Friendship Jr High School

Friendship Jr High School, a medium-sized middle school in Des Plaines, Illinois, operated by Comm Cons SD 59, enrolls 633 students, covering grades 6 through 8. That puts it 37% above the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 462 students.

Within Comm Cons SD 59, which oversees 15 schools and 5,869 students, Friendship Jr High School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Friendship Jr High School lists that 38% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school reports 37% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 5% Black, 2% multiracial.

On the resource side, Friendship Jr High School records 59 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. An estimated 61% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Friendship Jr High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 36.0%; this one delivers 47.9%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate median household income runs about $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Friendship Jr High School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

The closest other public school is Devonshire School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Friendship Jr High School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 50.5%.

Friendship Jr High School operates from an urban location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 6%: 674 students in 2018 compared to 633 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 44% to 38%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 12.9:1 in 2018 to 10.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for Friendship Jr High School typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.