Lewis Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lewis Elem School

Lewis Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. The school enrolls a small population across its grade band, with roughly equal numbers distributed through elementary and middle years. The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, reflecting the neighborhood's demographics, with an extremely small count of Asian students and virtually no white enrollment.

The school faces substantial academic challenges across tested subjects and grade levels. In mathematics, proficiency is consistently low: third graders sit in the low teens, fourth graders near single digits, fifth graders in the low single digits, sixth graders at zero, seventh graders in the low teens, and eighth graders in the low single digits. English language arts shows somewhat better but still modest performance, with third and fourth graders in the low single digits, fifth graders in the mid-teens, sixth graders in the high twenties, seventh graders in the mid-thirties, and eighth graders in the high teens. Science proficiency in the grades where it is tested is also quite low: fifth graders in the low single digits and eighth graders in the low teens. Across both subjects and all tested grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in Cook County.

These results warrant serious attention from a parent considering Lewis. The data reflects a school where most students are not meeting grade-level standards in core academic areas. A parent would want to understand directly from the school what instructional approaches are in place to address these gaps, what support systems exist for struggling learners, and what trajectory the school has been on. It is unclear from the data whether these results reflect recent shifts in assessment rigor, student population change, or longstanding performance patterns, so that conversation with school leadership would be essential.

The school participates in Chicago Public Schools' implementation of the Skyline curriculum, a district-developed instructional program that standardizes materials across the system. Lewis also operates within the broader context of Chicago's shift toward strengthening neighborhood schools as the primary enrollment pathway, a policy change that affects how the district allocates resources and positions schools relative to school-choice options.

Lewis sits at a specific point in the city's housing and economic landscape. The Chicago neighborhood surrounding the school shows homeownership values in the mid-range for the city, with rental costs also moderate. The area sits within Cook County's broader real estate market, which has seen modest recent activity and affordability pressures typical of the larger metropolitan region.

No state test scores were reported for prekindergarten through second grade, as Illinois does not assess those grades. No free-or-reduced-price lunch rates, special education enrollment counts, English learner enrollment counts, or chronic absenteeism data were available in the school's reporting. This absence of demographic poverty indicators and attendance information limits a full picture of the student population's needs and the school's attendance patterns.

A family considering Lewis Elementary should visit, speak directly with administration and teachers about the academic situation and the school's improvement efforts, and understand what this school's particular strengths and support structures are beyond state test metrics. The low proficiency rates are a real signal that deserves direct inquiry and a clear response from school leadership.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 38% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 46%

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

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

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 24% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

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

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

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 23% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 36% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 39% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 43% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 45% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 46% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 48% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 29% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 31% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 15 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.