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The Mont ClarePhoto: Zagalejo · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−
Schools in Harwood Heights · Ridgewood Community High School District 234, Union Ridge School District 86

Harwood Heights’s public schools outscore 78% of Illinois districts

42% of students in Harwood Heights’s public schools are proficient in reading, above the Illinois average (30%). The grade covers the five public school districts serving Harwood Heights, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.

#196of 768 Illinois townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Illinois state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
42%
▲ 12 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
31%
▲ 5 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
92%
▲ 4 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$29.3K
▲ 36% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024 · Maine Township High School District 207
Students per teacher
15.0
IL 13.6 · larger classes
Schools in town
0
8,955 students on the public path
In brief

Harwood Heights’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 1444 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Harwood Heights’s, its schools beat 90%, higher than their 78% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 42% and math 31% across its districts in spring 2021, against 30% and 26% statewide; 92% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

Ridgewood Community High School District 234 spends $22,414 per student and Union Ridge School District 86 $17,141, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Three elementary schools, then four high schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Harwood Heights’s grade

A− Test scoresB Graduation

A−: better than 78% of Illinois school districts, #196 of 768 Illinois towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Illinois average; test scores are the stronger of the two.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 78%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1444)Better than 90%
B+A−A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 2,761 test results and a graduating class of 1,605 could put Harwood Heights anywhere from B+ to A−. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Harwood Heights’s students in the tested grades sat them (2,436 in math, 3,086 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Harwood Heights, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–83 schoolsDepends on your addressB+ to A−
9–124 high schoolsDepends on your addressB− to A

To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Five districts serve Harwood Heights

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Ridgewood Community High School District 234Grades 9–12 · 1 schools · 988 students, up 17% since 2020–21 · 16.4 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$22,414IL $21,567 · FY2024
B
Union Ridge School District 86Grades PK–8 · 1 schools · 664 students, up 4% since 2020–21 · 13.2 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$17,141IL $21,567 · FY2024
A−
Maine Township High School District 207Grades 9–12 · 3 schools · 6,272 students · 15.3 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$29,333IL $21,567 · FY2024
A−
Pennoyer School District 79Grades PK–8 · 1 schools · 419 students, down 3% since 2020–21 · 12.3 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$15,708IL $21,567 · FY2024
B
Norridge School District 80Grades PK–8 · 2 schools · 1,111 students, up 6% since 2020–21 · 15.0 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$14,347IL $21,567 · FY2024
A
Test scores · 2020–21

Well above the state in reading

Reading · 9–12, Ridgewood Community High School District 23427%
State average 29.9% · 192 students tested
Math · 9–12, Ridgewood Community High School District 23418%
State average 25.8% · 205 students tested
Reading · PK–8, Union Ridge School District 8653%
State average 29.9% · 386 students tested
Math · PK–8, Union Ridge School District 8627%
State average 25.8% · 324 students tested
Reading · 9–12, Maine Township High School District 20738%
State average 29.9% · 1541 students tested
Math · 9–12, Maine Township High School District 20734%
State average 25.8% · 1553 students tested
Reading · PK–8, Pennoyer School District 7937%
State average 29.9% · 274 students tested
Math · PK–8, Pennoyer School District 7924%
State average 25.8% · 268 students tested
Reading · PK–8, Norridge School District 8051%
State average 29.9% · 693 students tested
Math · PK–8, Norridge School District 8037%
State average 25.8% · 86 students tested

Harwood Heights vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Harwood Heights’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Harwood HeightsA−Union Ridge School District 86 PK–8 · Pennoyer School District 79 PK–8 · Norridge School District 80 PK–8
NorridgeA−Norridge School District 80 PK–8 · Ridgewood Community High School District 234 9–12
Norwood ParkA−Norridge School District 80 PK–8 · Union Ridge School District 86 PK–8 · Ridgewood Community High School District 234 9–12

All 2 neighbors share Norridge School District 80 with Harwood Heights for grades PK–8, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Harwood Heights

7 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Harwood Heightsin other towns
Union Ridge Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–8
A−
664 students13:1Rate it →
J Leigh Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–4 · Norridge
612 students14:1Rate it →
Pennoyer Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–8 · Norridge
B+
419 students12:1Rate it →
Maine South High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Park Ridge
A
2,494 students17:1Rate it →
Maine East High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Park Ridge
B
1,921 students14:1Rate it →
Maine West High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Des Plaines
B−
1,857 students15:1Rate it →
Ridgewood Comm High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Norridge
B−
988 students16:1Rate it →

Questions about Harwood Heights’s schools

Are Harwood Heights’s schools good?

By Illinois’s own tests, yes: the public schools Harwood Heights children attend outscore 78% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade, #196 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 90%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Harwood Heights in?

Ridgewood Community High School District 234, which runs grades 9–12 and enrolls 988 students in 1 schools (2024–25).

Where do Harwood Heights kids go to high school?

One of 4 high schools, depending on your address: Maine South High School, Maine East High School, Maine West High School and Ridgewood Comm High School.

What is Harwood Heights’s graduation rate?

92% of the class of 2023 in Maine Township High School District 207 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Harwood Heights spend per student?

$22,414 in Ridgewood Community High School District 234, $17,141 in Union Ridge School District 86, $29,333 in Maine Township High School District 207, $15,708 in Pennoyer School District 79 and $14,347 in Norridge School District 80 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Harwood Heights families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Harwood Heights → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Illinois. Stars are from neighbors.