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Bernard J Ward Elementary School

Q: Is Bernard J Ward Elementary School a good school?

Bernard J Ward Elementary School ranks 1041 st of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1041^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Bernard J Ward Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Bolingbrook, Illinois, serving 375 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Valley View CUSD 365U district, which is ranked 377 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite being part of the Valley View district, Bernard J Ward Elementary School faces several challenges. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.4% to 30.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school's performance on standardized tests, such as the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA), is generally below the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 50.6% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 61.2% for the district and 53.1% for the state. In math, the school's proficiency rate was 42%, while the district and state were 39.2% and 38.5%, respectively.

When comparing Bernard J Ward Elementary School to other nearby schools within the same district, it generally performs worse on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism. For instance, John R Tibbott Elementary School, which is less than a mile away, consistently outperforms Bernard J Ward on both ELA and math assessments. Furthermore, the school's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past several years, from 1899 out of 2086 Illinois elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 1041 out of 2056 in 2024-2025, suggesting that the school is struggling to keep pace with other schools in the state.

363

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,382

Per pupil spending ?

77.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Recreation Dr
Bolingbrook, IL 60440-3071

(630) 972-9200

District: Valley View CUSD 365U

Students who attend Bernard J Ward Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hubert H Humphrey Middle School
High:	Bolingbrook High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.4%

African American:

20.4%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Bernard J Ward Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 33 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (38% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Science scores 21 pts below the Illinois average

!Near the bottom of Valley View CUSD 365U's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg44%

Illinois avg44%

1,041^st of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 33 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Valley View CUSD 365U

377^th of 811Valley View CUSD 365U 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	47.8	1041 of 2056	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1403 of 2067	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1555 of 2077	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	1480 of 2082	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	1370 of 1948	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	1899 of 2086	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	1608 of 2037	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.0	1549 of 2044	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.9	1724 of 2046	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.6	1716 of 2052	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.3	1556 of 2093	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.9	1510 of 2167	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.6	1371 of 2166	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.8	1529 of 2147	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.7	1672 of 2139	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.6	1790 of 2120	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.2	1573 of 2092	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	42.6	1454 of 2095	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.6	1569 of 2086	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	74.0	107 of 688	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	42.5	340 of 655	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	467 of 692	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	313 of 684	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.5	540 of 711	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	69.1	122 of 698	82.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	530 of 1049	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.7	644 of 886	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	781 of 907	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	66.9	171 of 788	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.8	323 of 826	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.1	288 of 788	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.8	404 of 768	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.1	663 of 743	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.9	371 of 718	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	45.1	1039 of 1942	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	1226 of 1942	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	1438 of 1957	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	1268 of 1970	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.0	1775 of 2019	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	1549 of 1964	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	316 of 982	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.8	593 of 959	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	626 of 970	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	641 of 954	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.3	317 of 742	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	19.7	869 of 955	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	727 of 938	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	576 of 1800	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.1	1003 of 1793	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	1171 of 1808	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	1171 of 1763	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.9	1021 of 1514	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.3	1590 of 1816	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	1228 of 1765	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	967 of 1947	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.6	1429 of 1959	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	1518 of 1984	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	1541 of 1977	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.4	1253 of 1707	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	1879 of 2019	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	1534 of 1972	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	631 of 1292	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.2	877 of 1195	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	1093 of 1156	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.3	990 of 1113	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	1168 of 1194	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.5	523 of 763	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)84th percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)78th percentile+29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2025)51st percentile~ school

Male (2025)50th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)49th percentile~ school

Female (2025)46th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts51%~ state avg

Mathematics42%+4 vs state

Science20%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bernard J Ward Elementary School

