Drake Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Drake Elem School

Drake Elementary School is a neighborhood public school located on the near South Side of Chicago, serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. The school enrolls a small student body for its grade band, with enrollment spread across ten grade levels from early childhood through middle school.

The student population is predominantly Black, with a smaller population of Hispanic students and a very small Asian population. No white students were enrolled at the time the enrollment data was recorded. The school draws primarily from its immediate neighborhood in what is historically a low-income area of the city, though specific free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available in the data provided.

Academic results show substantial challenges across tested grades and subjects. On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in math, proficiency rates decline sharply as grades increase, falling from about a quarter of third-graders meeting or exceeding standards to near-single-digit rates by sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. English language arts performance is somewhat less steep but still notably low, with most grades showing rates well below a quarter of students meeting proficiency. Science testing, which occurs in fifth and eighth grades, shows similarly low outcomes. Across the tested universe of county districts, Drake's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. A parent should understand that the test score profile reflects deep academic gaps that would warrant close conversation with school leadership about how the school is currently addressing literacy and math instruction, what interventions exist for students below grade level, and what the school's improvement plan entails.

State testing data note that Illinois changed proficiency cut scores for 2024-25 assessments, which can affect comparability to previous years; the school did not report average scale scores, which would provide additional context on where students are clustered academically.

Chicago Public Schools as a district is in a period of strategic change. The school board is transitioning from mayoral appointment to full election, with all seats to be elected by November 2026, giving parents a direct voice in district governance for the first time. The district adopted a five-year strategic plan in 2024 that emphasizes neighborhood schools over school choice, a significant shift in resource allocation philosophy that affects how schools like Drake are positioned and supported. CPS also launched new school accountability dashboards in December 2024 that replace numeric ratings with holistic profiles, restructuring how families evaluate schools. The district rolled out Skyline, a universal PreK-12 curriculum in multiple content areas, available at no cost to schools, and Drake would have access to this standardized instructional material. These district-level shifts create a backdrop for any family considering Drake.

The housing market near Drake is modest in scale. The school's zip code shows median home values that have declined slightly year-over-year, with median rents moderate and rent-to-income ratios affordable relative to national benchmarks. The broader Cook County market shows stable demand with a slight uptick, though supply remains ample. Chicago itself has resumed population growth after nearly a decade of decline and is approving new housing at rising rates, with downtown and North Lakefront submarkets leading recent construction.

The neighborhood is part of Chicago's South Loop-adjacent area, which is a historic, mixed-income community in transition. Chicago overall is a highly walkable dense city with a substantial central business district and extensive transit (the 'L' and bus system), civic anchors including the Chicago Park District and expansive lakefront, and a diversified economy anchored by finance, government, healthcare, and trade. The city has resumed growth and is investing in new housing and amenities.

For a family considering Drake, the paramount question is the school's response to low test scores and what academic support structures, intervention programs, class sizes, and teacher expertise in literacy and math instruction exist in place. The school's position as a neighborhood school in the new district strategy means it is being prioritized for investment and improvement under the current five-year plan. Parents may want to visit and ask directly what instructional changes or additional supports have been put in place, what the attendance and school climate picture is, and how the school engages families in addressing academic performance. The data shows a school in a low-performing position; the strategic question for a family is whether the school's trajectory and the school-to-home partnership feel like a match for their child's needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 38% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 412%

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

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

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 24% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 63%

School 3% · District 23% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 14 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 84%

School 4% · District 23% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 310%

School 10% · District 36% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 39% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 43% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 45% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 46% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 48% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 56%

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

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 31% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 11 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.