Vanderpoel Elem Magnet School, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Vanderpoel Elem Magnet School

Vanderpoel Elementary Magnet School is a kindergarten through eighth-grade regular public school in Chicago's South Side serving a small enrollment. The school is predominantly African American, with a few students of Hispanic and multiracial identity. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available.

The academic picture is marked by very low proficiency across all tested subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency in grades three through eight ranges from nearly none to just over a quarter of students meeting the state standard. English language arts performs somewhat better in the upper grades, with sixth and eighth graders showing proficiency rates around half or better, but third and fifth graders show very low rates. Science proficiency, tested in fifth and eighth grades, is similarly low. All students participated in state assessments.

This school sits in the bottom quartile of schools across Cook County districts when measuring overall proficiency. The pattern of stronger ELA performance at higher grades contrasts sharply with near-zero math proficiency in grades five through eight, which may warrant discussion with the school about instructional priorities and resource allocation.

Vanderpoel is part of Chicago Public Schools, a district undergoing significant structural change. A newly elected school board, currently hybrid and moving toward full election by November 2026, is reshaping governance to give parents more voice. The district's five-year strategic plan aims to strengthen neighborhood schools while maintaining magnet, selective enrollment, and charter options, a shift after decades of school-choice emphasis. A new universal curriculum called Skyline has rolled out across CPS, standardizing instruction in English language arts, math, science, social science, world languages, and arts at no school cost. The district has also replaced numeric school ratings with holistic profile dashboards.

Chicago itself has resumed population growth after nearly a decade of decline, with rising housing approvals and development concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront. The broader metro region has grown for three straight years. Housing values in the school's zip code are moderate, with median home values and rents below state and national benchmarks, and affordability metrics suggest rents are more manageable than mortgages for many households. The city remains highly walkable and well-served by public transit, and civic anchors like the Chicago Park District, the public library system, and a diversified economy anchored by major employers and cultural institutions support neighborhood life.

A parent considering this school should ask the administration directly about the causes of the math proficiency gap at upper grades and what interventions are underway. The low overall test results warrant a deeper conversation about school-level support structures, instructional approaches, and academic goals to understand whether this school's model fits your family's needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 38% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 422%

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

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

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 24% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 23% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 74%

School 4% · District 27% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 23% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 36% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 39% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 43% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 45% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 741%

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

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 48% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 29% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 31% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 12 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.