Barnard Elem Comp Math & Sci Ctr, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Barnard Elem Comp Math & Sci Ctr

Barnard Elementary Comprehensive Math and Science Center is a small elementary school on Chicago's South Side serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. The enrollment is modest, with the student body predominantly African American. The school is part of Chicago Public Schools, the nation's third-largest district, which is undergoing significant structural change: the school board is transitioning from mayoral appointment to full election in 2026, the district has adopted a strategic plan to strengthen neighborhood schools rather than choice-based enrollment, and a new district-developed curriculum called Skyline has been rolled out to standardize instruction across CPS campuses.

Academically, Barnard's performance reveals serious challenges. State proficiency data from the most recent school year shows students testing well below state standards across mathematics and English language arts at every grade level. In math, third grade performed at about the midpoint for the school, fourth grade dropped sharply, and by sixth through eighth grades, proficiency collapsed nearly to zero. English language arts results followed a similar trajectory, with third and fourth grades showing weak but measurable proficiency, and higher grades declining toward the bottom range. In science, where Barnard emphasized the "math and science" part of its name, performance in fifth grade was weaker than in either core subject, and eighth grade science proficiency was among the lowest reported. All students participate in state testing, so these are not participation-rate artifacts; they reflect actual achievement.

When positioned against other schools in Cook County, Barnard ranks in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency, meaning the vast majority of schools in the county perform better. This is not a marginal gap; it reflects substantial academic challenge across the curriculum.

The school's grade configuration and enrollment composition are straightforward. It serves early childhood through the eighth grade, with roughly balanced cohorts moving through each grade and a total enrollment of a couple of hundred students. The student population is overwhelmingly African American, with a handful of students identifying as Hispanic, White, Asian, or multiracial. Free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, and neither were counts of students with individualized education plans or English learners, so a parent should ask the school directly about the share of students who qualify for services under these programs.

The neighborhood around Barnard is on Chicago's South Side in the 60643 zip code. Housing values in the area are modest, below the state average, and rents have been rising year over year. The Cook County real estate market shows moderate supply and lower-than-average demand, consistent with outlying Chicago neighborhoods. This is a working-class residential area.

The school operates within a district undergoing intentional policy shifts. The election of school board members has begun, the district's five-year strategic plan emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools over school choice, and CPS has implemented the Skyline curriculum to provide consistent instructional materials across the system. Whether these changes will improve conditions at Barnard is an open question; they signal district commitment to neighborhood schools like this one but do not immediately address the present performance gap.

For a family considering Barnard, the defining reality is low academic achievement across nearly all grades and subjects. The school has a math and science designation, yet proficiency is weak in science and very weak in upper-grade math. A parent should visit, speak with school leadership about improvement efforts and current supports, and understand that this school would benefit from close family engagement and, likely, tutoring or supplemental help at home. The school also serves early grades, which are not state tested, so prekindergarten and primary students would not generate comparable performance data; families with very young children may find that aspect of the school workable, but should expect to see performance data worsen as children progress.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 38% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 29% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 24% · ▲ 6 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 23% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 78%

School 8% · District 27% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 23% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 39% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 43% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 45% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 46% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 48% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 29% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 31% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolChicago Public Schools Dist 299, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.