From a big-picture standpoint, the fact that Lincoln Elementary and Willard Elementary schools achieved Exemplary status in the 2025 Illinois Report Card released Oct. 30 was a major positive.
With a score of 85.36, Lincoln earned Exemplary status for the third year in a row, and Willard (86.17) was the same for the fourth straight year. The Illinois Report Card, published by the Illinois State Board of Education, awards schools that rank in the top 10% of the state as Exemplary, with the next 67% considered Commendable.
The rub is that Roosevelt Middle School, Exemplary a year ago, fell just short this time, achieving Commendable status.
“We are incredibly proud of the work we are doing at Roosevelt Middle School,” said Dr. Christine Trendel, River Forest School District 90 director of curriculum and instruction. “Roosevelt’s overall index score places it in the top 14% of schools across the state and just a few points shy of the cutoff for an Exemplary rating this year.”
Trendel added that among all suburban Cook County public middle schools, Roosevelt was 17th in English/language arts proficiency and eighth in math proficiency.
As far as what is going well at Lincoln and Willard, district superintendent Ed Condon said it’s a multitude of factors.
“District 90 has a steadfast commitment to teaching and learning,” he said. “We incorporate best practices in instruction and student assessment, support ongoing and aligned professional development for staff, and use carefully selected, high-quality curricular materials. We are highly committed to our special education program and ensuring multi-tiered systems of support for students.”
Trendel said Lincoln’s English/language arts proficiency score was the highest among all public elementary and middle/junior high schools in suburban Cook County. Willard’s English/language arts proficiency score was the 11th highest among all public elementary schools in suburban Cook County. Math proficiency at both Lincoln and Willard place them in the top 22 public elementary schools in suburban Cook County.
The district enrolled 1,315 students in 2024-25. A total of 65.8% were white, 11.8% were Hispanic and 5.4% were Asian. The percentage of Black students in the district was redacted from the state document.
One number that was worth attention was an 8% chronic absenteeism rate, down from 9.3% a year ago and well below the state mark of 25.4%. That 8% was also substantially lower than comparable districts in the area.
“We continue to see a decline in chronic absenteeism over time, but even one avoidable absence has implications for student learning,” Condon said. “Our consistent focus is to make sure every student feels welcomed at school, finds opportunities to experience success and feels genuinely connected to their school community.”
Condon added that there is no time for the district to rest on its laurels.
There’s plenty of work to do.
“The results of the report card are certainly encouraging, but we also recognize that not every child has reached their full potential yet,” he said. “Each year, administrators, faculty leaders and support staff at each school convene to create and implement school improvement plans. This intentional planning with a broad group of staff at the table helps promote excellence in teaching and learning throughout our schools.”