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Percy Julian Middle School

Q: Is Percy Julian Middle School a good school?

Percy Julian Middle School ranks 249 th of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

249^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 82% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Percy Julian Middle School is a public middle school located in Oak Park, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 902 students. The school is part of the Oak Park Education Service District 97, which is ranked 85 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Percy Julian Middle School consistently ranks in the top 25% of Illinois middle schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are significantly higher than the state averages, with 69.1% and 50.7% proficiency respectively in the 2024-2025 school year. However, compared to the Oak Park Education Service District 97 average, the school's Mathematics proficiency is notably lower. The school performs well across various student subgroups, but struggles with the performance of English Language Learner (ELL) students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

One area of concern for Percy Julian Middle School is the significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 14.4% in 2023-2024 to 25.4% in 2024-2025, which is higher than the district and state averages. When compared to nearby schools, Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, also in the Oak Park Education Service District 97, performs similarly to Percy Julian Middle School, while schools in neighboring districts generally have lower academic performance and rankings. However, Roosevelt School in River Forest School District 90 stands out as an exceptional performer, ranking in the top 5% of Illinois middle schools.

927

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,464

Per pupil spending ?

18%

Free/discounted lunch ?

416 S Ridgeland Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302-4010

(708) 524-3040

District: Oak Park Education Service District 97

Students who attend Percy Julian Middle School usually attend:

High:

Oak Park & River Forest High School

Feeder schools for Percy Julian Middle School:

Elementary:	Horace Mann Elementary School
	Irving Elementary School
	Longfellow Elementary School
	William Beye Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.6%

Hispanic:

14.9%

African American:

14.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Percy Julian Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (58% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Illinois middle schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school58%

District avg63%

Illinois avg46%

249^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Oak Park Education Service District 97

85^th of 811Oak Park Education Service District 97 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	80.1	249 of 1368	81.8%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	351 of 1363	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	300 of 1367	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	75.7	270 of 1369	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	88.3	104 of 1241	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	71.7	328 of 1356	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	64.0	404 of 1293	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.4	285 of 1293	78.0%	★★★★☆
2016	79.0	227 of 1294	82.5%	★★★★☆
2015	90.8	100 of 1302	92.3%	★★★★★
2014	81.9	199 of 1322	84.9%	★★★★☆
2013	80.0	232 of 1367	83.0%	★★★★☆
2012	73.8	340 of 1365	75.1%	★★★★☆
2011	71.6	390 of 1344	71.0%	★★★★☆
2010	75.3	309 of 1327	76.7%	★★★★☆
2009	78.5	243 of 1318	81.6%	★★★★☆
2008	76.7	271 of 1293	79.0%	★★★★☆
2007	74.1	312 of 1287	75.8%	★★★★☆
2006	73.0	343 of 1272	73.0%	★★★★☆
2005	75.4	310 of 1209	74.4%	★★★★☆
2004	80.9	213 of 1204	82.3%	★★★★☆
2003	78.2	249 of 1185	79.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	63.0	153 of 574	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	41.6	286 of 548	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	180 of 569	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.0	149 of 573	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	52.1	121 of 385	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	219 of 565	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.7	309 of 511	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	23.1	164 of 192	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.3	140 of 201	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	161 of 209	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	69.3	114 of 694	83.6%	★★★★☆
2024	75.0	74 of 639	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	99 of 674	85.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	28.6	400 of 486	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	269 of 1248	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	321 of 1251	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	72.9	273 of 1275	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.4	256 of 1286	80.1%	★★★★☆
2021	87.5	85 of 1017	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	71.6	314 of 1276	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.5	409 of 1226	66.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	63.4	199 of 669	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	47.4	286 of 643	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	240 of 661	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.3	183 of 662	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	80.3	53 of 517	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	61.0	191 of 639	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	48.4	267 of 590	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	659 of 1229	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	795 of 1219	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.3	908 of 1234	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	926 of 1221	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.4	561 of 1019	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.8	893 of 1217	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.7	933 of 1161	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	80.8	202 of 1271	84.1%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	344 of 1264	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	70.0	306 of 1292	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	257 of 1286	80.0%	★★★★☆
2021	83.3	125 of 1048	88.1%	★★★★☆
2019	69.9	321 of 1296	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	369 of 1223	69.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	66.4	78 of 204	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	58 of 184	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.3	62 of 194	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.5	51 of 195	73.8%	★★★★☆
2021	86.9	12 of 97	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.1	55 of 179	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	60 of 164	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	88 of 812	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	153 of 802	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	74.6	134 of 805	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	70.9	95 of 781	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	76.1	57 of 548	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	62.3	164 of 792	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	59 of 602	90.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	78.0	162 of 884	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	236 of 875	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	201 of 895	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	179 of 898	80.1%	★★★★☆
2021	86.2	78 of 813	90.4%	★★★★★
2019	70.6	227 of 905	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	63.7	289 of 889	67.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)89th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)84th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)84th percentile~ school

White (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)78th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)73rd percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)70th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)62nd percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile-35 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)18th percentile-57 vs school

Asian (2023)15th percentile-63 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts69%+16 vs state

