Leland Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Leland Elem School

Leland Elementary serves all grades from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Chicago's Austin neighborhood on the West Side. The school enrolls a small population, with early grades slightly larger than the middle school grades. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller Hispanic population and very few students of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. The data did not include the count or rate of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, so family income levels are not available to assess.

The school's academic performance is notably weak across tested subjects and grade bands. In math, proficiency rates are very low, ranging from near zero in grades six and eight to roughly a quarter in grade three. English language arts proficiency is similarly low across grades, with the highest rate around a quarter in grade eight and the lowest in grades six and seven at single digits. Science proficiency, tested only in grades five and eight, is in the single digits. By the comparison measure used across Cook County districts, Leland's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the county's schools. State test participation rates are near universal in most grades, so the low results reflect actual student performance rather than gaps in testing completion.

Illinois changed its assessment cut scores in 2024-25, making it difficult to assess whether performance has shifted year-to-year. The data provided does not allow a historical trend view. Chicago Public Schools, the parent district, rolled out Skyline, a new comprehensive PreK-12 curriculum, beginning in 2021-22 to standardize instruction across the system. Whether Leland has fully integrated that curriculum or how it may affect future results is not stated in available information. A parent may want to reach out directly to the school to understand its instructional focus, how it is addressing the proficiency gaps evident in state testing, and what academic support structures are in place for students.

Chicago itself is a large, mixed-use city with dense neighborhoods, strong public transit, and widespread walkability. The housing market in the area is modest: median home values are well below state and national benchmarks, and median rents are comparatively affordable. The market shows moderate supply and weak demand, suggesting a buyer's or renter's market. The broader Chicago region has resumed population growth after a decade of decline, and the city approved a substantial number of new housing units in 2025 and into 2026, though growth has been concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront rather than in residential neighborhoods like Austin.

The Chicago Public Schools system itself is undergoing structural change. In November 2024, the city held its first elections for school board members, marking a shift from a mayor-appointed board to one that will be fully elected by 2027. The district has also adopted a new strategic plan that emphasizes neighborhood schools over school choice, and it replaced its numeric school ratings with new holistic dashboards that began in December 2024, changing how families can evaluate schools. These shifts mean that CPS governance, resource allocation, and accountability measures are in transition, which may affect how schools like Leland are supported and evaluated in the coming years.

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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 43%

School 3% · District 29% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 24% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

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

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

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 27% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 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 326%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 39% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 43% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 45% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 46% · ▼ 39 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 48% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 56%

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

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 21 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.