Ward J Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ward J Elem School

Ward J Elem School is a neighborhood school in Chicago serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. The enrollment spans roughly equal cohorts across the grade band, with a small portion in prek and roughly balanced numbers from kindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is predominantly Asian, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, and White students. No state data was available on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education, or English learner populations.

The school sits in Chicago's 60616 zip code on the South Side. The area's median home value has edged down slightly year-over-year, while rental prices have ticked up modestly. The housing market shows moderate supply and limited demand relative to broader Cook County trends, with homes spending a moderate time on market and listing prices in the mid-range for the region.

In state testing conducted this year, Ward J showed proficiency rates that cluster in the upper-middle band. In mathematics, rates ranged from the high fifties to high sixties across grades three through eight, with seventh-grade students performing at the stronger end of that span. English language arts showed similar patterning: third grade came in at the lower end of the school's range, while fourth and seventh grades performed above the school median. One fifth-grade science assessment showed proficiency near the midpoint; one eighth-grade science result was modestly stronger. Across all subjects and grades where the school reported, the overall proficiency index places Ward J above the midpoint among Cook County's district schools, which is a meaningful distinction given the county's size and diversity. Participation rates were strong across all tested grades and subjects, suggesting the school's results reflect its full student population.

The data does not show year-over-year trends in proficiency, so it is not clear whether these results represent growth, decline, or stability for the school. State assessment scoring criteria changed this year, making historical comparison unreliable. The school's academic performance reflects broad middle-ground achievement: the proficiencies are neither in the top tier nor at the lower margin, and they hold consistently across the school's grade span.

Chicago Public Schools District 299 is undergoing significant structural changes that affect all schools within it. The most immediate for parents is that the district is now transitioning to a fully elected school board, with all positions to be determined by voter election as of late 2026, replacing the former mayor-appointed model. The district has also adopted a five-year strategic plan that reorients resources toward strengthening neighborhood schools and moving away from the selective enrollment and school choice emphasis of prior decades. A new holistic accountability system replaced the long-standing numeric ratings, giving parents a different lens through which to evaluate schools. The district has rolled out Skyline, a comprehensive PreK-12 curriculum across multiple content areas that Ward J and other schools now use, eliminating the prior fragmented approach where schools purchased materials independently.

Chicago itself is a large, dense city with a walkable layout, extensive public transit via the CTA, and substantial cultural and civic anchors. The city has resumed population growth after a sustained decline and continues to approve new housing, particularly downtown and along the North Lakefront, though neighborhood schools remain woven into the fabric of residential areas rather than isolated from them. For families living in or considering the South Side neighborhood where Ward J is located, the school offers stable, middle-range academic results, a diverse peer group, and connection to a district in transition toward a more neighborhood-centered model.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 38% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 29% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 24% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 23% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 27% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 23% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 36% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 39% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 43% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 45% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 46% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 48% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 29% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 31% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 34 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.