Poe Elem Classical School, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Poe Elem Classical School

Poe Elementary Classical School, located on Chicago's South Side in the city's Chatham neighborhood, is a regular public K-8 school serving roughly a few hundred students in all grades from kindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students and very small shares of White students. Specific enrollment figures and demographic detail appear in the data fields.

Academically, the school shows a clear grade-level pattern. In grades 3 through 6, students reach high proficiency in both English language arts and math on state assessments. In grades 4 and 5, ELA results are notably strong, with students reaching or near universal proficiency. Math results in grades 3, 4, and 5 cluster in the mid-to-high range. Reading proficiency in grade 6 reaches near-universal levels as well.

The picture changes at the middle grades. In grade 7, math proficiency drops to about half the class, and in grade 8, math proficiency falls further, reaching low levels. In both grades 7 and 8, ELA proficiency remains above 80 percent, which stands in sharp contrast to the steep decline in math. Science assessment in grade 5 shows strong results, but grade 8 science proficiency sits closer to 60 percent. This divergence between solid ELA performance and weaker math and science outcomes in grades 7 and 8 is a defining feature of the school's academic profile. A parent might want to understand whether this pattern reflects a change in student composition, curriculum or teaching approach at the middle level, or available support for students working below grade level in quantitative subjects.

The data do not include free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, special education enrollment, or English learner counts, so the profile of student need is not visible here. Likewise, graduation rate does not apply because the school ends at grade 8. Information about staffing, curriculum choices, disciplinary climate, or student attendance is also unavailable.

Compared to districts across Cook County, Poe's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile. Housing values in the school's 60628 zip code remain affordable by metropolitan standards, and rental costs are moderate, making the neighborhood accessible to working families. Chicago itself has resumed growth after years of decline, and the city recently shifted its accountability system away from numeric school ratings toward broader dashboards, so evaluation measures are in transition. The district is also moving policy priority toward neighborhood schools, which positions a regular public school like Poe within the district's strategic direction.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 390%

School 90% · District 38% · ▲ 52 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 490%

School 90% · District 29% · ▲ 61 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 61 pts above county median

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 24% · ▲ 62 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 64 pts above county median

Grade 681%

School 81% · District 23% · ▲ 58 pts above district

▲ 57 pts above state median · ▲ 64 pts above county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 27% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 23% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 383%

School 83% · District 36% · ▲ 47 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 4100%

School 100% · District 39% · ▲ 61 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 60 pts above county median

Grade 5100%

School 100% · District 43% · ▲ 57 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

Grade 697%

School 97% · District 45% · ▲ 52 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 46% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 892%

School 92% · District 48% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Science

Grade 593%

School 93% · District 29% · ▲ 64 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 66 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 31% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 32 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.