The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hibbard Elem School
Hibbard Elementary serves roughly a mid-sized enrollment spanning pre-K through sixth grade, with grades distributed evenly across the early elementary and upper elementary years. The school sits in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood, a part of the city that has seen renewed housing activity in recent years.
The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller populations of Asian, white, Black, and other backgrounds. Income data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is not available in the public record. The school does not report counts or rates for students with individualized education plans or English learners, which is typical for elementary schools in CPS that report only basic enrollment demographics to the state.
Academic performance on state assessments (IAR for English language arts and math, ISA 2.0 for science) places the school at the bottom quartile among Cook County school districts. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through six ranged from roughly one in seven students at grade five to one in three at grade three. English language arts rates were similarly low, hovering in the range of one in five to one in three students proficient or above. A single science proficiency rate was reported, for grade five, at around one in five students. Participation rates were very high across all tested grades and subjects, indicating that absences or other barriers to testing were not a primary issue.
The data does not allow for comparison to prior years, so it is not possible to characterize whether performance is stable, improving, or declining. The shift in Illinois' cut scores for proficiency on its assessments means that even year-to-year trends would be difficult to interpret without additional context.
Hibbard is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299, which has undergone significant governance and strategic shifts. The district has moved from a mayor-appointed board to an elected one, with the full transition expected by late 2026. More substantially for everyday school operations, CPS adopted a five-year plan emphasizing neighborhood schools and scaling back the choice-driven enrollment policies that have long shaped the district. The district also rolled out Skyline, a comprehensive PreK-12 curriculum in English language arts, math, science, social studies, world languages, and arts, reducing the fragmentation that once characterized instructional materials across campuses. In late 2024, CPS replaced its numeric school rating system with new holistic dashboards that look beyond test scores and attendance to school experience and resources, so parents now navigate the district through a different evaluation lens.
Housing near Hibbard is modestly priced relative to the city median, with values and rents reflecting a neighborhood in transition. Chicago more broadly has resumed population growth after a decade of decline, with housing approvals rising and recent development concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront, though the Near West Side led neighborhood approvals in 2025. The city is widely recognized as walkable and transit-accessible, with a functioning 24/7 'L' rail network and extensive bus coverage, an asset for families without a car or preferring not to drive.
A parent may want to look into further with the school how it is responding to the broad proficiency gaps evident in state testing, what instructional supports are in place for students working below grade level, and how the school communicates progress and next steps to families. The strength of early-elementary performance (grade three roughly one-third proficient in math) compared to later grades (grade five one-seventh proficient) may reflect either cohort differences or a widening achievement gap as students advance, both worth understanding.
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