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Central Middle School

Q: Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 364 th of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 725 students attended Central Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 56% White, 21% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 10% African American, 2% Asian.

Public Grades 6-8

364^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 68% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School serves grades 6–8 in Tinley Park’s CCSD 146 and enrolls 725 students, the largest enrollment among the 10 nearby schools listed—48 more than Jerling Junior High School. The strongest takeaway is its ELA performance: 74% of students were proficient in 2025–26, well above state and district results.

ELA is a clear strength compared with the state, district and nearby schools: Central’s 74% proficiency rate was 18 percentage points above the state and 7 above the district, ranking fourth among 11 schools in the supplied nearby-school group. Math is more mixed: 42% proficiency was 3 points above the state but 5 below the district, and ranked sixth among those 11 schools. Eighth-grade math is the clearest academic concern: 31% were proficient, 4 points below the state and 13 below the nearby-school average. By contrast, eighth-grade science was a relative strength at 58%, 6 points above the state and equal to the district result.

Results have risen notably: ELA proficiency increased from 41% in 2023–24 to 74% in 2025–26, while math rose from 19% to 42%. Chronic absenteeism also improved, declining 7 percentage points from 26% in 2021–22 to 19% in 2025–26; that latest rate was below the state’s 24% but above the district’s 16%. SchoolDigger ranks Central 364th of 1,126 statewide, at the 68th percentile with three stars; five nearby schools have higher percentiles. The student–teacher ratio was 11.8 in 2024–25, and 40% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger subgroup rankings show some notable differences in relative results: Special Education Students ranked at the 42nd percentile in 2025–26, down from the 74th percentile the year before, compared with Central’s overall 68th percentile. Multi-racial Students ranked at the 23rd percentile, 45 points below the overall percentile.

725

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,201

Per pupil spending ?

39.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.5%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

18146 Oak Park Ave
Tinley Park, IL 60477-3944

(708) 614-4510

District: Ccsd 146

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Arnold W Kruse Educational Center
	Bert H Fulton School
	Memorial Elementary School
	Walter F Fierke Educational Center

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.3%

Hispanic:

20.7%

Two or more races:

11.2%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 65th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (58% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Above the Illinois median (68th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg57%

Illinois avg49%

364^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 32%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

311^th of 738Ccsd 146 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	63.3	364 of 1126	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.4	432 of 1368	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.2	686 of 1363	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	662 of 1367	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.9	554 of 1369	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	408 of 1241	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.9	584 of 1356	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.9	491 of 1293	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.1	655 of 1293	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	59.0	457 of 1294	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.8	394 of 1302	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.1	507 of 1367	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.6	583 of 1365	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.1	598 of 1344	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.7	657 of 1327	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.9	572 of 1318	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.0	520 of 1293	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.2	438 of 1287	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.0	411 of 1272	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	76.8	275 of 1209	77.3%	★★★★☆
2004	71.2	367 of 1204	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	69.8	386 of 1185	67.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	80.4	28 of 224	87.5%	★★★★☆
2025	87.2	41 of 574	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	51.1	209 of 548	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.1	175 of 569	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	205 of 573	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.5	56 of 385	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	53.2	193 of 565	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.7	116 of 511	77.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	312 of 694	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.2	481 of 639	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.8	251 of 674	62.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	332 of 483	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.5	404 of 486	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	354 of 480	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	379 of 454	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.1	111 of 277	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.1	66 of 339	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	53.0	70 of 285	75.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	56.3	363 of 867	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.7	364 of 1248	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	49.5	560 of 1251	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.1	590 of 1275	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.5	519 of 1286	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.4	354 of 1017	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	468 of 1276	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	515 of 1226	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	68.4	119 of 483	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	59.9	232 of 669	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.3	378 of 643	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	305 of 661	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.9	333 of 662	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.1	210 of 517	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.5	280 of 639	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	231 of 590	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	59.5	269 of 788	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.5	389 of 1229	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.4	659 of 1219	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.5	685 of 1234	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	530 of 1221	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.8	333 of 1019	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.5	527 of 1217	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.7	471 of 1161	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	56.1	342 of 829	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.4	465 of 1271	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.2	707 of 1264	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	656 of 1292	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.5	521 of 1286	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.6	402 of 1048	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	613 of 1296	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	412 of 1223	66.3%	★★★☆☆

Middle Eastern or North African

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	7 of 7	0.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	29.2	70 of 91	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	48.3	105 of 204	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	116 of 184	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	107 of 195	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.9	104 of 179	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.3	79 of 164	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	141 of 244	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.2	213 of 812	73.8%	★★★★☆
2024	43.5	368 of 802	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	269 of 805	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	304 of 781	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.0	186 of 548	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.9	373 of 792	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.4	264 of 602	56.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	56.2	297 of 754	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.2	350 of 884	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.7	599 of 875	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.6	648 of 895	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.5	535 of 898	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.7	382 of 813	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.3	588 of 905	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	481 of 889	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)88th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)75th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile~ school

White (2026)61st percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)59th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2025)55th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2026)42nd percentile-25 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)31st percentile-37 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)23rd percentile-45 vs school

Middle Eastern or North African (2025)<1st percentile-68 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts74%+18 vs state

Science58%+6 vs state

Mathematics42%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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
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
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
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
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
Southwood Middle School	Public	6-8	18635 Lee St	Country Club Hills	60478	Cook County	Country Club Hills School District 160	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 957-6230	283	18	15.7	70.3%	3 (1.1%)	239 (84.5%)	21 (7.4%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.7%)	5.7	1095^th of 1126 public middle schools	2.8%		17	1173^rd of 1368 public middle schools	14.3%	78		26.3		23.5	24.3	31.9	26.4			18.2		11.3	97.8%		$25,048	$2,604	$22,444
Summit Hill Junior High School	Public	7-8	7260 W North Ave	Frankfort	60423	Will County	Summit Hill School District 161	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 469-4330	566	52	10.8	20.8%	400 (70.7%)	51 (9.0%)	80 (14.1%)	16 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	68.6	311^th of 1126 public middle schools	72.4%		87.2	161^st of 1368 public middle schools	88.2%	150		60.4			73.0	68.5	70.8			48.0	56.3	52.1	98.9%		$20,280	$451	$19,829
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

What district is Central Middle School in?

Ccsd 146

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 725 students attended Central Middle School.

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 364^th of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 56% White, 21% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 10% African American, 2% Asian.

Rate Central 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.