Percy Julian Middle School

Percy Julian Middle School is one of the expansive intermediate schools in Oak Park, Illinois, overseen by Oak Park ESD 97, with 927 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 101% above the state mean of about 462.

Oak Park ESD 97 runs 10 schools in total, collectively educating 5,560 students. Percy Julian Middle School is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Percy Julian Middle School shows that 55% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school records 15% Hispanic, 15% Black, 12% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Cook County as a whole is about 44% White, so the school skews meaningfully more White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Percy Julian Middle School shows 78 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. About 18% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is south of typical.

With demographic context factored in, Percy Julian Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 61.1%; this one delivers 55.9%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Cook County) logs that 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%. Percy Julian Middle School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

The closest other public school is Longfellow Elem School, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Percy Julian Middle School at 6th of 9; the average score across the group is 48.0%.

Percy Julian Middle School operates from a suburban location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 8%: 1,013 students in 2018 compared to 927 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Percy Julian Middle School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.