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Virgil I Grissom Middle School

Q: Is Virgil I Grissom Middle School a good school?

Virgil I Grissom Middle School ranks 183 rd of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

183^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 84% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Virgil I Grissom Middle School in Tinley Park serves 627 students in grades 6–8 in a group of nearby suburban communities, and its clearest comparative strength is math: it has the second-highest result among nearby schools serving the same grades.

In 2025–26, 60% of Grissom students were proficient in math, 11 points above the 49% average at comparable nearby schools; only Palos South Middle School scored higher, at 65%. Grissom was also 20 points above the state in math and 2 points above Kirby School District 140. ELA was strong against the state—77% proficient, 21 points higher—but around the middle locally: fifth among nine schools and just 1 point above their average. Eighth-grade science was 65%, 13 points above the state and 2 points above the nearby average, ranking fourth of nine. Within Grissom, sixth grade is worth watching: math proficiency was 53%, compared with 64% in seventh grade.

Scores have risen over time: from 2023–24 to 2025–26, ELA increased from 69% to 77% and math from 47% to 60%. However, Grissom’s overall SchoolDigger statewide percentile went from 89 to 84 over those years. In 2025–26, SchoolDigger ranked the school 183rd of 1,126 statewide, at the 84th percentile with 4 stars; nearby Palos South and Mokena Junior High School ranked at the 94th and 87th percentiles. The 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 12.5 students per teacher, close to the nearby average of 12.8. Grissom reported 18% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2021–22. One notable subgroup result is the sharp recent decline in SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves Special Education Students: their statewide percentile fell from 86 in 2024–25 to 46 in 2025–26, compared with 84 overall.

627

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,450

Per pupil spending ?

17.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2021-22) ?

98%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

17000 80th Ave
Tinley Park, IL 60477-7806

(708) 429-3030

District: Kirby School District 140

Students who attend Virgil I Grissom Middle School usually attend:

High:

Victor J Andrew High School

Feeder schools for Virgil I Grissom Middle School:

Elementary:	Helen Keller Elementary School
	John A Bannes Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.5%

Hispanic:

15.8%

African American:

5.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Virgil I Grissom Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (67% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Illinois middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg63%

Illinois avg49%

183^rd of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Kirby School District 140

