Elmhurst D205 Shafts Bad News On Test Results | Elmhurst, IL Patch

ELMHURST, IL – Public relations-wise, it's 2022 all over again for Elmhurst School District 205.

Every October, the state releases test results for schools across Illinois. In 2022 and 2024, the data show Elmhurst's younger students improving their scores, while high school students' results are dropping.

In October 2022, the district touted the good news in a press release about the gains among elementary and middle school students. But it ignored the dropping high school SAT results.

During a school board meeting around the same time, a district administrator displayed a chart showing younger students' improved performance. When the chart for York's results appeared on the screen, he breezed past it.

That scenario played out again this week, with a news release promoting the positives but giving no attention to the negatives.

In her State of the District address Wednesday, Superintendent Keisha Campbell noted the improvements for elementary and middle school students, but said nothing about York High School's results.

Meanwhile, in Hinsdale High School District 86, the superintendent on Wednesday emailed the public about dropping scores in some cases. He said the district would work to reverse the trend.

District 205's silence drew the criticism of Tom Chavez, a local conservative activist and former school board candidate.

"It’s good to see much needed improvement at the lower grade levels, but final outcomes matter most," Chavez said in an email to the school board and Campbell. "Four years post-pandemic the number of York graduates exiting D205 unprepared for college or career continues to rise. The 'Journey of Excellence' for more than half of our students ends as a journey of failure, if academic achievement is the standard."

The dropping SAT scores, he said, are unacceptable in a town as wealthy as Elmhurst.

"Most troubling is the deliberate and dishonest gaslighting of parents. I listened carefully to your 'State of the District' presentation last night," Chavez said. "Not a word about historically low SAT scores. Isn’t that something the community should be made aware of in a 'State of the District' presentation?"

Patch asked school officials to forward any response to Chavez's email.