Columbia Explorers Elem Academy, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Columbia Explorers Elem Academy

Columbia Explorers Elem Academy serves grades preK through 8 in the Kedzie Avenue area of Chicago and is a regular public school within Chicago Public Schools District 299. The school enrolls a mid-sized population across its grade band, with particularly strong presence in grade 7 and 8. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a small enrollment of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Income-qualified meal data was not available, limiting a full picture of economic need.

The school's state test results paint an uneven profile. English language arts proficiency is the school's relative strength, particularly in grades 7 and 8, where proficiency rates reach into the seventies. Reading comprehension appears to strengthen at the end of the elementary years and into middle school. Math proficiency, by contrast, shows significant challenges in grades 4, 5, and 6, where fewer than one in four students meet state standards. This middle-grades math dip is severe and merits close examination with the school's leadership. Grade 3 and grade 8 perform noticeably better in math, suggesting either shifts in curriculum strength, teaching effectiveness, or student cohort composition across grades. Science proficiency lags as well: in grade 5, just under one-third of students meet standards, though eighth-grade science performance recovers to around one-half. Test participation rates are near universal across the school, indicating reliable data.

When placed against other districts in Cook County, Columbia Explorers' overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, meaning the school's average test proficiency is stronger than many of its county neighbors but not among the highest. This positioning reflects the mixed subject and grade-level pattern: solid performance keeps it ahead of the lower end, but the weak performance in middle-grade math prevents it from reaching the upper tier of district comparisons.

The school's enrollment is stable, and the neighborhoods along Kedzie Avenue in Chicago remain an active housing market. Home values in the school's immediate zip code have remained relatively steady, and rental availability is present, though housing costs have risen in recent years at a rate above the broader economic trend. The Chicago transit system provides walkable access to the school and surrounding neighborhood.

Chicago Public Schools has undergone significant policy shifts recently. The district adopted a strategic plan in 2024 emphasizing neighborhood schools and backing away from selective-enrollment models that have historically shaped choice within the system. A new school accountability dashboard replaced numeric school ratings in December 2024, changing how parents evaluate schools. Additionally, CPS rolled out Skyline, a district-wide universal curriculum across six content areas beginning in 2021-2022, meaning Columbia Explorers has access to consistent, standard instructional materials in English language arts, math, science, social science, world languages, and arts. These shifts are reshaping the district context in which this school operates.

A parent considering Columbia Explorers should focus on the pronounced math challenges in grades 4 through 6 and ask the school directly about instruction, support systems, and plans to address those gaps. The school's stronger performance in ELA and upper-grade math suggests capacity exists; understanding what changes between grades might illuminate whether the issue is teaching approach, curriculum alignment, staffing, or student composition. The school's location, enrollment stability, and position within its county peer group offer a functional baseline; the academic volatility across grades is the key variable for families to weigh.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 38% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 24% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 23% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 27% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 23% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 36% · ▲ 29 pts above district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 39% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 45% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 46% · ▲ 26 pts above district

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

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 48% · ▲ 29 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 29% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 31% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 26 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.