Funston Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Funston Elem School

Funston Elementary School serves preK through eighth grade in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on the city's Near West Side. The school enrolls a small population that is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a smaller Black population and very few students of other backgrounds. The student body is concentrated in the elementary years, with enrollment tapering significantly in the upper grades.

Academic performance on state assessments is very low across all tested grades and both tested subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rates range from about one-tenth in third grade to roughly two-fifths in eighth grade. Mathematics proficiency is even lower, ranging from about one-twentieth to roughly one-eighth across grades three through eight. Science proficiency in fifth and eighth grades sits at roughly one-tenth or lower. The pattern shows some growth in reading competency in the later middle grades, but math proficiency remains depressed throughout the school. Test participation is near complete, and schools may wish to look further into why proficiency gaps exist this wide, or what specific barriers students face in mastering tested content.

Compared to other schools in Cook County, Funston's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the schools that can be directly compared. The school sits well below the county median proficiency.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299, which has been undergoing substantial structural change. The district elected its first school board members in November 2024 and is moving toward a fully elected 21-member board by November 2026. The district released a five-year strategic plan in 2024 called "Together We Rise" that shifts focus toward neighborhood schools rather than the choice-based enrollment model that has long characterized CPS. Concurrently, CPS launched new accountability dashboards in December 2024 that move beyond numeric school ratings to broader measures of school experience and resource allocation. The district has also rolled out a universal preK-12 curriculum called Skyline across six content areas, available at no school-level cost.

Housing values in Chicago's 60647 zip code, where Funston is located, have risen modestly. Median home values are in the range of mid-five-hundred-thousands, with rental costs around mid-twenty-hundreds monthly. The real estate market shows elevated supply but lower demand. The Pilsen area itself is a historically working-class, predominantly Latino neighborhood with a strong arts and cultural presence, close to downtown via public transit.

No data were available on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, or English learner count, so the full profile of student need remains incomplete. Attendance and discipline data were not provided. The school's staffing, course offerings, and any special programs also lie outside the data available here.

A parent considering Funston should expect a neighborhood school with a very large majority Hispanic enrollment and a student body that faces substantial academic headwinds in both reading and mathematics. The wide proficiency gaps and low absolute attainment suggest that a family would want to investigate what academic support systems are in place, how the school is responding to the performance profile, and what resources are available to close skill gaps. The broader district context of board transition and renewed emphasis on neighborhood schools may also signal shifting conditions for how the school is resourced and governed going forward.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 38% · ▼ 30 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 29% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 24% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 23% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 23% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 36% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 39% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 43% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 45% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 46% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 48% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 29% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 810%

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

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 16 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.