Arbor Park Middle School

Arbor Park Middle School is a middle school of middle-of-the-pack scale in Oak Forest, Illinois, run under Arbor Park SD 145, caters to 520 students in grades 5 through 8.

Arbor Park SD 145 comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 1,182 students; Arbor Park Middle School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Arbor Park Middle School reports that the most-represented group is White (38%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest looks like 30% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 15% Black.

On the resource side, On paper, Arbor Park Middle School has 46 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.0:1, putting Arbor Park Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 49% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is lower than Cook County's rate of about 66%.

With demographic context factored in, Arbor Park Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 43.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 39.0%.

Around the school, census data for Cook County shows the typical household earns roughly $83,498 per year, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Arbor Park Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Arbor Elementary School, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Arbor Park Middle School at 4th of 5; the average score across the group is 41.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 17%: 625 students in 2018 compared to 520 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 51% to 38%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 15.6:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.