North Cook News

The Park Ridge School District is known for its highly regarded schools, however, the academic performance of the schools falls short to that of public perception.

Informed Parents of D64 notes that despite being a top factor for families moving to Park Ridge, the academic performance of the schools is below public perception, with District 64 test scores falling behind pre-pandemic levels, especially in math, where only half of the children meet or exceed grade level expectations, and 43% are not meeting grade level standards in reading, according to the last Illinois State Report Card.

D64 develops a new strategic plan every five years, with the current plan covering 2021-26, but the 2021 plan is notably different from the 2020 plan, as it does not emphasize academic improvement, which was the main focus of the 2020 plan. Instead, the 2021 plan includes two ambiguous academic objectives, one of which is to "improve the learning experience," according to Informed Parents of D64. The mission and vision statements in the current plan are significantly different from those in the previous plan.

D64 employs the Fountas and Pinnell Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word curriculum and the Lucy Calkins Units of Study curriculum for English-Language Arts; however, most parents are unhappy with the reading and writing program, leading them to hire outside tutors. It also increases the need for D64 to hire reading intervention specialists, which creates a burden on taxpayers, according to Informed Parents of D64. The absence of spelling tests in the district has raised concerns among parents, indicating that spelling may not be a priority.

D64 introduced a new math curriculum, Eureka Squared, for the 2022-23 school year, aimed at promoting equity, but parents and students have reported several issues, such as difficulty understanding the curriculum, struggling to help their children at home, the requirement of memorizing multiple equations and students losing interest in math, according to Informed Parents of D64.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a new bill into law in August 2021 that changed the requirements for sexual education in Illinois, but many school districts, including D64, opted out due to the controversial nature of the bill's content, which relied on nonprofit organization SIECUS to determine "national standards." Parents are concerned that the curriculum may be crafted by SIECUS and implemented in schools, according to Informed Parents of D64.

While parents may have the choice to opt out of the sex education curriculum, they are worried that their children will still hear the information secondhand from peers, according to Informed Parents of D64. Some concerns about the curriculum include teaching the concept of masturbation to children as young as 5, as well as the teaching that some body parts feel good when touched.

D64's low test scores are caused by inadequate reading and writing curriculums and a controversial new math curriculum. Additionally, the D64 Strategic Plan prioritizes Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over academics, according to Informed Parents of D64.