Elmhurst District 205 Critic's Prediction Off

ELMHURST, IL – Tom Chavez, a prominent conservative critic of Elmhurst School District 205, repeatedly predicted the district would not get good news with its standardized test scores this year.

In two messages to a Patch reporter earlier this month, Chavez said, "I’ll bet scores either dropped further or the needle didn’t move much."

He expressed similar sentiments on Patch's comment boards.

Here's the thing: The scores went up and, in some cases, by a lot.

Patch reported the numbers in two stories Thursday – one about the high school and the other about elementary and middle schools.

The district released the scores at a school board meeting Wednesday.

Asked about the latest statistics, Chavez said, "If things are improving, that's great. Who isn't for that?"

He urged Patch to do its own assessment of the information, rather than "parroting" the district's talking points.

"You'd garner more respect and credibility if you tried to apply some journalistic curiosity to your reporting," Chavez said. "By almost anyone's standards, especially Elmhurst, these are not good academic results."

He added, "In the meantime, one would hope that things improve significantly in Elmhurst. My kids are out, but that doesn't mean I'll stop advocating for improvement, especially for the kids who are struggling."

He noted the percentage of freshmen who are considered on track dropped to 95.3 percent, from 97.4 percent.

In early 2022, Chavez formed Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, or EPIC. He lost in his election for the school board in April.

Last year, York High School's test scores took a significant dip. Patch focused on that development, even though the district appeared to want to avoid the topic.