parkside to 13.9 at Kingsley, with Chiddix at 12.9.