Lee Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lee Elem School

Lee Elem School serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade in Chicago's South Side, drawing a student body that is almost entirely Hispanic and predominantly low-income. The school sits within Chicago Public Schools District 299, a district in transition: it has moved away from its long-standing school-choice model toward strengthening neighborhood schools, shifted from numeric ratings to new holistic accountability dashboards, and is now operating under a newly elected school board that gives parents direct democratic input on governance.

The school's academic performance, based on the most recent state assessment results, shows below-average proficiency across math, English language arts, and science. In math, proficiency ranges across grade bands from roughly a quarter of students in fifth grade to between a third and roughly a half in the other tested grades. English language arts performance is more uneven: third grade shows proficiency near a quarter, but by fourth and fifth grade it rises to around a half, dips slightly in sixth and seventh grade, and reaches its highest point in eighth grade. Science results, available only for fifth and eighth grades, show proficiency in the low range for fifth grade and roughly a third for eighth grade. Across the school's tested universe, overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among Cook County districts. All students participated in testing at full rate, so the results reflect the entire eligible cohort.

The school enrolls a small-to-mid-sized population with relatively even distribution across grades, reflecting stable demand. Demographic data shows no meaningful diversity beyond the dominant Hispanic population; the school has minimal Black and white enrollment. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch data and special-population counts, including English learner rates and IEP percentages, were not available in the records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the breadth of support services and the composition of the student body by economic or academic need.

The neighborhood housing market shows modest affordability by national standards. Median home values are below the state benchmark, and rental costs are moderate relative to household income. The area has experienced a slight uptick in home values year-over-year, and the broader Cook County housing market is in a buyer's favor with elevated supply relative to demand.

Chicago as a place offers the strengths of a major city: extensive public transit, dense networks of parks and cultural institutions, walkable neighborhoods, and diverse employment. The city has returned to population growth after nearly a decade of decline. The South Side neighborhoods contain historic residential areas, commercial corridors, and schools embedded in neighborhood life rather than isolated campuses.

Lee Elem is a regular neighborhood public school with no charter, magnet, or specialized status. For families seeking a traditional district school close to home, it offers that structure. For those evaluating academic fit, the proficiency data suggests the school is working with students facing significant academic challenges, and families may want to explore tutoring, supplemental instruction, or other academic supports available through the school or district. The shift in CPS governance and strategic direction toward neighborhood strength means the school's resources and priorities are likely to evolve, and watching the district's new accountability dashboards and elected board decisions will give families clearer insight into how the school is being supported.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 29% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 24% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 23% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 27% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 23% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 36% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 39% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 43% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 45% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 7 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 523%

School 23% · District 29% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 5 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.