Penn Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Penn Elem School

Penn Elementary sits in a pocket of Chicago on the South Side, part of Chicago Public Schools, and faces steep academic challenges that a parent needs to see clearly.

The school serves pre-K through eighth grade, with a small enrollment for its grade band. The population is predominantly Black, with a small Latino representation. About a quarter of the school carries the early grades, and the rest are spread across elementary and middle school. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch data and special-education and English-learner rates were not available from the district.

State test results from spring 2025 paint a picture of very low proficiency across both English language arts and math. In ELA, only a handful of students score at proficient level across the grade band; the highest rate appears in third grade, while fourth and sixth grades show proficiency rates in the single digits. Math proficiency is worse. Third grade reaches about single digits, fourth grade similar, and grades five through eight show either zero students or near-zero proficiency. Sixth and eighth grades recorded no students meeting the state's proficiency bar. Science testing data at fifth grade did not report a result; eighth grade shows zero proficiency.

These numbers are substantially below the median among Cook County school districts. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of the county. A parent may want to look into this further with the school directly: specifically, whether the school is in a period of transition in staffing or approach, what supports exist for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards, and what remediation or acceleration pathways are in place. State testing metrics alone do not explain why performance is this low, but they are the baseline fact.

The school sits at 1616 S Avers Ave in Chicago's Lower West Side, an urban neighborhood with dense residential blocks. Housing values in the zip code are modest, reflecting the broader Chicago market and the neighborhood character. Rents are moderate relative to the city. The immediate area is walkable, with access to Chicago's extensive bus and 'L' transit network.

Chicago has resumed population growth after a decade of decline and is approving significant housing. The city's economy is diversified across finance, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and public sector employers. Neighborhood-school policy is now the stated direction for Chicago Public Schools after decades of school choice. The school board is transitioning from mayoral appointment to full electoral accountability, with all 21 seats voted on by the public starting in 2026.

Penn Elementary is a regular public school within the CPS system. It is not a charter, magnet, or selective-enrollment school, so enrollment follows neighborhood assignment. For families in the attendance zone, this is the school they would attend unless choosing an alternative pathway through CPS's other options. The academic data should be the centerpiece of any decision for families considering this school or already enrolled in it.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 36%

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

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 45%

School 5% · District 29% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 24% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 21 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 79%

School 9% · District 27% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 12 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 319%

School 19% · District 36% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 45%

School 5% · District 39% · ▼ 34 pts below district

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

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 43% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 65%

School 5% · District 45% · ▼ 40 pts below district

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

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 46% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 48% · ▼ 41 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Science

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 31% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 27 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.