The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Plamondon Elem School
Plamondon Elementary is a small K-8 public school on Chicago's West Side serving a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black and white students. The enrollment is small for its grade band, running a few students per grade in the lower grades and slightly larger cohorts in the upper grades.
The school's most recent state test results, from spring 2025, reveal consistently low proficiency. In math, the school reported proficiency below one in five students in fourth and eighth grades, and around one in four in sixth grade; fifth and seventh grade results were not reported. In English language arts, fourth grade proficiency was similarly low at one in ten, but sixth and eighth grades showed notably higher attainment, with about two in five eighth graders meeting proficiency in ELA. Eighth grade science proficiency stood at just over one in five. Across the grades with reported data, the school's proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile among Cook County districts, a significant gap. State assessment scoring criteria changed in 2025, so direct year-over-year comparisons to prior years are not available.
Attendance and chronic absenteeism data were not available, as were free-or-reduced-price lunch rates and counts of students receiving special education services or English learner supports. Grade-specific enrollment counts are present in the school's data, but detailed demographic breakdowns by program or need are not public.
Plamondon sits in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, a historically Latino enclave on the Lower West Side with strong commercial corridors and a vibrant arts and cultural presence. The neighborhood has stable owner-occupied and rental housing, with median home values in the area around mid-range for the city and rents moderate relative to downtown and North Side locations. The area is well-served by CTA transit, including the Pink Line running east-west through the neighborhood. Chicago itself has resumed population growth after years of decline and is adding housing at a rising pace, though most recent completions have concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront rather than on the West Side.
The school is part of Chicago Public Schools, a large urban district undergoing structural change. The district adopted a five-year strategic plan in 2024 that emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools and backing away from the school-choice model that has long defined CPS, a shift that matters for families evaluating whether their local school is receiving renewed investment. The district also rolled out a new PreK-12 curriculum called Skyline across multiple content areas, available to all district-managed schools without school-level cost, standardizing teaching materials. CPS replaced its longtime numeric school ratings with new accountability dashboards in late 2024, changing how parents compare schools. Governance is also shifting: the first elected school board members took office alongside mayoral appointees in 2025, and all 21 seats will be elected in November 2026, giving parents direct say in district policy for the first time.
Given Plamondon's low proficiency results and small enrollment, a parent evaluating this school may want to look into further detail with the school and district about instructional approaches, whether specialized supports are available for students below grade level, and what the school's strategic priorities are as CPS moves toward a neighborhood-school emphasis. The school's location in Pilsen offers walkable access to a distinct neighborhood, and Chicago's transit infrastructure is strong; families weighting the school's small size and low current test results against neighborhood location and emerging district direction will want to understand the school's trajectory and current programming in depth.
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