Smyser Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Smyser Elem School

Smyser Elementary serves prekindergarten through eighth grade on Chicago's northwest side, drawing students from a neighborhood that is predominantly Hispanic, with a meaningful white population and smaller Asian, Black, and multiracial communities. The school is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299, the third-largest school system in the nation.

Academic performance across the school is below the midpoint relative to other Cook County districts. In English language arts, third grade shows modest proficiency, but the school's strongest performance appears in eighth grade, where about half of students meet or exceed state standards. The middle grades (fifth through seventh) also show reasonable traction in ELA. Math proficiency is considerably weaker across all tested grades, ranging from roughly one in five students in the upper elementary to about one in three in third grade. Fifth grade math is the lowest, at roughly one in five proficient. Science results, assessed in grades five and eight, show that fifth graders score in the low-to-mid range while eighth graders perform near half proficiency. State testing participation is strong across grades.

The school enrolled a moderate number of students across its grade span, with particularly large cohorts in grades three, seven, and eight, and smaller cohorts in the primary grades. The enrollment includes a substantial share of English learners and students with disabilities, though exact counts were not available. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not reported. No data on graduation rate was provided, as the school does not serve high school grades.

Smyser sits within Chicago's transformation of its school system. The district is transitioning from a mayor-appointed board to a fully elected one, reshaping governance. At the same time, CPS has adopted a new universal curriculum called Skyline across all six content areas and replaced its longstanding numeric school ratings with holistic accountability dashboards, both changes parents should understand when evaluating Smyser's role and trajectory within the district. The district's policy direction now emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools as a counterweight to the choice-based approach that has long characterized CPS, meaning Smyser operates within a district environment actively rethinking its school assignment model.

The neighborhood housing market in Smyser's zip code shows modest appreciation and moderate affordability relative to national standards. Rental costs have risen more sharply than home values over the past year. The Chicago area has resumed population growth after a decade of decline, and housing approvals are climbing, though completions remain concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront rather than in northwest residential neighborhoods.

The school's academic profile suggests it would be a good fit for families who live in the neighborhood catchment and can provide reading and math support at home, particularly in upper elementary and middle school where proficiency gaps widen. Prospective families may want to look into Smyser's specific curriculum implementation, instructional support systems, and any programs aimed at closing those math gaps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 38% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 29% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 24% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 23% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 2 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 23%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 36% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 39% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 45% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 46% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 48% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 29% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 31% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above 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.