Schools That Rule
Our first rankings of public elementaries and junior highs since 2019 go deeper than ever — and feature some new names at the top.
RELATED: Best Public High Schools
Best Chicago Elementaries
| Grades | Enrollment | IAR English attainment % | IAR math attainment % | Chronic absenteeism % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawthorne Scholastic Academy | Lake View |
Up from No. 7
in our last ranking (2019). K–8
|
616 | 92 | 87 | 10 |
| 2 | Audubon School | Roscoe Village |
Tops among city schools in average GROWTH IN ENGLISH on the IAR test.
PK–8
|
610 | 76 | 64 | 12 |
| 3 | Keller Regional Gifted Center (S) | Mount Greenwood | 1–8 | 221 | 98 | 90 | N/A |
| 4 | Decatur Classical School (S) | West Rogers Park | K–8 | 329 | 90 | 90 | 15 |
| 5 | James E. McDade Classical School (S) | West Chesterfield | K–8 | 217 | 87 | 68 | 5 |
| 6 | Edison Regional Gifted Center (S) | Albany Park | K–8 | 265 | 97 | 93 | 13 |
| 7 | Bronzeville Classical Elementary School (S) | Bronzeville | K–8 | 423 | 88 | 63 | 8 |
| 8 | Skinner North Classical School (S) | Goose Island | K–8 | 512 | 94 | 93 | 12 |
| 9 | William H. Prescott Elementary School | Lincoln Park | K–8 | 410 | 80 | 59 | 16 |
| 10 | Edgar Allan Poe Classical School (S) | Roseland | K–8 | 227 | 86 | 65 | 8 |
| 11 | Mount Greenwood Elementary School | Mount Greenwood | PK–8 | 1,153 | 70 | 48 | 8 |
| 12 | Alexander Graham Bell School (S) | North Center |
Students participate in an arts residency program of up to six weeks, studying everything from poetry to circus arts.
PK–8
|
847 | 77 | 64 | 13 |
| 13 | James G. Blaine Elementary School | Lake View | PK–8 | 630 | 70 | 66 | 11 |
| 14 | Abraham Lincoln Elementary School | Lincoln Park | K–8 | 846 | 77 | 72 | 15 |
| 15 | Robert Healy Elementary School | Bridgeport | K–8 | 1,209 | 60 | 57 | 12 |
| 16 | Louisa May Alcott College Preparatory ES | Lincoln Park | PK–8 | 572 | 71 | 58 | 15 |
| 17 | Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School (S) | Near West Side | PK–8 | 1,048 | 68 | 60 | 24 |
| 18 | Stone Scholastic Academy | West Rogers Park | K–8 | 550 | 66 | 43 | 21 |
| 19 | James Ward Elementary School | Bridgeport | PK–8 | 495 | 48 | 45 | 9 |
| 20 | Cassell Fine Arts School | Mount Greenwood | K–8 | 353 | 58 | 38 | 20 |
| 21 | Mitchell Elementary School | West Town | PK–8 | 388 | 53 | 45 | 20 |
| 22 | Edward Everett STEM Elementary School | McKinley Park | PK–5 | 97 | 66 | 34 | N/A |
| 23 | Casals School of Excellence | Humboldt Park | PK–8 | 369 | 47 | 30 | 24 |
| 24 | Sauganash Elementary School | Sauganash | PK–8 | 660 | 67 | 60 | 16 |
| 25 | LaSalle II Magnet School | East Ukrainian Village | PK–8 | 582 | 63 | 49 | 19 |
| 26 | Sor Juana Elementary School (S) | West Elsdon | PK–8 | 488 | 64 | 49 | 11 |
| 27 | John H. Kinzie Elementary School | Garfield Ridge | PK–8 | 670 | 68 | 34 | 22 |
| 28 | Oscar Mayer Magnet School | Lincoln Park | PK–8 | 697 | 72 | 56 | 14 |
| 29 | Oriole Park School | Oriole Park | PK–8 | 589 | 62 | 46 | 20 |
| 30 | Augustus H. Burley School | Lake View | K–8 | 498 | 74 | 63 | 9 |
| 31 | South Loop Elementary School | South Loop | PK–8 | 839 | 61 | 50 | 22 |
