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Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts

Public Grades 6-8

984^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 13% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Located in Park Forest, Illinois, Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts is a 428-student middle school serving grades 6–8 in Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163. Its latest results show a divided academic picture: English Language Arts (ELA) is stronger than math, while eighth-grade science is also weak. The most important concern is mathematics: 14% of students met proficiency in 2025–2026, 25 points below the state and 7 points below the district.

ELA is the school’s clearest strength compared with nearby schools, while math and science are the greatest concerns. ELA proficiency was 48%, above the district’s 47% and 8 points above the 40% average for five nearby schools serving grades 6–8, though 9 points below the state’s 56%. Math proficiency was 14%, 2 points below those same nearby schools’ 16% average and below the district’s 21% and state’s 40%. Eighth-grade science proficiency was 22%, equal to the district but 30 points below the state; it was the lowest among seven nearby schools with eighth-grade results.

ELA has improved substantially, rising from 26% in 2023–2024 to 48% in 2025–2026, while math rose from 8% to 14%. Even so, the overall SchoolDigger standing remains low: 984th of 1,126 statewide, at the 13th percentile and one star in 2025–2026; the school had one star in each of the three years shown, and its percentile fell from 22 to 13. In 2024–2025, the student-teacher ratio was 11.2, the second-lowest among 10 nearby schools with reported figures. That year, 79% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with a nearby-school average of 68%; this is context, not an explanation for test results. SchoolDigger ranked how well the school served African American Students at the 28th percentile in 2025–2026, above its overall 13th percentile, but that group ranking had fallen 30 percentile points from 2023–2024.

428

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,929

Per pupil spending ?

79.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

96.4%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

530 Lakewood Blvd
Park Forest, IL 60466-1505

(708) 668-9600

District: Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163

Students who attend Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts usually attend:

High:

Rich Township High School

Feeder schools for Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts:

Elementary:	21st Century Primary Center
	Blackhawk Primary Center
	Mohawk Primary Center
Middle:	Barack Obama School of Leadership and STEM

Racial breakdown:

African American:

82.2%

Hispanic:

10.3%

Two or more races:

6.1%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (28% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg30%

Illinois avg49%

984^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	14.5	984 of 1126	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	1079 of 1368	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1069 of 1363	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	1192 of 1367	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	1110 of 1369	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.9	866 of 1356	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.1	876 of 1293	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.5	810 of 1293	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.4	856 of 1294	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.8	1026 of 1302	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.0	1058 of 1322	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.6	1149 of 1367	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	29.1	1059 of 1365	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.5	991 of 1344	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.3	994 of 1327	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.6	951 of 1318	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.1	989 of 1293	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.8	1041 of 1287	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	12.6	1119 of 1272	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.4	972 of 1209	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	31.0	881 of 1204	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	27.2	893 of 1185	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	162 of 224	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.7	273 of 574	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.4	228 of 548	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.2	364 of 569	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.8	283 of 573	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.7	129 of 565	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	63.1	124 of 511	75.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	31.9	456 of 694	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	443 of 639	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.4	515 of 674	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	16.2	733 of 867	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	957 of 1248	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	949 of 1251	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	1103 of 1275	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	1048 of 1286	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	792 of 1276	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.8	857 of 1226	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	547 of 669	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	508 of 643	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	513 of 661	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	549 of 662	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.4	448 of 639	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	19.5	665 of 788	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	892 of 1229	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	857 of 1219	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1021 of 1234	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	942 of 1221	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.8	621 of 1217	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.8	585 of 1161	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	9.0	765 of 829	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.2	1049 of 1271	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	1029 of 1264	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	1142 of 1292	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	1044 of 1286	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	904 of 1296	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.7	821 of 1223	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	13.2	171 of 184	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	150 of 195	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	685 of 812	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	693 of 802	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	562 of 805	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	654 of 781	16.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	700 of 792	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.6	303 of 602	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Disabled (2025)34th percentile+13 vs school

African American (2026)28th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)15th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)7th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts48%-9 vs state