188^th of 738Kirby School District 140 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	79.9	183 of 1126	83.7%	★★★★☆
2025	83.3	201 of 1368	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.4	154 of 1363	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	262 of 1367	80.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.1	240 of 1369	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	83.5	153 of 1241	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.4	233 of 1356	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	69.1	343 of 1293	73.5%	★★★★☆
2017	70.1	315 of 1293	75.6%	★★★★☆
2016	70.3	315 of 1294	75.7%	★★★★☆
2015	67.7	324 of 1302	75.1%	★★★★☆
2014	80.6	214 of 1322	83.8%	★★★★☆
2013	73.5	329 of 1367	75.9%	★★★★☆
2012	71.5	392 of 1365	71.3%	★★★★☆
2011	68.1	474 of 1344	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.2	424 of 1327	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.1	447 of 1318	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.5	385 of 1293	70.2%	★★★★☆
2007	77.4	249 of 1287	80.7%	★★★★☆
2006	76.5	270 of 1272	78.8%	★★★★☆
2005	72.5	364 of 1209	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	75.5	308 of 1204	74.4%	★★★★☆
2003	75.0	303 of 1185	74.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	94.1	13 of 224	94.2%	★★★★★
2025	78.4	65 of 574	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	29 of 548	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	54.6	181 of 569	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2022	52.1	102 of 198	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.7	83 of 201	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	87 of 209	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	93 of 694	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.6	39 of 639	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	67.6	112 of 674	83.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	91.2	4 of 81	95.1%	★★★★★
2025	90.9	13 of 483	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.2	33 of 486	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	65.6	69 of 480	85.6%	★★★★☆
2022	37.2	292 of 454	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	77.4	152 of 867	82.5%	★★★★☆
2025	83.5	168 of 1248	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	85.9	136 of 1251	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	75.7	241 of 1275	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	251 of 1286	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	83.9	117 of 1017	88.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.2	224 of 1276	82.4%	★★★★☆
2018	65.2	370 of 1226	69.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	77.1	85 of 483	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	89.1	49 of 669	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	86.1	52 of 643	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	80.7	78 of 661	88.2%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	128 of 662	80.7%	★★★★☆
2021	89.9	27 of 517	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	70.6	134 of 639	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	71.7	115 of 590	80.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	84.0	69 of 788	91.2%	★★★★★
2025	84.4	102 of 1229	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	84.9	91 of 1219	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	78.5	146 of 1234	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	81.6	83 of 1019	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	67.0	290 of 1217	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	45.3	594 of 1161	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	204 of 829	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	79.8	213 of 1271	83.2%	★★★★☆
2024	85.8	137 of 1264	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	250 of 1292	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.3	209 of 1286	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	78.4	165 of 1048	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	225 of 1296	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	70.8	289 of 1223	76.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	69.8	58 of 179	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.6	49 of 164	70.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	43.9	131 of 244	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	80.5	116 of 812	85.7%	★★★★☆
2024	78.1	130 of 802	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.2	159 of 805	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	49.6	249 of 781	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	93 of 548	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	56.8	197 of 792	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	46.1	242 of 602	59.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	196 of 754	74.0%	★★★★☆
2025	69.1	234 of 884	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	180 of 875	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	62.1	282 of 895	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.0	265 of 898	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	74.3	157 of 813	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.7	276 of 905	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	427 of 889	52.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)95th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2026)94th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)91st percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2025)87th percentile~ school

Female (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)75th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)74th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)68th percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2022)48th percentile-34 vs school

Special Education (2026)46th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts77%+21 vs state

