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Central Middle School

Q: Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 751 st of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

751^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 45% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School is a public middle school located in Evergreen Park, Illinois, serving 582 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Evergreen Park Education Service District 124, which is ranked 411 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Central Middle School's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are generally lower than the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 44.3%, compared to the district's 49.6% and the state's 53.1%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was 25.2%, compared to the district's 36.1% and the state's 38.5%. However, the school's performance in Science is relatively stronger, with the 8th-grade proficiency rate at 37.9% in 2024-2025, compared to the district's 37.9% and the state's 45.4%. When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Hamlin Upper Grade Center and Simmons Middle School, Central Middle School generally performs below average in both ELA and Mathematics.

Central Middle School also faces challenges with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 14.0% to 26.3% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with African American students performing relatively well but English Language Learners and students with disabilities struggling. The school has increased its per-student spending and decreased its student-teacher ratio, suggesting a focus on resource allocation and the learning environment, but these efforts have not yet translated into improved student outcomes across the board.

560

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,594

Per pupil spending ?

47.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9400 S Sawyer Ave
Evergreen Park, IL 60805-2328

(708) 424-0148

District: Evergreen Park Education Service District 124

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Evergreen Park High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Northeast Elementary School
	Northwest School
	Southeast Elementary School
	Southwest Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.3%

White:

32.0%

African American:

27.5%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2015 → 45th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (36% vs 46% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg41%

Illinois avg46%

751^st of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

411^th of 811Evergreen Park Education Service District 124 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
2025	41.5	751 of 1368	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	794 of 1363	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.5	618 of 1367	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.1	682 of 1369	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.8	415 of 1241	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.3	607 of 1356	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.7	664 of 1293	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.9	545 of 1293	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	41.2	720 of 1294	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	49.7	551 of 1302	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.9	601 of 1322	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.5	635 of 1367	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.4	619 of 1365	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.1	561 of 1344	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.7	656 of 1327	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.1	464 of 1318	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.9	527 of 1293	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.3	662 of 1287	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.8	663 of 1272	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	59.0	590 of 1209	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	47.6	718 of 1204	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2003	61.4	511 of 1185	56.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	215 of 574	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.6	264 of 548	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.3	171 of 569	69.9%	★★★★☆
2022	56.7	163 of 573	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	73.6	42 of 385	89.1%	★★★★☆
2019	60.5	145 of 565	74.3%	★★★★☆
2018	48.6	206 of 511	59.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	28.2	520 of 694	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.8	406 of 639	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.5	280 of 674	58.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	454 of 483	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	425 of 486	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.7	344 of 480	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.4	302 of 454	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	227 of 277	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	726 of 1248	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	759 of 1251	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	638 of 1275	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.1	680 of 1286	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.3	417 of 1017	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.3	583 of 1276	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.3	600 of 1226	51.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	410 of 669	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	369 of 643	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.7	392 of 661	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.2	388 of 662	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.4	168 of 517	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.2	336 of 639	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	281 of 590	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	39.1	733 of 1229	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	760 of 1219	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	775 of 1234	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	664 of 1221	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.7	353 of 1019	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	615 of 1217	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	728 of 1161	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	669 of 1271	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	716 of 1264	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.8	549 of 1292	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.2	612 of 1286	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.6	363 of 1048	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.7	567 of 1296	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.6	651 of 1223	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	310 of 812	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	23.4	676 of 802	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	62.4	198 of 805	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	43.5	329 of 781	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.1	245 of 548	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.1	321 of 792	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.7	435 of 602	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	425 of 884	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.1	546 of 875	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.0	315 of 895	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	416 of 898	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.1	230 of 813	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.5	354 of 905	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	423 of 889	52.4%	★★★☆☆

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)63rd percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)62nd percentile+17 vs school

White (2025)52nd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile~ school

Female (2025)42nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)40th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2025)25th percentile-20 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)6th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%-9 vs state

Science38%-8 vs state

Mathematics25%-13 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, April 15, 2017

This school is not a great choice for students. There are various issues in the school that are never resolved. The staff claim they resolve it, but they usually don't, or there "Solution" is actually worse then before. One example of this is I was getting bullied at my lunch table here, and the "solution" is to put me with the lunch detention kids (Where kids go if they are not acting right in lunch, or if they are not prepared for lunch.) which are worse then my lunch table bullies.

When staff are having a bad day, they take it out on the students, and most of them don't know how to teach outright. They claim they can deal with various types of student disabilities, but it just seems like they watched a 2 minute youtube video on how to deal with a temper tantrum (Because they try to talk to your child for about 2 minutes calmly, then if they don't respond, they start treating the student with a disability as a normal one, and they will call the office and put your child in detention.) and they are classified as a teacher that can teach students with disabilities. Some of them just treat students with disabilities as normal students, which is NOT the proper way to deal with them. The school bathrooms are also not safe for your child, because if you tap a stall door like you would with a smartphone's screen, the door unlocks wide open, and bullies will bully your child while they are going to the bathroom.

I am still trying to talk to higher authorities to resolve various problems with this school, but so far I am not having any luck.

Below is a 1 to 5 scale of the school's offerings. 5 is best, 1 is the worse.

