The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodlawn Elem Community School
Woodlawn Elem Community School is a small elementary school serving grades PreK through six on Chicago's South Side, in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The school has a small to mid-sized enrollment spread across eight grade levels, with the largest cohorts in kindergarten and sixth grade and the smallest in fifth grade.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a very small Hispanic population and a small number of students identifying as two or more races. Enrollment data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and on special populations such as students with IEPs or English learners was not available, so a reader looking to understand economic need or support services should contact the school directly.
Academic performance measured by state testing shows significant challenges across tested grades in both math and English language arts. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through six sit in single digits to low double digits. English language arts shows somewhat better results, with grades five and six at or near half, while grades three and four remain in the low-to-upper twenties. The school tested grade five students in science and proficiency there was in the upper twenties. It is worth noting that Illinois changed its proficiency standards and assessment cut scores beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, so trend comparisons to prior years are not reliable. High test participation rates suggest the school administered tests to the vast majority of students who were tested.
Among schools in Cook County, Woodlawn's overall proficiency rate sits in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into further with the school what academic supports, interventions, and family engagement strategies are in place to strengthen student progress, particularly in mathematics.
The school's course offerings, program breadth, staffing, and discipline data were not provided, so detail on electives, specialist teachers, or school culture is not available here. Similarly, no graduation data applies because the school serves only elementary grades, not high school.
Woodlawn sits in an urban neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. The surrounding Woodlawn area is part of Chicago's complex, neighborhood-based residential fabric. Housing values in the school's zip code are modest, with median home values well below the state and national averages; median rents are also below state average. The Cook County housing market as a whole shows moderate supply and relatively low demand for the current listing inventory, and prices have stayed relatively flat year over year.
The Chicago Public Schools district itself has undergone notable recent change. In November 2024, the district held the first elections for school board members as part of a transition away from a fully mayor-appointed board toward a fully elected 21-member board. All 21 seats will be up for election in November 2026, giving parents a direct vote on district governance going forward. The district has also adopted a strategic plan called "Together We Rise" that aims to strengthen neighborhood schools, moving away from the school-choice enrollment policies that have long characterized CPS. Additionally, the district rolled out Skyline, a comprehensive PreK-12 curriculum in English language arts, math, science, social science, world languages, and arts beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, available at no cost to district-managed schools including this one. And in December 2024, CPS launched new school profile dashboards that replace the district's former numeric school ratings, shifting how parents and the public evaluate schools beyond test scores alone.
For a family considering Woodlawn, the immediate question is academic trajectory. The state testing results show that the majority of students are not yet proficient in core subjects, which is factual and important. The school is part of a district in transition toward neighborhood-based enrollment and support, and it sits in a neighborhood with accessible transit and a lower cost of living relative to many Chicago areas. A prospective parent should contact the school to understand its instructional approach, the specific supports offered to struggling readers and mathematicians, classroom size, teacher experience, and parent involvement culture.
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