Science65%+13 vs state

Mathematics60%+20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Virgil I Grissom 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 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
Virgil I Grissom Middle School	Public	6-8	17000 80th Ave	Tinley Park	60477	Cook County	Kirby School District 140	No	(n/a)	No	No	(708) 429-3030	627	50	12.5	—	436 (69.5%)	35 (5.6%)	99 (15.8%)	32 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	23 (3.7%)	79.9	183^rd of 1126 public middle schools	83.7%		83.3	201^st of 1368 public middle schools	85.3%	18		64.8		73.9	78.3	78.9	77.1		53.0	63.7	61.3	59.5	98%		$15,450	$38	$15,412
Prairie View Middle School	Public	6-8	8500 175th St	Tinley Park	60487	Cook County	Kirby School District 140	No	(n/a)	No	No	(708) 532-8540	579	49	11.7	—	428 (73.9%)	37 (6.4%)	73 (12.6%)	25 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	14 (2.4%)	69.5	299^th of 1126 public middle schools	73.4%		80.9	236^th of 1368 public middle schools	82.7%	63		54.9		66.1	71.8	71.8	70.0		55.9	56.9	52.8	55.2	96.8%		$15,465	$38	$15,426
Central Middle School	Public	6-8	18146 Oak Park Ave	Tinley Park	60477	Cook County	Ccsd 146	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 614-4510	725	61	11.8	39.4%	408 (56.3%)	74 (10.2%)	150 (20.7%)	11 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (11.2%)	63.3	364^th of 1126 public middle schools	67.7%		64.4	432^nd of 1368 public middle schools	68.4%	68		58.1		75.8	77.6	69.7	74.2		49.3	47.3	30.9	42.2	97.5%		$21,201	$515	$20,686
Jerling Junior High School	Public	6-8	8851 W 151st St	Orland Park	60462	Cook County	Orland School District 135	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 364-3708	677	46	14.5	—	513 (75.8%)	21 (3.1%)	97 (14.3%)	27 (4.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.7%)	67.2	325^th of 1126 public middle schools	71.1%		78.5	263^rd of 1368 public middle schools	80.8%	62		64.3		79.2	78.3	83.8	80.5		35.1	42.5	43.0	40.4	97.5%		$19,834	$460	$19,374
Arbor Park Middle School	Public	5-8	17303 Central Ave	Oak Forest	60452	Cook County	Arbor Park School District 145	No	(n/a)	No	No	(708) 687-5330	520	46	11.3	49.4%	200 (38.5%)	77 (14.8%)	157 (30.2%)	80 (15.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	37.5	692^nd of 1126 public middle schools	38.5%		44.8	695^th of 1368 public middle schools	49.2%	3	45.2	49.2	47.4	66.4	51.5	55.6	55.3	31.6	39.3	30.8	21.4	30.7	100%		$18,897	$1,314	$17,584
Orland Junior High School	Public	6-8	14855 West Ave	Orland Park	60462	Cook County	Orland School District 135	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 364-4206	524	39	13.2	—	345 (65.8%)	35 (6.7%)	109 (20.8%)	21 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.5%)	73.8	264^th of 1126 public middle schools	76.6%		74.9	300^th of 1368 public middle schools	78.1%	36		67.2		75.4	78.9	85.5	79.9		43.8	55.7	43.5	47.6	96.8%		$19,852	$460	$19,391
Walker Intermediate School	Public	5-6	19900 80th Ave	Tinley Park	60487	Will County	Summit Hill School District 161	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 464-2285	554	51	10.7	19.0%	376 (67.9%)	64 (11.6%)	67 (12.1%)	20 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (4.5%)								(n/a)	72.3		74.2	72.1			73.1	59.3	54.0			56.5	97.6%		$20,224	$451	$19,772
Jack Hille Middle School	Public	6-8	5800 151st St	Oak Forest	60452	Cook County	Forest Ridge School District 142	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 687-5550	490	33	14.8	46.5%	234 (47.8%)	44 (9.0%)	165 (33.7%)	19 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.7%)	38.7	673^rd of 1126 public middle schools	40.2%		53.2	579^th of 1368 public middle schools	57.7%	94		42.9		50.0	50.9	64.6	55.0		34.1	42.1	36.6	37.6	98.1%		$14,937	$597	$14,341
Century Junior High School	Public	6-8	10801 W 159th St	Orland Park	60467	Cook County	Orland School District 135	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 364-3506	636	49	13.0	—	427 (67.1%)	59 (9.3%)	73 (11.5%)	54 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.6%)	68.3	314^th of 1126 public middle schools	72.1%		82.6	210^th of 1368 public middle schools	84.6%	104		60.9		78.1	71.3	76.8	75.4		45.9	52.3	40.3	46.2	95.8%		$19,863	$460	$19,402
Mokena Junior High School	Public	6-8	19815 Kirkstone Way	Mokena	60448	Will County	Mokena School District 159	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 342-4870	502	41	12.2	16.9%	396 (78.9%)	18 (3.6%)	64 (12.7%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.4%)	82.6	150^th of 1126 public middle schools	86.7%		88.2	144^th of 1368 public middle schools	89.5%	6		74.6		80.6	75.1	89.5	81.7		48.3	56.2	69.0	57.7	94.1%		$16,532	$585	$15,948

Frequently Asked Questions about Virgil I Grissom Middle School

Is Virgil I Grissom Middle School a good school?

Virgil I Grissom Middle School ranks 183^rd of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Virgil I Grissom Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 627 students attended Virgil I Grissom Middle School.

What district is Virgil I Grissom Middle School in?

Kirby School District 140

What is the racial makeup of Virgil I Grissom Middle School?

Students at Virgil I Grissom Middle School are 70% White, 16% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Virgil I Grissom Middle School attend?

Students who attend Virgil I Grissom Middle School usually go on to attend Victor J Andrew High School

Rate Virgil I Grissom Middle School!

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Schools in Tinley Park, IL

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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.