The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Falconer Elem School
Falconer Elementary School serves pre-K through sixth grade in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood on Chicago's northwest side. It is a regular public school operated by Chicago Public Schools District 299, located at 3020 North Lamon Avenue in the 60641 zip code.
The school enrolls a cohort of roughly seven hundred fifty students, with near-equal distribution across grades. Enrollment is heavily concentrated among Hispanic students; the school also serves a small number of students from other racial and ethnic groups. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and on the counts and rates of special education and English learner students were not available, limiting the full picture of economic and linguistic composition.
Falconer's 2024-25 state assessment results show struggling proficiency in both English language arts and mathematics. In grades three and four, where the assessments begin, proficiency in mathematics was notably low. Third grade reached roughly one-third proficiency, while fourth grade dropped significantly below that. Fifth grade rebounded somewhat, and sixth grade showed the school's strongest math performance at around two-fifths proficiency, though still below the midpoint. The pattern in English language arts mirrors this weakness: third and fourth grade proficiency was in the low twenties, fifth grade climbed to around two-fifths proficiency, and sixth grade reached roughly one-half proficiency. Science was tested only in fifth grade, where proficiency was near one-quarter. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile among Cook County's districts. Participation in state testing was consistently high, exceeding ninety-five percent in all tested groups. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what instructional supports exist and what improvement efforts are underway.
No graduation rate is applicable, as Falconer serves only K-6. State testing data for seventh and eighth grades were absent, likely because the school does not serve high school grades; the grade band listed is PK through 06.
Chicago itself is a large, dense city with strong civic anchors. The city has resumed growth after years of decline and ranks sixth nationally for walkability, supported by an extensive CTA transit network and a sprawling lakefront. Chicago Public Schools, the district that oversees Falconer, is one of the nation's largest systems and is undergoing significant governance change. The district transitioned from a fully mayor-appointed board to one that is partially elected as of late 2024, with full election scheduled for 2026. This gives families an unprecedented direct voice in school board selection. The district has also adopted a five-year strategic plan emphasizing neighborhood schools over school choice and has replaced its longtime numeric school ratings with broader accountability dashboards. Additionally, CPS rolled out a district-wide PreK-12 curriculum called Skyline across multiple content areas, beginning in 2021-22, marking the first time the system offered a comprehensive curriculum uniformly available to all schools.
Housing in the zip code where Falconer is located carries a modest median home value. Monthly rents are moderate by metropolitan standards. The local real estate market shows steady activity, with affordability ratios suggesting that both homeownership and renting are accessible to households with typical income for the region, though mortgage and rent costs consume a meaningful share of household budgets.
Falconer is a neighborhood elementary school without magnet or charter status. Program details beyond the standard curriculum were not available in the data. The school serves a geographically compact pre-K through sixth-grade population and sits within the neighborhood fabric rather than on an isolated campus, reflecting CPS's design principle of integrating schools into community life.
For families considering Falconer, the primary factor is the current state test performance, which is well below proficiency benchmarks. Families should engage directly with the school to understand the specific instructional strategies and support structures in place, what the school's improvement trajectory looks like, and whether the offered learning environment aligns with their child's needs. The school's strong participation rate in state assessments indicates that measurement is happening consistently; parents can ask what the school is doing with these data to raise achievement.
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