Summary:
ZIP code 60464 has two schools serving preschool through eighth grade: Palos South Middle School (grades 6–8, 717 students) and Palos West Elementary School (PK–5, 700 students), both part of Palos CCSD 118. Both schools were well above state proficiency results in 2025–26, but their clearest difference was in English language arts: South led West by 12 percentage points, while their math results were nearly even.
Palos South stands out in ELA, with 90% proficiency compared with 78% at Palos West and 56% statewide. West narrowly led in math, at 66% versus South’s 65%; both were well above the 40% state result. Science results were also above grade-level state benchmarks: South had 79% in eighth-grade science versus 52% statewide, while West had 66% in fifth grade versus 48% statewide. These science results are for different grades, so they should not be used to rank the schools against each other.
Recent results show West’s earlier math lead has nearly vanished: it went from 12 percentage points in 2024–25 to 1 point in 2025–26, while South’s ELA lead grew from 9 to 12 points. Science trends diverged: South’s eighth-grade result rose 9 points year over year, while West’s fifth-grade result fell 2 points. SchoolDigger ranks South 62nd of 1,126 schools (94th percentile, five stars) and West 230th of 1,737 (87th percentile, four stars) for 2025–26. Context measures are similar: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible students were 36% at South and 35% at West; student-teacher ratios were 14.6 and 13.9, respectively. Both schools also had lower 2025–26 chronic absenteeism than the state: 12% at South and 11% at West, compared with 24% statewide.
Thank you for your feedback!