Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0Oak Park’s public schools outscore 86% of Illinois districts
Math proficiency in Oak Park’s districts is 44%, above the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Oak Park, 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.
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.
Oak Park’s schools, in brief
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 45% and math 44% across both districts in spring 2021, against 30% and 26% statewide; 95% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
Oak Park Elementary School District 97 spends $23,305 per student and Oak Park and River Forest District 200 $30,490, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
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.
What’s behind Oak Park’s grade
A: better than 86% of Illinois school districts, #109 of 768 Illinois towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Illinois average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Oak Park, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Oak Park · depends on your address
Longfellow Elem School
Grades PK–5 · 524 students · 10:1 students per teacher
Whittier Elem School
Grades PK–5 · 386 students · 10:1 students per teacher
William Hatch Elem School
Grades PK–5 · 358 students · 13:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Oak Park · depends on your address
Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 947 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Percy Julian Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 927 students · 12:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Oak Park · depends on your address
Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 947 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Percy Julian Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 927 students · 12:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Oak Park · depends on your address
Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 947 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Percy Julian Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 927 students · 12:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Oak Park
Oak Park & River Forest High Sch
Grades 9–12 · 3,307 students · 14:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Oak Park
Oak Park & River Forest High Sch
Grades 9–12 · 3,307 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Oak Park runs its own schools through grade 8 (Oak Park Elementary School District 97). From grade 9, students attend the Oak Park and River Forest District 200, shared with Oak Park, River Forest and River Forest. Its elementary school is in Oak Park. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Oak Park
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Oak Park vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Oak Park’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Park | A | Oak Park Elementary School District 97 PK–8 · Oak Park and River Forest District 200 9–12 |
| Oak Park Township | — | Oak Park Elementary School District 97 PK–8 · Oak Park and River Forest District 200 9–12 |
| Chicago | C | Chicago Public School District 299 PK–12 · Maine Township High School District 207 9–12 · Township High School District 214 9–12 |
Every school in Oak Park
11 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).
Questions about Oak Park’s schools
Are Oak Park’s schools good?
By Illinois’s own tests, yes: the public schools Oak Park children attend outscore 86% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A Schools grade, #109 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 Oak Park in?
Two districts: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 runs grades PK–8, and Oak Park and River Forest District 200 runs grades 9–12, shared with Oak Park, River Forest and River Forest.
Where do Oak Park kids go to high school?
Oak Park & River Forest High Sch, with 3,307 students; its own test results earn an A+.
What is Oak Park’s graduation rate?
95% of the class of 2023 in Oak Park and River Forest District 200 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.
How much does Oak Park spend per student?
$23,305 in Oak Park Elementary School District 97 and $30,490 in Oak Park and River Forest District 200 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Oak Park families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Oak Park → 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.