The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in English language arts. The lowest is 71% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kenwood Academy High School
Kenwood Academy serves grades seven through twelve in the South Side neighborhood of Chicago, on Blackstone Avenue. The school enrolls roughly a small-city-sized population, with substantial ninth through twelfth grade cohorts and smaller seventh and eighth grade wings. The student body is predominantly Black, with a minority population of Hispanic and White students and very small Asian and multiracial cohorts.
Test data is available only for grades seven and eight, because the high school grades are not required to sit for the IAR assessments that Illinois administers. In seventh grade, Kenwood students showed proficiency in English language arts at a rate well above the midline of the county's districts, and seventh grade math proficiency landed in the top quartile. Eighth grade English language arts proficiency was also in the top quartile, while eighth grade math proficiency was closer to the county median. Science proficiency in eighth grade was above the midline. Overall, Kenwood's mean proficiency index across all tested grades and subjects placed it in the top quartile relative to districts in Cook County.
Testing participation rates across seventh and eighth grades ran above ninety-eight percent, a strong signal of engagement. Grade-level trends show a noticeable drop in math proficiency from seventh to eighth grade, a pattern that a parent may want to explore further with the school's math department. English language arts and science held steadier or climbed across those years.
State testing results do not exist for grades three through six, because Kenwood does not serve those grades. The school also has no graduation rate on record, since the available data did not include that figure.
A graduation rate, free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data, counts of students with IEPs or English learners, and chronic absenteeism rates were not available, leaving significant gaps in the picture of student need and school completion outcomes. Without those metrics, a parent cannot see what share of the population qualifies for economic assistance, how the school serves students with disabilities or English learners, or how student attendance shapes the school climate.
Kenwood is a regular district school, not a charter or magnet. It sits within Chicago Public Schools, which has been through substantial changes. The district now has a partially elected board, with full elections scheduled for November. The district released new accountability dashboards in December and has rolled out a district-developed curriculum called Skyline. The broader district message emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools, though the school-choice infrastructure that has long defined CPS remains largely intact for now.
Housing values in the 60615 zip code, where Kenwood sits, run moderate by Chicago standards. Rental costs are climbing modestly year over year. The neighborhood is part of a larger market that shows modest inventory and subdued demand. A parent looking at schools here is also weighing choices in a dense, walkable city with strong public transit, and situated in a district in active transition on governance, accountability, and mission.
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