Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Illinois rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Talala Elementary in Park Forest

Public Grades K-5

1660^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Talala Elementary serves 305 students in grades K–5 in Park Forest, Illinois, and is part of Crete Monee CUSD 201U. The most urgent concerns are low academic proficiency and very high chronic absenteeism: in 2025–26, 25% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and 16% in math, while 45% were chronically absent—the highest rate among four nearby K–5 schools with current data.

Talala falls behind the district, the state, and nearby schools in both subjects, with a larger comparative gap in ELA. Its ELA proficiency was 25%, compared with 40% in the district and 56% statewide; math was 16%, compared with 20% in the district and 40% statewide. The nearby K–5 results averaged 48% in ELA and 33% in math, and Talala scored below each of Coretta Scott King Magnet, Monee Elementary, Wilson Elementary, and Neil Armstrong Elementary in both subjects. Math is the relative bright spot, but proficiency remains low.

ELA proficiency has climbed from 9% in 2023–24 to 25% in 2025–26; math rose from 14% in 2024–25 to 16%. Chronic absenteeism, however, increased from 35% in 2021–22 to 45% in 2025–26. SchoolDigger ranks Talala in the 4th percentile statewide, 1,660th of 1,737 schools, with 0 stars for 2025–26. Context includes a 15.8 student–teacher ratio in 2024–25, compared with a 13.9 average among nearby schools reporting a ratio, and 85% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, the highest reported share among nearby schools with that same measure. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings also show sharp recent declines in its relative measure of how well Talala serves groups: African American Students fell from the 45th percentile in 2022–23 to the 20th in 2024–25, while Disabled Students fell from the 61st percentile in 2023–24 to the 10th in 2024–25.

305

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,480

Per pupil spending ?

85.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

91.7%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

430 Talala St
Park Forest, IL 60466-2410

(708) 367-2560

District: Crete Monee CUSD 201U

Students who attend Talala Elementary in Park Forest usually attend:

Middle:	Crete-Monee Middle School
High:	Crete-Monee High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

59.3%

Hispanic:

33.4%

Two or more races:

4.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Talala Elementary in Park Forest to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (21% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 24% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg30%

Illinois avg48%

1,660^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Crete Monee CUSD 201U

689^th of 738Crete Monee CUSD 201U among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	7.0	1660 of 1737	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	1931 of 2056	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	1898 of 2067	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	1880 of 2077	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	2044 of 2082	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	1797 of 1948	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	1670 of 2086	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	1576 of 2037	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.2	1329 of 2044	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	28.2	1472 of 2046	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.4	1581 of 2052	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.2	1622 of 2093	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	12.5	1969 of 2167	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	32.4	1638 of 2166	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.6	1771 of 2147	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	36.8	1546 of 2139	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.9	1626 of 2120	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	44.0	1382 of 2092	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	38.9	1523 of 2095	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.0	1362 of 2086	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	36.2	1470 of 2022	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	22.5	1682 of 2030	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	29.7	1542 of 2020	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	551 of 688	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.9	424 of 655	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	381 of 692	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.2	614 of 684	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	339 of 428	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.8	339 of 711	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	263 of 698	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	948 of 1049	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	49.3	347 of 886	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.2	528 of 907	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.8	1878 of 1942	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	1885 of 1942	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	1865 of 1957	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	1873 of 1970	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.4	1541 of 1680	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	1500 of 2019	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	1447 of 1964	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	17.6	896 of 959	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	1683 of 1800	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	1553 of 1793	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	1524 of 1808	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	1702 of 1763	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.6	1281 of 1514	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	1427 of 1816	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.9	1163 of 1765	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.2	1756 of 1947	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	1687 of 1959	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	1594 of 1984	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.1	1973 of 1977	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	1546 of 2019	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	1555 of 1972	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	1229 of 1292	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	38.0	681 of 1195	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	718 of 1156	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.2	1024 of 1113	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	1061 of 1194	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)20th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2025)10th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2024)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts25%-31 vs state

Mathematics16%-23 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Talala Elementary in Park Forest and help other families decide.