| 32 | William J. Onahan Elementary | Norwood Park | PK–8 | 643 | 47 | 39 | 16 |
| 33 | Chicago World Language Academy | University Village | K–8 | 453 | 57 | 46 | 15 |
| 34 | Disney II Magnet | Old Irving Park | PK–6 | 429 | 52 | 36 | 18 |
| 35 | Mark Sheridan Math and Science Academy | Bridgeport | K–8 | 529 | 68 | 52 | 10 |
| 36 | Cesar E. Chávez Multicultural Academic Center | Back of the Yards | PK–8 | 782 | 41 | 33 | 14 |
| 37 | Ravenswood Elementary School | Ravenswood | PK–8 | 502 | 67 | 46 | 18 |
| 38 | Nettelhorst School | Lake View East | PK–8 | 647 | 65 | 55 | 21 |
| 39 | Hamilton Elementary | Lake View | PK–8 | 483 | 65 | 57 | 15 |
| 40 | Philip Rogers Fine Arts | West Rogers Park | PK–8 | 716 | 51 | 34 | 26 |
| 41 | Jonathan Burr Elementary School | Bucktown | K–8 | 451 | 69 | 41 | 17 |
| 42 | Inter-American Magnet School | Lake View | PK–8 | 637 | 45 | 21 | 17 |
| 43 | John C. Haines Elementary School | Chinatown | PK–8 | 481 | 52 | 59 | 8 |
| 44 | Learn Excel (C) | East Garfield Park | K–6 | 389 | 41 | 22 | 25 |
| 45 | CICS Avalon Elementary School (C) | Marynook |
Its IAR math growth was tied for the best in Chicago.
K–8
|
435 | 35 | 38 | 27 |
| 46 | Learn Charles and Dorothy Campbell Campus (C) | East Garfield Park | K–6 | 355 | 30 | 21 | 30 |
| 47 | John C. Coonley Elementary School | North Center | K–8 | 770 | 71 | 60 | 14 |
| 48 | Robert Alfred Black Magnet Elementary School | Pill Hill | K–8 | 356 | 56 | 35 | 13 |
| 49 | A.N. Pritzker School (S) | Wicker Park | PK–8 | 654 | 67 | 54 | 18 |
| 50 | Columbia Explorers Academy | Brighton Park | PK–8 | 725 | 42 | 23 | 16 |
How We Ranked the Schools
The performance measures were based on data obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education for the 2023–24 school year, the most recent available. Calculations were done by the research nonprofit RTI International, based on weighting instructions provided by Chicago. Not all the measures used appear in the rankings tables.
The Measures We Used
- IAR attainment is the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness exams for ELA (English language arts) and math.
- IAR growth is the school’s average student growth percentile, which compares the year-over-year change by individual students on the IAR exams with that of comparable students in the state.
- Chronic absenteeism is the percentage of students who missed 10 percent or more of school days.
- 5Essentials is a teacher and student survey that assesses five key aspects of a school’s learning environment.
- Spending per pupil is the instructional expenditure, reported by the district.
How We Weighted the Measures
- IAR English attainment: 15%
- IAR English growth: 22.5%
- IAR math attainment: 15%
- IAR math growth: 22.5%
- Chronic absenteeism: 15%
- For Chicago schools
5Essentials: 10% - For suburban schools
Spending per pupil: 10%
Up from No. 7
in our last ranking (2019).
in our last ranking (2019).
Tops among city schools in average GROWTH IN ENGLISH on the IAR test.
Students participate in an arts residency program of up to six weeks, studying everything from poetry to circus arts.
Its IAR math growth was tied for the best in Chicago.