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)	% Pneumococcal (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	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th 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	% Pneumococcal All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bernard J Ward Elementary School	Public	K-5	200 Recreation Dr	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 972-9200	363	31	11.7	77.4%	17 (4.7%)	74 (20.4%)	230 (63.4%)	19 (5.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.8%)	47.8	1041^st of 2056 public elementary schools	49.4%		30	1403^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	32.1%	362	20.0	40.3	44.6	66.7		50.6	41.0	29.1	55.0		42.0										$23,382	$1,040	$22,341
John R Tibbott Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	520 Gary Dr	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 739-7155	330	37	8.9	67.9%	40 (12.1%)	65 (19.7%)	192 (58.2%)	21 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	67.3	659^th of 2056 public elementary schools	67.9%		57.9	762^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	63.1%	103	34.0	62.7	57.1	72.0		63.6	61.0	51.8	38.0		50.9										$20,899	$847	$20,052
Jonas E Salk Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 King Arthur Way	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 739-3603	391	39	10.1	62.9%	63 (16.1%)	94 (24.0%)	201 (51.4%)	16 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	52.8	949^th of 2056 public elementary schools	53.8%		47.4	993^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	52.0%	44	14.5	49.2	71.6	50.7		57.4	49.2	61.2	20.6		43.3										$19,150	$611	$18,539
Oak View Elementary School	Public	K-5	150 N Schmidt Rd	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 759-9300	636	44	14.6	67.6%	63 (9.9%)	163 (25.6%)	346 (54.4%)	24 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (5.8%)	51.6	973^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	52.7%		40.9	1133^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	45.2%	160	22.4	57.6	53.1	49.5		53.7	56.3	40.6	29.9		43.2										$20,696	$1,200	$19,496
Wood View Elementary School	Public	K-5	197 Winston Dr	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 739-0185	443	30	14.7	61.2%	83 (18.7%)	127 (28.7%)	192 (43.3%)	17 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.4%)	59.1	828^th of 2056 public elementary schools	59.7%		50.5	921^st of 2067 public elementary schools	55.4%	93	28.4	61.2	57.6	56.7		58.8	65.9	44.1	28.4		47.9										$21,706	$1,452	$20,255
Independence Elementary School	Public	K-5	230 S Orchard Dr	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 759-7282	617	48	12.9	67.9%	53 (8.6%)	138 (22.4%)	371 (60.1%)	29 (4.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.9%)	43	1139^th of 2056 public elementary schools	44.6%		40.4	1142^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	44.8%	3	25.8	43.0	44.0	51.0		45.9	42.4	36.7	32.3		37.2										$19,230	$741	$18,489
Jamie McGee Elementary School	Public	K-5	179 Commonwealth Dr	Bolingbrook	60440	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 759-4300	487	31	15.8	48.3%	84 (17.2%)	139 (28.5%)	145 (29.8%)	73 (15.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.2%)	47.5	1053^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	48.8%		49.2	955^th of 2067 public elementary schools	53.8%	98	34.2	41.1	49.4	56.8		48.6	43.3	34.2	33.8		37.4										$20,479	$534	$19,945
John L Sipley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2806 83rd St	Woodridge	60517	DuPage County	Woodridge School District 68	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 795-6300	430	29	14.7	44.0%	183 (42.6%)	92 (21.4%)	86 (20.0%)	38 (8.8%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	27 (6.3%)	76.3	474^th of 2056 public elementary schools	76.9%		88.8	211^th of 2067 public elementary schools	89.8%	263	48.0	51.4	64.2	72.0	81.0	65.1	51.4	60.4	54.0	50.0	54.0	94.5	97.6	97.6	97.6	24.2	96.8	97.9	13.7	10.0	$17,899	$792	$17,107
Robert C Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	616 Dalhart Ave	Romeoville	60446	Will County	Valley View CUSD 365U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 886-4343	547	55	9.8	62.2%	144 (26.3%)	55 (10.1%)	304 (55.6%)	11 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.0%)	59.6	819^th of 2056 public elementary schools	60.2%		56.3	792^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	61.7%	27	39.0	52.0	50.6	64.6		55.5	55.0	38.6	41.5		45.7										$24,405	$534	$23,872
Edgewood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7900 Woodridge Dr	Woodridge	60517	DuPage County	Woodridge School District 68	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 795-6000	361	29	12.5	52.1%	178 (49.3%)	63 (17.5%)	64 (17.7%)	32 (8.9%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.8%)	64.5	711^th of 2056 public elementary schools	65.4%		66.2	628^th of 2067 public elementary schools	69.6%	83	37.3	52.1	50.0	63.5	75.6	60.7	50.0	45.5	35.3	53.7	45.7	94.4	96.3	96.3	96.3	25.9	95.3	96.3	13.7	12.5	$20,177	$854	$19,323

Frequently Asked Questions about Bernard J Ward Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Bernard J Ward Elementary School?

Students at Bernard J Ward Elementary School are 63% Hispanic, 20% African American, 6% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 5% White.

What district is Bernard J Ward Elementary School in?

Valley View CUSD 365U

What schools do graduates of Bernard J Ward Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bernard J Ward Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hubert H Humphrey Middle School
High : Bolingbrook High School

How many students attend Bernard J Ward Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 363 students attended Bernard J Ward Elementary School.

Is Bernard J Ward Elementary School a good school?

Bernard J Ward Elementary School ranks 1041^st of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Bernard J Ward Elementary School!

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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.