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B

Forest Ridge School District 142

Public school districtGrades PK–8Regional · 2 towns

Serves Oak Forest and Midlothian, and parts of Bremen Township and Crestwood.

Oak Forest’s School Grade C+ better than 43% of Illinois school districts

Students
1,539
Schools
4
Spent per student
$15,300
IL $21,567
Students per teacher
15:1
Free or reduced lunch
43%
Debt
$1.6M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Forest Ridge School District 142

  • Its letter, B: results better than 59% of Illinois districts
  • Reading proficiency 5 pts above the state
  • Spends 29% less per student than the IL average
  • 15 students per teacher
  • Debt of $1.6M, about $1,066 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B: better than 59% of the 887 Illinois school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math close to the state, 2021–22
B
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
C+Oak Forest 26,792CMidlothian 13,841

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Oak Forest. Grade by grade →

PK–K2 elementary schoolsThis district
1–53 elementary schoolsThis district
6–82 middle schoolsArbor Park School District 145
9–124 high schoolsBremen Community High School District 228

Test scores vs. IL

2020–21 · 2021–22
Math proficiency22%
State average 25.8% · 830 students tested
Reading / language arts35%
State average 29.9% · 965 students tested

Graduation rate 88% at Bremen CHSD 228, which runs the high school (state 87.6%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$15,300 per student · 29% below IL
Spending
Classroom instruction 55%Support & administration 43%Other 2%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 42%State 49%Federal 9%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
1,550’20
1,495’21
1,539’22
1,511’23
1,539’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 49%Hispanic 35%Black 10%Two or more races 4%Asian 3%

Schools in the district

4 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools.

Ridge Early Childhood Center
Elementary · Grades PK–K · Oak Forest
245 students19:1
Kerkstra Elem School
Elementary · Grades 1–5 · Oak Forest
B
407 students14:1
Lee R Foster Elem School
Elementary · Grades 1–5 · Oak Forest
B
397 students14:1
Jack Hille Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Oak Forest
B−
490 students15:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Bremen Community High School District 228Country Club Hills, Markham, Posen
$25,258per student
Community High School District 218Alsip, Robbins, Worth Township
$25,321per student
Consolidated High School District 230Orland Park, Orland Township, Tinley Park
$25,716per student
Cook County School District 130Alsip, Robbins
$22,624per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Illinois.