Daisy Bates Acad of Social Justic, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Daisy Bates Acad of Social Justic

Daisy Bates Academy of Social Justice is a small, regular public school on the South Side of Chicago serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is predominantly Black, with a total enrollment that spans ten grade levels. The school sits within Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Academic performance at Daisy Bates is a significant concern. Across state assessments in English language arts and mathematics, proficiency rates are consistently low. In mathematics, the school's results range from single digits in grades four through eight, with eighth grade at around 5 percent proficient. Grade three performs better in math, reaching roughly 28 percent proficiency, but performance drops sharply thereafter. In English language arts, the pattern is mixed: third and fourth grades sit in the low 20s and 29 percent respectively, but grades six and seven show stronger results, with roughly 52 and 52 percent of students reaching proficiency. Eighth grade retreats to 33 percent. Science results, reported only for grades five and eight, are also low: 18 percent proficient in grade five and 10 percent in grade eight. Test participation rates are generally strong, ranging from near 85 percent to 100 percent across grades. A parent may want to look closely at these numbers and speak directly with school leadership about how the school is addressing the particularly steep decline in math proficiency as students advance from grade three to grades four and five.

The school's performance on state assessments places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other schools in Cook County. The overall proficiency index, which averages performance across subjects and grades, is substantially below the median for the county.

The school is small enough that enrollment figures by individual grade show low counts, ranging from 16 to 29 students per grade. This compact size may mean closer relationships between staff and families, or it may reflect enrollment challenges the school faces. Specific data on free and reduced price lunch status, special education services, or English learner populations was not available, so a parent considering the school should ask the school directly about these supports.

Chicago Public Schools is undergoing significant structural changes that affect how families engage with and evaluate schools. The district is moving away from a mayoral-appointed school board toward a fully elected 21-member board, with all seats up for election in November 2026. This shift gives parents direct electoral input on district governance. The district has also adopted a strategic plan called Together We Rise that emphasizes neighborhood schools rather than school choice, and it replaced its previous numeric ratings system with new holistic accountability dashboards in December 2024. These changes mean the district's priorities and how schools are assessed are in transition.

The school operates within a city marked by significant recovery and growth. Chicago resumed population growth in 2023 after nearly a decade of decline and has approved substantial new housing in recent years, though building activity has concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront rather than on the South Side where Daisy Bates sits. In the neighborhood's housing market, median home values are relatively modest for the metro area, and rental costs reflect that affordability relative to other Chicago areas. The school's South Side location places it in a longstanding residential neighborhood within an extensive public transit system and near Chicago Park District facilities.

The school's size and grade span make it a neighborhood anchor that serves families with children from prekindergarten through middle school. Its small enrollment and low state assessment results are plain facts that merit direct conversation with school staff about curriculum, instruction, support systems, and the school's plans for improvement. The school is part of a large district making deliberate strategic shifts, so understanding how those shifts may affect resources and programs available at Daisy Bates would be reasonable for a parent evaluating whether it fits their family's needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 38% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 29% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 24% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 23% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 27% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 23% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 36% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 39% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 43% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 45% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 46% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 833%

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

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 29% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 31% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 17 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.