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Carl Sandburg Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

845^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 25% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Carl Sandburg Middle School serves 468 students in grades 6–8 in Rolling Meadows, in the area served by Palatine CCSD 15. Its most pressing concern is mathematics: in 2025–2026, just 22% of students were proficient, the lowest all-grades result among the 11 nearby schools compared.

English language arts is a relative strength, but results still trail local and state benchmarks. Proficiency was 53%, compared with 56% statewide and 61% in the district; the nearby-school average was 69%. Eighth-grade ELA was stronger at 61%, just 2 points below the state. Math is much weaker: its 22% result was 18 points below the state, 22 points below the district, and 28 points below the nearby-school average of 50%. It also had the lowest nearby result in seventh- and eighth-grade math. Eighth-grade science was another weak area: 41% were proficient, versus 52% statewide and in the district, making it the second-lowest nearby result, just above Walter R Sundling Middle School.

Recent trends offer mixed news: ELA rose 6 points from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026, but its position relative to the state worsened by 9 points; math fell 4 points overall, despite a modest improvement in the latest year. SchoolDigger’s standing also dropped, from the 61st percentile and 3 stars in 2023–2024 to the 25th percentile and 1 star in 2025–2026. Context includes an 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio in 2024–2025, lower than all but two nearby schools, and 49% free/reduced lunch eligible that year, the third-highest rate among comparable nearby schools. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for disabled students fell from the 67th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 24th in 2024–2025; its ranking for special education students was higher than the school’s overall ranking in each of those three years, including the 84th percentile versus 58th overall in 2022–2023. Earlier science data are for all grades, so they do not allow a like-for-like trend comparison with the latest eighth-grade result.

468

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,223

Per pupil spending ?

48.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

98.6%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

2600 Martin Ln
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-2722

(847) 963-7800

District: Palatine CCSD 15

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.3%

White:

38.2%

Asian:

6.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Carl Sandburg Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2016 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (38% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg52%

Illinois avg49%

845^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 36 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Middle Schools in the Palatine CCSD 15

399^th of 738Palatine CCSD 15 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	24.8	845 of 1126	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.1	711 of 1368	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.9	525 of 1363	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	577 of 1367	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	711 of 1369	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.3	557 of 1241	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.7	400 of 1356	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	59.5	462 of 1293	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.7	459 of 1293	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.4	504 of 1294	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	78.7	222 of 1302	82.9%	★★★★☆
2014	62.2	490 of 1322	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.9	488 of 1367	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	67.5	470 of 1365	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.8	383 of 1344	71.5%	★★★★☆
2010	78.1	246 of 1327	81.5%	★★★★☆
2009	76.7	277 of 1318	79.0%	★★★★☆
2008	76.9	266 of 1293	79.4%	★★★★☆
2007	82.7	141 of 1287	89.0%	★★★★☆
2006	79.5	209 of 1272	83.6%	★★★★☆
2005	78.8	246 of 1209	79.7%	★★★★☆
2004	79.7	233 of 1204	80.6%	★★★★☆
2003	83.6	168 of 1185	85.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	47.1	243 of 569	57.3%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	36.1	133 of 184	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	145 of 192	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.6	167 of 198	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.7	133 of 201	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.2	76 of 209	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	528 of 694	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.4	214 of 639	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	221 of 674	67.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	343 of 483	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.2	197 of 486	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.0	373 of 480	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	434 of 454	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	34.5	213 of 277	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.7	125 of 339	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	72 of 285	74.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	22.3	692 of 867	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.5	696 of 1248	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	543 of 1251	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	627 of 1275	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.6	671 of 1286	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	451 of 1017	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.0	333 of 1276	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	59.1	454 of 1226	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	416 of 483	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.5	499 of 669	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	494 of 643	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	477 of 661	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	569 of 662	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	418 of 517	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.9	394 of 639	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.0	480 of 590	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	583 of 788	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.2	640 of 1229	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	648 of 1219	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	774 of 1234	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.5	1001 of 1221	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.2	576 of 1019	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	591 of 1217	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	645 of 1161	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	710 of 829	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.4	654 of 1271	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.0	451 of 1264	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	458 of 1292	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.5	672 of 1286	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.6	584 of 1048	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.2	451 of 1296	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	471 of 1223	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	313 of 812	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	79.3	122 of 802	84.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	125 of 805	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	49.2	251 of 781	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	108 of 548	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	65.1	143 of 792	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	56.4	168 of 602	72.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	614 of 754	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.2	448 of 884	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.9	402 of 875	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.9	398 of 895	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.1	546 of 898	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.6	374 of 813	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.6	290 of 905	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.2	355 of 889	60.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)61st percentile+13 vs school

African American (2023)57th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)29th percentile-19 vs school

Asian (2024)28th percentile-34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)24th percentile-24 vs school

Female (2026)20th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)19th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts52%-4 vs state

