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Hester Junior High School

Q: Is Hester Junior High School a good school?

Hester Junior High School ranks 494 th of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

494^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 56% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Hester Junior High School in Franklin Park serves 426 students in grades 6–8, with 10 nearby schools included in the local comparison. Its latest reported results show a clear difference between subjects. Most importantly, ELA proficiency was 72%, while Math proficiency was 36%.

ELA is a strong point compared with nearby schools and the state, while Math remains a concern against the broader benchmarks. Hester’s ELA result was 15 percentage points above the state’s 56% and 2 points below the district’s 73%; it was third-highest among the 10 nearby schools, whose average was 53%. Math was 4 points below the state’s 40% and 11 points below the district’s 47%, although it was 9 points above the nearby average of 26% and also third-highest locally. Eighth-grade Math was a brighter spot: 42% proficiency, 7 points above the state result, while sixth- and seventh-grade Math were below their state benchmarks. Chronic absenteeism was 14%, lower than the state’s 24% and nearby average of 21%, but higher than the district’s 11%.

ELA has improved steadily, rising from 54% in 2023–2024 to 63% in 2024–2025 and 72% in 2025–2026, an 18-point gain. Math rose from 23% to 37%, then slipped to 36%; despite its longer-term improvement, it trails the district by more than it did in 2023–2024. SchoolDigger gives Hester 3 stars and a 56th-percentile statewide standing for 2025–2026, down from the 68th percentile the prior year. Its student–teacher ratio was 12.6 in 2024–2025, close to the nearby average, and 63% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, similar to the nearby comparison average of 64%. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well Hester serves Low Socio Economic Status Students placed the group at the 77th percentile in 2025–2026, compared with the school’s overall 56th percentile. For English Language Learner Students, that measure rose from the 24th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 74th in 2024–2025. Nearby schools include some serving grades 5–8, so not every all-grade comparison is exactly like-for-like.

426

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,478

Per pupil spending ?

62.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.3%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

2836 Gustav St
Franklin Park, IL 60131-2905

(847) 455-2150

District: Franklin Park School District 84

Students who attend Hester Junior High School usually attend:

High:

East Leyden High School

Feeder schools for Hester Junior High School:

Elementary:	Dan H Pietrini Elementary School
	North Elementary School
	Passow Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.8%

White:

21.8%

Asian:

4.0%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Hester Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 66th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Illinois median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg57%

Illinois avg49%

494^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

242^nd of 738Franklin Park School District 84 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	52.6	494 of 1126	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.4	443 of 1368	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	473 of 1363	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.3	450 of 1367	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.9	537 of 1369	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.2	397 of 1241	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.2	481 of 1356	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.5	320 of 1293	75.3%	★★★★☆
2017	65.0	386 of 1293	70.1%	★★★★☆
2016	60.3	435 of 1294	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	34.0	824 of 1302	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	60.4	525 of 1322	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.9	623 of 1367	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.1	538 of 1365	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.5	682 of 1344	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	60.1	611 of 1327	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.4	754 of 1318	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.6	784 of 1293	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	41.6	869 of 1287	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.5	692 of 1272	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	63.1	531 of 1209	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.9	578 of 1204	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	50.6	666 of 1185	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	320 of 694	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.1	438 of 639	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	365 of 674	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	60.0	126 of 483	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	31.4	368 of 486	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.1	283 of 480	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.4	403 of 454	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.3	200 of 277	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.4	113 of 339	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.7	101 of 285	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	43.1	507 of 867	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.0	414 of 1248	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	479 of 1251	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.0	385 of 1275	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.8	422 of 1286	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.5	314 of 1017	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.8	535 of 1276	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.9	338 of 1226	72.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	178 of 483	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.8	181 of 669	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	60.3	196 of 643	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	203 of 661	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	248 of 662	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	106 of 517	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	61.6	184 of 639	71.2%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	104 of 590	82.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	183 of 788	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	72.7	227 of 1229	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	269 of 1219	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	329 of 1234	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	62.9	322 of 1221	73.6%	★★★★☆
2021	73.4	138 of 1019	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	72.1	222 of 1217	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	82.6	108 of 1161	90.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	418 of 829	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.1	441 of 1271	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.4	424 of 1264	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	524 of 1292	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.8	620 of 1286	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	455 of 1048	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.5	385 of 1296	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	71.1	281 of 1223	77.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	531 of 812	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	498 of 802	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.3	410 of 805	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	418 of 781	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.4	243 of 548	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.5	472 of 792	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.1	188 of 602	68.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	53.4	321 of 754	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	285 of 884	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	373 of 875	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.4	231 of 895	74.2%	★★★★☆
2022	50.0	415 of 898	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	300 of 813	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	440 of 905	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.6	234 of 889	73.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)74th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)63rd percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)57th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)54th percentile-14 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)42nd percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts72%+15 vs state

