Kershaw Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Kershaw Elem School

Kershaw Elementary School serves prekindergarten through eighth grade in a small-enrollment, tightly defined peer environment on Chicago's South Side. The school functions as a traditional public school within Chicago Public Schools District 299, not a charter or magnet, and draws almost exclusively from a single neighborhood demographic.

The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a substantial majority of the approximately two hundred students identified as Black. Hispanic and multiracial students make up a small remainder; Asian, white, and Native American enrollment is absent. Economic data on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about the share of students eligible for meal support. Special education and English learner enrollment counts were also unavailable. The grade distribution is relatively even across all levels, with enrollment somewhat stronger in grades four through six than in the primary grades or middle grades.

Academic performance presents a clear and significant challenge. In state testing across English language arts and math, proficiency rates are low across all tested grades, with marked weakness in math throughout the school's upper elementary and middle grades. In math, proficiency falls from roughly one third of third graders meeting state standards to near zero among eighth graders. English language arts shows more variation, with stronger performance in seventh grade, but even the highest results (seventh grade) represent a minority of students meeting grade-level benchmarks. Science proficiency in the two tested grades (fifth and eighth) ranges from low to modest. These are not results a parent should expect to improve sharply without sustained, deliberate intervention.

When ranked against other schools in Cook County, Kershaw's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, meaning the vast majority of schools across the county's districts report higher overall academic achievement. State graduation rate data does not apply here because the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism and other attendance metrics were not reported.

The school's neighborhood location is in a dense urban setting with extensive public transit access; Chicago's CTA system provides 24/7 rail and bus service. Housing in the school's zip code is modestly valued and carries moderate rent, both slightly below state and national benchmarks. The area has seen housing market activity consistent with Cook County trends, with recent supply dynamics showing more sellers relative to buyer demand.

Chicago Public Schools as a whole is navigating significant structural change. The district moved in 2024 from an all-appointed school board to a hybrid system of elected and mayoral appointees, with a fully elected board set to take office in 2027. The district has also adopted a new strategic direction called "Together We Rise" that emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools rather than expanding selective enrollment and choice programs. Additionally, CPS replaced its longtime numeric school ratings with new holistic profile dashboards starting in December 2024. These shifts change how the district allocates resources and how parents evaluate schools, and a parent considering this school should be aware that district priorities are in flux.

For families choosing between schools, the core question at Kershaw is whether the school's documented low proficiency rates align with your child's current academic level and the intensity of support available in your home. If your child is already struggling with grade-level work, the school's performance trajectory suggests limited institutional capacity to close gaps quickly. If your household can provide structured homework support and supplemental academic work outside school, that dynamic matters. A parent may want to visit the school in person, ask about any improvement initiatives or specialized literacy or numeracy support the school offers, and speak candidly with current or recent parents about their own experience with academic progress. The numbers on the page represent a real school serving real students; they are not a verdict on the school's commitment or the quality of its community, but they are a factual starting point for your decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 38% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 8 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 24% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 23% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 711%

School 11% · District 27% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 23% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 39% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 46% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 48% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 29% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 31% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above 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.