Ashe Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ashe Elem School

Ashe Elem School is a public school serving pre-K through eighth grade in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood, on Ingleside Avenue. The school enrolls a small student body, with each grade holding a modest number of students. The student population is predominantly Black, with very few students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Demographic detail on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations was not available.

The school's standardized assessment results, reported on Illinois' IAR and ISA 2.0 tests for the 2024-25 school year, show very low proficiency across tested subjects and grade levels. In mathematics, proficiency was negligible in grades 4, 5, 6, and 7, hovering near zero percent. Grade 3 and grade 8 showed slightly higher proficiency, in the single digits. In English language arts, results ranged from the low teens in grade 4 to around one-third of students meeting state standards in grade 8. Science proficiency was similarly low: about six percent in grade 5 and sixteen percent in grade 8. Participation rates were generally strong across the school, in the low-to-mid nineties, indicating that most enrolled students took the assessments. The state of Illinois changed proficiency cut scores across subjects and grades in 2024-25, so year-to-year comparison is not yet available.

Among Cook County's school districts, Ashe's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This is a significant gap from the median performance across the county and reflects an urgent academic challenge.

The school is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299, a system in notable transition. The district is shifting from a mayor-appointed board to a fully elected 21-member Board of Education; the first 10 members were elected in November 2024, and a fully elected board will take office in 2027. CPS adopted a strategic plan in 2024 that emphasizes neighborhood schools over school choice, a major reorientation after decades of selective enrollment, magnet, and charter-driven enrollment patterns. The district also introduced a new universal curriculum, Skyline, covering six content areas across all grade levels, and replaced its longtime school ratings with holistic accountability dashboards launched in December 2024. For families choosing Ashe, these shifts mean the district is recalibrating its priorities and measurement systems, though the immediate academic reality at this school remains a pressing concern.

Housing in Chicago's South Shore and surrounding South Side neighborhoods, measured at the 60619 zip code level, remains relatively affordable compared to the broader Chicago metro and national benchmarks. Median home values and median rents both appear below county and national medians, though housing costs have ticked upward year over year. The neighborhood sits within Chicago's broader resurgence: the city added residents from mid-2023 to mid-2024, and the metro area has grown for three consecutive years after a prolonged decline. Housing approvals have risen, though recent completions remain concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront.

A parent considering Ashe should recognize that the school faces real academic challenges reflected in its state test results. The low proficiency rates, particularly in mathematics, suggest that students are not acquiring grade-level skills at expected pace. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school on its academic support structures, staffing, and specific interventions in place for students who are not yet meeting standards. The school does sit within a neighborhood context where CPS is formally prioritizing strengthened resources and services for school-based families, though that policy shift is still unfolding. The relatively lower housing costs in the area may make the neighborhood attractive from a financial standpoint, even as the school's academic performance indicates significant work ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 38% · ▼ 30 pts below district

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

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 29% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 29 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 70%

School 0% · District 27% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 36% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 39% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 43% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 45% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 46% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 48% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 29% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 31% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 11 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.