Irving Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Irving Elem School

Irving Elem serves early grades through middle school in Chicago's West Side, serving a student body that is predominantly Black with substantial representation from Hispanic families and smaller numbers of Asian and white students. The school is small for its grade band, with enrollment spread across prekindergarten through eighth grade.

Academically, Irving sits well below the proficiency levels seen across Cook County's districts. In English language arts, the school shows modest proficiency in seventh grade and slightly higher results in sixth and fourth grades, but third grade proficiency is very low. Math proficiency is particularly weak across all tested grades: third through eighth grade students show proficiency rates ranging from essentially zero to just under single digits. Science proficiency in both tested grades is similarly low. The school reported full or near-full participation in state assessments, so the results reflect actual student performance rather than a testing-access issue. A parent should look into this directly with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and what progress the school is making toward improvement.

The school sits in a Chicago neighborhood where housing costs are moderate relative to the broader metro area. Home values are rising modestly, and rental costs are climbing year-over-year, reflecting broader Chicago market trends. The neighborhood is part of a city experiencing renewed growth after years of decline, with housing approvals rising and new development concentrated downtown and along the lakefront. This particular area sits west of downtown, in a community where the Chicago Park District, CTA public transit, and the school itself serve as anchors of neighborhood life.

Irving is a regular public school operated by Chicago Public Schools District 299, which has recently undergone significant shifts in governance and accountability. The district moved from mayor-appointed school boards to a hybrid then fully elected model, changed how it rates and reports school performance, and adopted a strategic direction called "Together We Rise" that emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools as the primary pathway rather than school choice and selective programs. The district has also rolled out Skyline, a universal PreK-12 curriculum that all district-managed schools now use.

The school's enrollment is small and stable, with slightly higher numbers in eighth grade than in the primary grades. Demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learner status, and special education enrollment were not available. The broader Chicago Public Schools system continues to evolve in how it reports school quality and allocates resources, so parents evaluating Irving should connect with the school community directly and monitor the district's new accountability dashboards for the most current information on school performance and resources.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 37%

School 7% · District 38% · ▼ 31 pts below district

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

Grade 40%

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

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

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 24% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 23% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 13 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 83%

School 3% · District 23% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 37%

School 7% · District 36% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 39% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 43% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 45% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 46% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 48% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 29% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 31% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 21 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.