Science51%~ state avg

Mathematics36%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hester Junior High 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 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 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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hester Junior High School	Public	6-8	2836 Gustav St	Franklin Park	60131	Cook County	Franklin Park School District 84	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 455-2150	426	34	12.6	62.9%	93 (21.8%)	4 (0.9%)	310 (72.8%)	17 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	52.6	494^th of 1126 public middle schools	56.1%		63.4	443^rd of 1368 public middle schools	67.6%	51		51.4		61.7	70.6	80.6	71.5		29.8	34.1	41.7	35.5	97.3%		$18,478	$462	$18,016
Mannheim Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 Hyde Park Ave	Melrose Park	60164	Cook County	Mannheim School District 83	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 455-5020	768	74	10.3	65.4%	57 (7.4%)	14 (1.8%)	676 (88.0%)	10 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.0%)	23.6	865^th of 1126 public middle schools	23.2%		35.1	859^th of 1368 public middle schools	37.2%	6		52.3		47.0	45.1	48.9	47.0		22.9	19.1	22.6	21.6	99.6%		$24,769	$763	$24,006
Lincoln Middle School	Public	6-8	9750 Soreng Ave	Schiller Park	60176	Cook County	Schiller Park School District 81	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 671-1816	474	34	14.0	68.4%	200 (42.2%)	6 (1.3%)	232 (48.9%)	23 (4.9%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	46.8	568^th of 1126 public middle schools	49.6%		58.8	503^rd of 1368 public middle schools	63.2%	65		55.9		65.9	52.9	65.0	61.2		38.0	39.1	31.5	36.1	96.9%		$17,049	$560	$16,490
Stevenson Middle School	Public	6-8	1630 N 20th Ave	Melrose Park	60160	Cook County	Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview 89	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 450-2053	682	65	10.4	62.8%	11 (1.6%)	45 (6.6%)	618 (90.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	20.4	911^th of 1126 public middle schools	19.1%		45.2	689^th of 1368 public middle schools	49.6%	222		40.7		58.7	44.4	43.8	48.6		17.4	20.7	14.9	17.5	97.7%		$20,717	$694	$20,023
Northlake Middle School	Public	6-8	202 S Lakewood Ave	Northlake	60164	Cook County	Berkeley School District 87	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 449-3195	378	31	12.3	84.4%	11 (2.9%)	4 (1.1%)	355 (93.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	15.7	969^th of 1126 public middle schools	13.9%		30.2	933^rd of 1368 public middle schools	31.8%	36		29.7		36.4	44.7	43.2	41.7		24.2	25.7	19.7	23.1	100%		$24,347	$1,298	$23,049
Elm Middle School	Public	6-8	7607 W Cortland St	Elmwood Park	60707	Cook County	Elmwood Park CUSD 401	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 452-3550	615	46	13.3	63.1%	207 (33.7%)	20 (3.3%)	368 (59.8%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.8%)	56.1	451^st of 1126 public middle schools	59.9%		60.8	479^th of 1368 public middle schools	65.0%	28		68.1		64.8	63.3	83.7	70.7		33.0	27.8	41.3	34.1	97.7%		$17,538	$755	$16,783
Roosevelt Middle School	Public	6-8	2500 Oak St	Bellwood	60104	Cook County	Bellwood School District 88	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 410-3900	614	41	14.8	—	1 (0.2%)	270 (44.0%)	328 (53.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	7.7	1067^th of 1126 public middle schools	5.2%		13.7	1238^th of 1368 public middle schools	9.5%	171		19.8		40.2	33.7	37.4	37.1		12.2	13.1	7.7	11.0	100%		$23,171	$1,526	$21,646
J Giles Elementary School	Public	5-8	4251 N Oriole Ave	Norridge	60706	Cook County	Norridge School District 80	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 453-4847	499	31	16.3	43.1%	343 (68.7%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (18.8%)	54 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	57.6	429^th of 1126 public middle schools	61.9%		73.1	328^th of 1368 public middle schools	76.0%	101	54.0	62.6	73.4	72.7	72.0	76.5	73.7	29.8	27.3	36.1	39.1	33.0	99.2%		$12,385	$547	$11,838
MacArthur Middle School	Public	6-8	1310 N Wolf Rd	Berkeley	60163	Cook County	Berkeley School District 87	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 449-3185	357	29	12.3	75.9%	9 (2.5%)	152 (42.6%)	189 (52.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	12.6	1011^th of 1126 public middle schools	10.2%		24.3	1024^th of 1368 public middle schools	25.1%	13		28.4		39.7	32.2	31.2	34.5		24.2	31.3	10.1	22.1	98.8%		$24,140	$1,003	$23,137
Irving Middle School	Public	5-8	805 S 17th Ave	Maywood	60153	Cook County	Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview 89	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 450-2015	515	41	12.5	64.3%	2 (0.4%)	324 (62.9%)	176 (34.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.5%)	10	1038^th of 1126 public middle schools	7.8%		15.4	1210^th of 1368 public middle schools	11.5%	172		29.9		42.4	27.2	47.8	38.9		7.5	10.1	14.0	10.7	98%		$24,612	$1,068	$23,544

Frequently Asked Questions about Hester Junior High School

What district is Hester Junior High School in?

Franklin Park School District 84

How many students attend Hester Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 426 students attended Hester Junior High School.

Is Hester Junior High School a good school?

Hester Junior High School ranks 494^th of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Hester Junior High School?

Students at Hester Junior High School are 73% Hispanic, 22% White, 4% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Hester Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Hester Junior High School usually go on to attend East Leyden High School

Rate Hester Junior High School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

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

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 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.