Science41%-11 vs state

Mathematics22%-18 vs state

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Schools Near Carl Sandburg 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 8th 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 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
Carl Sandburg Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 Martin Ln	Rolling Meadows	60008	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 963-7800	468	40	11.6	48.5%	179 (38.2%)	13 (2.8%)	226 (48.3%)	31 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.6%)	24.8	845^th of 1126 public middle schools	25.0%		44.1	711^th of 1368 public middle schools	48.0%	134	40.6	48.1	48.7	60.7	52.5	24.8	18.8	22.8	22.0	98.6%		$21,223	$821	$20,402
South Middle School	Public	6-8	400 S Highland Ave	Arlington Heights	60005	Cook County	Arlington Heights School District 25	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 398-4250	812	67	12.0	15.6%	679 (83.6%)	8 (1.0%)	73 (9.0%)	50 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	79.5	189^th of 1126 public middle schools	83.2%		85.9	178^th of 1368 public middle schools	87.0%	11	81.5	68.6	83.2	77.4	76.4	53.3	60.8	52.3	55.6	97.9%		$18,805	$710	$18,095
Plum Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 Plum Grove Rd	Rolling Meadows	60008	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 963-7600	1,128	68	16.5	14.9%	544 (48.2%)	35 (3.1%)	103 (9.1%)	393 (34.8%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (4.3%)	76.8	217^th of 1126 public middle schools	80.7%		86.5	170^th of 1368 public middle schools	87.6%	47	60.7	80.2	77.1	73.3	76.9	61.1	65.4	45.4	57.5	98.7%		$15,461	$425	$15,037
Winston Campus Middle School	Public	6-8	120 N Babcock Dr	Palatine	60074	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 963-7400	847	65	12.9	49.9%	240 (28.3%)	41 (4.8%)	510 (60.2%)	35 (4.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.0%)	20.7	904^th of 1126 public middle schools	19.7%		33.2	894^th of 1368 public middle schools	34.6%	10	42.2	44.7	37.4	47.8	43.3	29.9	22.7	23.9	25.7	92.3%		$17,956	$1,036	$16,919
Thomas Middle School	Public	6-8	1430 N Belmont Ave	Arlington Heights	60004	Cook County	Arlington Heights School District 25	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 398-4260	1,024	77	13.2	16.0%	722 (70.5%)	16 (1.6%)	94 (9.2%)	174 (17.0%)	2 (0.2%)	10 (1.0%)	6 (0.6%)	81.5	162^nd of 1126 public middle schools	85.6%		91.8	93^rd of 1368 public middle schools	93.2%	69	79.2	75.2	76.4	77.7	76.5	64.1	67.4	46.3	58.7	97.5%		$17,816	$547	$17,269
Holmes Junior High School	Public	6-8	1900 W Lonnquist Blvd	Mount Prospect	60056	Cook County	Community Cons School District 59	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 593-4390	459	49	9.3	62.5%	156 (34.0%)	29 (6.3%)	191 (41.6%)	65 (14.2%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.4%)	37.9	686^th of 1126 public middle schools	39.1%		55.5	546^th of 1368 public middle schools	60.1%	140	43.9	42.5	52.6	43.2	46.2	42.1	51.5	38.6	44.1	97.5%		$26,996	$734	$26,263
Lincoln Middle School	Public	6-8	700 W Lincoln St	Mount Prospect	60056	Cook County	Mount Prospect School District 57	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 394-7350	784	58	13.5	—	576 (73.5%)	13 (1.7%)	87 (11.1%)	62 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (5.9%)	82.6	149^th of 1126 public middle schools	86.8%		78.4	265^th of 1368 public middle schools	80.6%	116	62.5	83.4	86.2	86.8	85.5	52.7	58.9	61.6	57.8	98.3%		$18,297	$502	$17,796
MacArthur Middle School	Public	6-8	700 N Schoenbeck Rd	Prospect Heights	60070	Cook County	Prospect Heights School District 23	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 870-3879	483	36	13.6	41.8%	326 (67.5%)	8 (1.7%)	90 (18.6%)	44 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	83	147^th of 1126 public middle schools	86.9%		88.3	142^nd of 1368 public middle schools	89.6%	5	73.2	78.7	76.9	75.8	77.1	70.1	68.8	50.3	63.4	96.7%		$18,859	$277	$18,582
Walter R Sundling Middle School	Public	6-8	1100 N Smith St	Palatine	60067	Cook County	Palatine CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 963-3700	679	61	11.2	47.0%	237 (34.9%)	47 (6.9%)	305 (44.9%)	68 (10.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.7%)	25	841^st of 1126 public middle schools	25.3%		35.3	854^th of 1368 public middle schools	37.6%	13	39.3	48.8	50.0	50.0	49.6	23.9	32.5	24.3	27.0	98.9%		$22,075	$920	$21,155
Dwight D Eisenhower Junior High School	Public	7-8	800 Hassell Rd	Hoffman Estates	60169	Cook County	Schaumburg CCSD 54	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 357-5500	662	56	11.8	—	191 (28.9%)	59 (8.9%)	245 (37.0%)	148 (22.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (2.7%)	65.2	345^th of 1126 public middle schools	69.4%		72.1	340^th of 1368 public middle schools	75.1%	5	56.0		76.1	69.9	73.0		55.3	40.6	48.0	98.8%		$18,221	$462	$17,758

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl Sandburg Middle School

How many students attend Carl Sandburg Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 468 students attended Carl Sandburg Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Carl Sandburg Middle School?

Students at Carl Sandburg Middle School are 48% Hispanic, 38% White, 7% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What district is Carl Sandburg Middle School in?

Palatine CCSD 15

Is Carl Sandburg Middle School a good school?

Carl Sandburg Middle School ranks in the bottom 25.0% of Illinois middle schools.

Rate Carl Sandburg Middle School!

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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.