Spencer Technology Acad Elem Sch, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Spencer Technology Acad Elem Sch

Spencer Technology Acad Elem Sch is a public elementary school in Chicago serving pre-K through eighth grade, with enrollment spread across all ten grade bands. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller Hispanic representation and very few students of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the economic composition of the student population.

The school's academic performance presents a significant challenge. On the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates are very low across all tested subjects and grades. In math, third graders reached above baseline proficiency, but performance drops sharply in grades four through eight, with proficiency rates in the single digits or near zero. In English language arts, results follow a similar pattern: third-grade proficiency is below what one would expect, and proficiency remains very low in grades four, five, and eight, with slightly better but still modest outcomes in grades six and seven. Science proficiency, tested in grades five and eight, also falls well below typical benchmarks. When compared against other school districts in Cook County, Spencer Technology Acad ranks in the bottom quartile overall for proficiency across tested subjects and grades.

The school's name reflects a technology focus, though the data provided does not detail what technology curriculum, programs, or infrastructure actually exist at the school. A parent interested in the school's technology offerings would benefit from visiting the school or contacting administration directly to understand what that designation means in practice.

The immediate neighborhood sits on the West Side of Chicago, in a zip code where home values reflect modest affordability relative to the broader county and state. Rents in the area are similarly modest. The housing market in Cook County has seen some softening in listings and active demand, though price trends remain slightly upward. Chicago itself continues to recover and grow after years of decline, with new housing approvals rising, though growth has concentrated downtown and along the lakefront rather than in West Side neighborhoods.

Chicago Public Schools has undergone substantial governance and policy changes. The district moved to an elected school board for the first time in its history, with the first ten members elected in November 2024 and all 21 seats to be elected in November 2026, giving parents a direct voice in school board selection going forward. The district also adopted a strategic plan in 2024 that shifts away from its decades-long school-choice and selective-enrollment model toward strengthening neighborhood schools. In December 2024, CPS replaced its longtime numeric school ratings with new holistic dashboards. Additionally, the district has rolled out Skyline, a comprehensive PreK-12 curriculum developed in-house and available at no school-level cost to all district-managed schools.

A parent considering Spencer Technology Acad should look carefully at the test results, which are substantially below district and state norms. The low proficiency across grades and subjects raises questions about instructional quality, student support systems, or population needs that may or may not be being met. A school visit, conversation with current families, and direct inquiry about intervention strategies, staffing, and any recent changes in leadership or practice would help clarify whether the school is moving toward improvement or what barriers it faces.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 38% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 47%

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

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 22 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 65%

School 5% · District 23% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 27% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 23% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 36% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 423%

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

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 43% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 45% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 46% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 48% · ▼ 38 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 29% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 31% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 22 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.