Hearst Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hearst Elem School

Hearst Elem School serves pre-K through eighth grade on the Southwest Side of Chicago, in a neighborhood that is predominantly Hispanic and Black. The enrollment is modest, with meaningful representation from both communities: Hispanic students make up roughly two-thirds of the school body, Black students about one-third, and smaller counts of other racial and ethnic groups. The student body includes a substantial share of early grades (pre-K and kindergarten account for a meaningful portion of the school's roughly mid-sized enrollment for its grade band).

Academic performance, as measured by state testing, is a clear area of concern. Across math, English language arts, and science, proficiency rates are very low. In math, third-graders showed only a handful of students meeting state proficiency, fourth-graders roughly a quarter, and rates in grades five through seven were in the single digits to low double digits. Eighth grade math proficiency was similarly limited. English language arts results follow a similar pattern: proficiency is lowest in the early tested grades and shows some improvement in grade eight, though overall the results indicate that the vast majority of students are not meeting grade-level standards. In science, which is tested only in grades five and eight, fifth-graders posted no students meeting proficiency, and eighth-graders did slightly better at under one-fifth. Testing participation rates are high and consistent across the school, so low proficiency is not a function of absenteeism from assessments.

A parent may want to look into this further with the school. The district as a whole has begun a strategic shift toward strengthening neighborhood schools and moving away from school-choice models, and has rolled out a universal curriculum across the system to bring consistency and instructional resources to all schools. Understanding what support Hearst is receiving under these initiatives, what specific interventions are underway to address the academic gap, and what the school's own improvement trajectory looks like would be valuable conversations with school leadership.

The school serves a neighborhood within Chicago's diverse residential fabric on the Southwest Side. The area is part of a city that has resumed population growth after years of decline, and housing in the zip code where Hearst is located has shown modest appreciation. The neighborhood itself reflects the broader city's character: mixed-use and pedestrian-accessible, with access to Chicago's public transit system and Park District resources. Families choosing Hearst are choosing a neighborhood public school in an integrated, transit-rich urban setting, in a district that is now emphasizing the neighborhood school pathway and moving toward elected school board governance that directly involves parents in district decisions.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 38% · ▼ 34 pts below district

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

Grade 423%

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

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 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 610%

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

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

Grade 76%

School 6% · District 27% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 23% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 36% · ▼ 33 pts below district

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

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 39% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 43% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 45% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 46% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 48% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 29% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 31% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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.