Rate Talala Elementary in Park Forest

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Talala Elementary in Park Forest

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)							IAR Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Talala Elementary in Park Forest	Public	K-5	430 Talala St	Park Forest	60466	Will County	Crete Monee CUSD 201U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 367-2560	305	19	15.8	85.2%	4 (1.3%)	181 (59.3%)	102 (33.4%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.9%)	7	1660^th of 1737 public elementary schools	4.4%		10.4	1931^st of 2056 public elementary schools	6.1%	271			25.5		26.9				25.4	22.9						16.1	91.7%		$22,480	$1,064	$21,415
Blackhawk Primary Center	Public	K-3	130 Blackhawk Dr	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9501	167	13	13.3	80.8%	5 (3.0%)	128 (76.6%)	21 (12.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.6%)								(n/a)			41.5						40.5	41.5						40.5	92.2%		$23,686	$2,201	$21,484
Mohawk Primary Center	Public	K-3	301 Mohawk St	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9301	283	20	14.4	84.5%	5 (1.8%)	202 (71.4%)	51 (18.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.5%)								(n/a)			33.8						33.8	24.6						24.6	94.4%		$23,193	$2,257	$20,937
21st Century Primary Center	Public	K-3	240 S Orchard Dr	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9451	152	14	10.7	79.6%	0 (0.0%)	116 (76.3%)	19 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (11.2%)								(n/a)			51.1						50.0	51.1						50.0	94.6%		$24,602	$2,800	$21,802
Neil Armstrong Elementary School	Public	K-5	5030 Imperial Dr	Richton Park	60471	Cook County	Education Service District 159	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 481-7424	266	20	13.5	69.9%	2 (0.8%)	230 (86.5%)	21 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.5%)	41.4	978^th of 1737 public elementary schools	43.7%		26.4	1529^th of 2056 public elementary schools	25.6%	551	50.9		61.9	44.1	56.6				55.0	47.6		24.5				31.5	94.3%		$31,177	$1,050	$30,128
Matteson Elementary School	Public	K-3	21245 Main St	Matteson	60443	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 748-0480	420	28	14.7	43.3%	4 (1.0%)	369 (87.9%)	34 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.1%)								(n/a)			37.0						37.0	32.4						32.4	95.5%		$22,465	$1,068	$21,397
Coretta Scott King Magnet School in University Park	Public	K-5	1009 Blackhawk Dr	University Park	60484	Will County	Crete Monee CUSD 201U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 367-4700	293	22	13.3	53.2%	20 (6.8%)	211 (72.0%)	33 (11.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.9%)	26.8	1239^th of 1737 public elementary schools	28.7%		37.7	1259^th of 2056 public elementary schools	38.8%	20	51.0		34.6	29.4	57.1				40.1	25.0	35.3	32.7				30.9	92.2%		$21,172	$845	$20,327
Illinois School	Public	K-8	210 Illinois St	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 747-0301	391	38	10.4	79.3%	0 (0.0%)	356 (91.0%)	27 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	29.6	1189^th of 1737 public elementary schools	31.5%		43.8	1126^th of 2056 public elementary schools	45.2%	63	35.1	44.2	31.0	61.0	40.4	79.7	66.7	81.4	60.6	28.6	28.8	28.1	28.1	26.2		27.0	96.9%		$22,798	$728	$22,070
Wilson Elementary School	Public	K-5	422 W 16th Pl	Chicago Heights	60411	Cook County	Chicago Heights School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 756-4839	160	10	16.0	—	0 (0.0%)	71 (44.4%)	89 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54.4	764^th of 1737 public elementary schools	56.0%		39.4	1225^th of 2056 public elementary schools	40.4%	461				63.6	50.0				50.0	61.1						39.4	99.1%		$23,944	$1,398	$22,546
Steger Primary Center	Public	PK, KG-1	3411 MIller Avenue	South Chicago Heights	60411	Cook County	Steger School District 194	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 753-4100	396	21	18.8	60.1%	68 (17.2%)	120 (30.3%)	155 (39.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (12.9%)								(n/a)																	87.2%		$19,262	$868	$18,394

Frequently Asked Questions about Talala Elementary in Park Forest

What district is Talala Elementary in Park Forest in?

Crete Monee CUSD 201U

How many students attend Talala Elementary in Park Forest?

In the 2024-25 school year, 305 students attended Talala Elementary in Park Forest.

Is Talala Elementary in Park Forest a good school?

Talala Elementary in Park Forest ranks in the bottom 4.4% of Illinois elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Talala Elementary in Park Forest?

Students at Talala Elementary in Park Forest are 59% African American, 33% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Talala Elementary in Park Forest attend?

Students who attend Talala Elementary in Park Forest usually go on to attend:

Middle : Crete-Monee Middle School
High : Crete-Monee High School

Rate Talala Elementary in Park Forest!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ILIllinois Elementary School Rankings

ILIllinois District Rankings

Schools in Park Forest, IL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Talala Elementary in Park Forest!

Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.