Staff: (Includes Teachers, Aids, ETC)
2/5

Bullies:
1/5

Lunch Choices:
2/5

Helping Normal Students with Obstacles:
4/5

Helping Students with Disabilities with Obstacles:
1/5

Nice Students:
4/5

Mean Students:
1/5 Close Quote

Schools Near Central Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)					IAR Mathematics (2025)					% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th 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 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Middle School	Public	6-8	9400 S Sawyer Ave	Evergreen Park	60805	Cook County	Evergreen Park Education Service District 124	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 424-0148	560	46	12.1	47.3%	179 (32.0%)	154 (27.5%)	192 (34.3%)	8 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.6%)	41.5	751^st of 1368 public middle schools	45.1%		36.9	794^th of 1363 public middle schools	41.7%	43		37.9		49.1	50.3	35.4	44.3		25.7	32.5	18.9	25.2	98.4	98.3	98.3	98.3	98.3	97.9	98.4	95.1	$18,594	$1,446	$17,148
Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School	Public	6-8	5345 W 99th St	Oak Lawn	60453	Cook County	Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 499-6400	1,090	74	14.7	48.3%	402 (36.9%)	105 (9.6%)	522 (47.9%)	29 (2.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (2.7%)	68.5	383^rd of 1368 public middle schools	72.0%		70.9	335^th of 1363 public middle schools	75.4%	48		47.1		59.1	75.7	74.9	70.0		25.9	43.0	36.7	35.2	98.3	98.7	98.7	98.7	98.4	98.5	98.6	96.1	$15,654	$748	$14,906
A.N.C.H.O.R. Academy	Public	3-8	12015 Maple Ave	Blue Island	60406	Cook County	Cook County School District 130	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 385-6800	0	2	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Prairie Junior High School	Public	7-8	11910 S Kostner Ave	Alsip	60803	Cook County	Alsip-Hazlgrn-Oaklwn School District 126	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 371-3080	303	27	11.4	53.1%	97 (32.0%)	47 (15.5%)	143 (47.2%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.0%)	59.8	491^st of 1368 public middle schools	64.1%		47.3	629^th of 1363 public middle schools	53.9%	138		57.1			54.9	65.4	60.7			27.1	29.0	28.1	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	95.4	$23,234	$586	$22,648
Hamlin Upper Grade Center	Public	6-8	12150 S Hamlin Ave	Alsip	60803	Cook County	Atwood Heights School District 125	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 597-1550	182	13	14.0	55.5%	53 (29.1%)	25 (13.7%)	98 (53.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.3%)	46.7	671^st of 1368 public middle schools	51.0%		55.3	520^th of 1363 public middle schools	61.8%	151		40.0		51.9	62.1	69.7	61.8		13.0	24.2	10.6	16.1	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	69.1	100.0	100.0	99.5	$16,547	$695	$15,852
Liberty Junior High School	Public	6-8	5900 W 81st St	Burbank	60459	Cook County	Burbank School District 111	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 952-3255	1,087	73	14.8	70.5%	341 (31.4%)	16 (1.5%)	655 (60.3%)	36 (3.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (3.4%)	29.2	947^th of 1368 public middle schools	30.8%		35	817^th of 1363 public middle schools	40.1%	130		26.3		37.6	33.3	44.8	39.2		21.8	19.7	16.5	19.1	99.4	98.9	98.9	98.9	99.3	99.2	99.4	98.8	$13,469	$955	$12,513
Veterans Memorial Middle School	Public	6-8	12320 Greenwood Ave	Blue Island	60406	Cook County	Cook County School District 130	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 489-7307	361	30	11.9	78.1%	20 (5.5%)	109 (30.2%)	226 (62.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	22.5	1058^th of 1368 public middle schools	22.7%		26.2	978^th of 1363 public middle schools	28.2%	80		13.7		25.2	39.4	39.5	34.3		11.3	24.2	11.9	15.2	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	95.5	$21,847	$2,445	$19,402
Elden D Finley Junior High School	Public	6-8	10835 Lombard Ave	Chicago Ridge	60415	Cook County	Chicago Ridge School District 127-5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 636-2005	405	35	11.5	64.9%	237 (58.5%)	27 (6.7%)	108 (26.7%)	7 (1.7%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.9%)	34.1	875^th of 1368 public middle schools	36.0%		25.4	995^th of 1363 public middle schools	27.0%	120		27.4		39.5	37.5	40.2	39.1		18.8	29.4	27.4	25.0	94.7	94.7	94.7	94.7	94.7	94.7	94.7	93.9	$18,102	$863	$17,239
Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	6450 W 95th St	Oak Lawn	60453	Cook County	Ridgeland School District 122	No	(n/a)	No	No	(708) 599-8540	725	49	14.9	61.2%	349 (48.1%)	42 (5.8%)	280 (38.6%)	30 (4.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.9%)	56.3	532^nd of 1368 public middle schools	61.1%		42	715^th of 1363 public middle schools	47.5%	183		39.1		62.5	57.8	65.9	62.3		31.0	28.9	24.3	27.8	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.9	97.2	98.4	96.1	$14,277	$616	$13,662
Richardson Middle School	Public	5-8	6018 S Karlov Ave	Chicago	60629	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-8640	844	57	14.8	87.8%	11 (1.3%)	7 (0.8%)	824 (97.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	24.5	1023^rd of 1368 public middle schools	25.2%		35.6	807^th of 1363 public middle schools	40.8%	216	26.5	13.2	37.3	41.7	36.4	28.6	35.6	20.5	14.3	26.2	13.2	18.7	98.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	98.0	98.5	99.2	59.6	$17,518	$2,601	$14,917

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 751^st of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Central Middle School usually go on to attend Evergreen Park High School

What district is Central Middle School in?

Evergreen Park Education Service District 124

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 560 students attended Central Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 34% Hispanic, 32% White, 28% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.