Science54%+8 vs state

Mathematics51%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Percy Julian 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 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 4th Grade	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
Percy Julian Middle School	Public	6-8	416 S Ridgeland Ave	Oak Park	60302	Cook County	Oak Park Education Service District 97	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 524-3040	927	78	11.8	18.0%	506 (54.6%)	135 (14.6%)	138 (14.9%)	26 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	108 (11.7%)	80.1	249^th of 1368 public middle schools	81.8%		69.5	351^st of 1363 public middle schools	74.2%	102		53.6			69.1	67.9	70.1	69.1			51.1	48.2	52.8	50.7	98.5	98.6	98.6	98.6	99.3	98.5	99.2	96.2	$17,464	$1,119	$16,345
Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School	Public	6-8	325 S Kenilworth Ave	Oak Park	60302	Cook County	Oak Park Education Service District 97	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 524-3050	947	74	12.7	20.8%	433 (45.7%)	187 (19.7%)	170 (18.0%)	24 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	118 (12.5%)	85.2	182^nd of 1368 public middle schools	86.7%		82.3	208^th of 1363 public middle schools	84.7%	26		57.5			76.4	71.8	72.6	73.5			56.2	59.0	50.0	54.9	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.6	99.5	99.7	99.0	$22,663	$1,088	$21,575
Lincoln Middle School	Public	6-8	6432 16th St	Berwyn	60402	Cook County	Berwyn North School District 98	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 795-2475	793	55	14.4	83.4%	38 (4.8%)	97 (12.2%)	641 (80.8%)	9 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	56.1	536^th of 1368 public middle schools	60.8%		52.4	565^th of 1363 public middle schools	58.5%	29		52.2			58.4	58.1	64.0	60.1			19.0	28.2	28.4	25.4	96.7	97.4	97.4	97.4	97.5	96.7	97.5	95.7	$18,128	$1,067	$17,061
Forest Park Middle School	Public	6-8	925 Beloit Ave	Forest Park	60130	Cook County	Forest Park School District 91	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 366-5742	186	21	8.8	53.8%	29 (15.6%)	103 (55.4%)	40 (21.5%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)	54.7	561^st of 1368 public middle schools	59.0%		54	540^th of 1363 public middle schools	60.4%	21		57.4			45.1	52.3	78.1	59.4			21.6	29.9	23.4	25.3	97.8	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	97.8	98.9	94.0	$34,696	$1,224	$33,472
Roosevelt School	Public	5-8	7560 Oak Ave	River Forest	60305	Cook County	River Forest School District 90	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 366-9230	625	61	10.3		398 (63.7%)	36 (5.8%)	81 (13.0%)	41 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (10.7%)	95.2	51^st of 1368 public middle schools	96.3%		96	45^th of 1363 public middle schools	96.7%	6	63.3	71.9		85.1	85.5	84.7	84.4	84.9		72.0	69.5	80.8	67.3	72.8	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	78.3	$21,788	$328	$21,461
Unity Junior High School	Public	7-8	2115 S 54th Ave	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 863-8268	1,919	125	15.3	66.6%	15 (0.8%)	32 (1.7%)	1,865 (97.2%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	21.4	1088^th of 1368 public middle schools	20.5%		23.9	1025^th of 1363 public middle schools	24.8%	63		25.2				27.6	31.4	29.5				18.2	15.1	16.7	99.5	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.4	99.2	99.6	99.6	$21,680	$1,953	$19,727
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%)	60.8	479^th of 1368 public middle schools	65.0%		59	463^rd of 1363 public middle schools	66.0%	16		51.0			49.1	70.5	76.0	65.8			20.5	27.3	37.0	28.6	99.4	98.2	98.2	98.2	97.1	96.6	100.0	93.7	$16,961	$854	$16,107
West 40 Regional Safe School Middle Prg	Public	6-8	415 Lexington St	Maywood	60153	Cook County	Region 06 West Cook ISC 2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 449-4284	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cicero East Elementary School	Public	4-6	2324 S 49Th Ave	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 652-9440	408	28	14.8	76.7%	3 (0.7%)	8 (2.0%)	396 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	19.3		27.1	34.1	44.7			35.1	37.3	17.8	24.6			26.2	96.6	97.8	97.8	97.8	62.0	95.7	97.8	32.2	$20,735	$1,713	$19,022
Northwest Middle School	Public	6-8	5252 W Palmer St	Chicago	60639	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-3250	532	39	13.8	89.8%	12 (2.3%)	11 (2.1%)	504 (94.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	12.1	1274^th of 1368 public middle schools	6.9%		15.2	1224^th of 1363 public middle schools	10.2%	50		11.7			19.0	15.2	32.3	22.6			4.5	12.3	6.7	7.6	91.9	95.8	95.8	95.8	94.4	92.5	89.4	89.6	$19,053	$2,406	$16,647

Frequently Asked Questions about Percy Julian Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Percy Julian Middle School?

Students at Percy Julian Middle School are 55% White, 15% Hispanic, 15% African American, 12% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Not Specified.

What district is Percy Julian Middle School in?

Oak Park Education Service District 97

Is Percy Julian Middle School a good school?

Percy Julian Middle School ranks 249^th of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Percy Julian Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 927 students attended Percy Julian Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Percy Julian Middle School attend?

Students who attend Percy Julian Middle School usually go on to attend Oak Park & River Forest High School

Rate Percy Julian Middle School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 30, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2025

2024–25 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataOct 30, 2024

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.