Science22%-30 vs state

Mathematics14%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts

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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 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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts	Public	6-8	530 Lakewood Blvd	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9600	428	38	11.2	79.0%	6 (1.4%)	352 (82.2%)	44 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	14.5	984^th of 1126 public middle schools	12.6%		21.8	1079^th of 1368 public middle schools	21.1%	95		21.7			46.8	43.8	51.9	47.5			15.8	16.1	11.4	14.2	96.4%		$26,929	$2,227	$24,701
Indiana Elementary School	Public	4-6	165 Indiana St	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 747-5300	215	17	12.3	54.4%	1 (0.5%)	187 (87.0%)	16 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)								(n/a)	32.1		46.8	50.9	64.2			54.0	24.8	17.9	26.6			23.1	96.9%		$22,002	$738	$21,264
O W Huth Middle School	Public	7-8	3718 213th Pl	Matteson	60443	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 748-0470	421	33	12.8	68.2%	5 (1.2%)	369 (87.6%)	30 (7.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	19.5	920^th of 1126 public middle schools	18.3%		38.6	796^th of 1368 public middle schools	41.8%	124		37.5				45.6	52.3	49.2				19.2	20.0	19.6	98.2%		$23,571	$839	$22,732
Sauk Elementary School	Public	4-6	4435 S Churchill Dr	Richton Park	60471	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 747-2660	281	21	13.2	74.4%	7 (2.5%)	240 (85.4%)	23 (8.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)								(n/a)	27.2		40.0	36.8	50.0			41.7	33.0	25.3	21.3			27.2	95.6%		$21,803	$1,202	$20,602
Barack Obama School of Leadership and STEM	Public	4-6	401 Concord Dr	Chicago Heights	60411	Cook County	Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9101	367	30	12.4	80.7%	5 (1.4%)	283 (77.1%)	56 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.7%)								(n/a)	32.0		44.8	45.5	59.2			47.8	21.6	20.6	30.6			22.9	97.8%		$25,913	$2,580	$23,333
Colin Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	20600 Matteson Ave	Matteson	60443	Cook County	Education Service District 159	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 283-9600	564	42	13.3	68.3%	8 (1.4%)	459 (81.4%)	69 (12.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.3%)	6.6	1084^th of 1126 public middle schools	3.7%		20.4	1104^th of 1368 public middle schools	19.3%	20		31.1			22.3	34.7	29.9	29.1			9.1	16.1	8.6	11.4			$29,791	$910	$28,881
Chicago Heights Middle School	Public	6-8	1020 Dixie Hwy	Chicago Heights	60411	Cook County	Chicago Heights School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 882-0170	872	65	13.3	92.1%	27 (3.1%)	267 (30.6%)	568 (65.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.0%)	11.9	1021^st of 1126 public middle schools	9.3%		25	1014^th of 1368 public middle schools	25.9%	7		31.4			34.2	36.8	47.9	40.0			15.1	16.6	17.9	16.6	99.4%		$22,390	$1,398	$20,992
Columbia Central School	Public	5-8	94 Richton Rd	Steger	60475	Will County	Steger School District 194	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 753-4700	646	39	16.5	56.3%	117 (18.1%)	204 (31.6%)	260 (40.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	61 (9.4%)	30.6	781^st of 1126 public middle schools	30.6%		42.4	739^th of 1368 public middle schools	46.0%	42	21.1	25.3		43.5	65.0	63.4	62.8	58.7		19.7	20.6	25.7	12.3	19.4	96.5%		$18,013	$1,222	$16,791
Parker Junior High School	Public	6-8	2810 School St	Flossmoor	60422	Cook County	Flossmoor School District 161	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 647-5400	822	66	12.4	54.3%	69 (8.4%)	568 (69.1%)	114 (13.9%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (7.8%)	39.3	662^nd of 1126 public middle schools	41.2%		52.9	582^nd of 1368 public middle schools	57.5%	80		56.3			53.7	55.9	71.8	60.4			26.5	29.7	25.4	27.2	95.8%		$19,697	$285	$19,412
Crete-Monee Middle School	Public	6-8	635 Olmstead Ln	University Park	60484	Will County	Crete Monee CUSD 201U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 367-2400	1,002	94	10.6	65.0%	131 (13.1%)	594 (59.3%)	220 (22.0%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (5.1%)	14.8	982^nd of 1126 public middle schools	12.8%		27.6	971^st of 1368 public middle schools	29.0%	11		41.4			34.0	43.6	47.4	41.7			13.2	18.4	15.3	15.6	96.2%		$22,618	$800	$21,818

Frequently Asked Questions about Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts

Is Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts a good school?

Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts ranks in the bottom 12.6% of Illinois middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts attend?

Students who attend Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts usually go on to attend Rich Township High School

How many students attend Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts.

What is the racial makeup of Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts?

Students at Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts are 82% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% White.

What district is Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts in?

Park Forest - Chicago Heights School District 163

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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.