Chicago Academy Elem School, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Chicago Academy Elem School

Chicago Academy Elementary School serves pre-K through eighth grade in the Belmont-Cragin area on the North Austin Avenue corridor, in a dense, mixed-income neighborhood on the Northwest Side. The school's enrollment is stable and spans the full early-to-middle grade band evenly across all grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of white, Asian, and Black students, and reflects the neighborhood's working- and middle-class character.

Academic performance reveals a sharp divide by grade and subject. In elementary grades, proficiency is stronger: third graders show solid proficiency in both math and English language arts, and fourth graders reach just above half proficiency in language arts. From fifth grade onward, results decline significantly. Fifth-grade math proficiency falls to roughly a quarter of students, and by sixth grade it drops further still. Seventh and eighth graders show persistently low math proficiency, in the range of one in five students meeting standards. English language arts holds up somewhat better in the middle grades—sixth graders reach roughly three in four in proficiency, and seventh and eighth graders hover near half—but math remains the consistent weak point across the upper grades.

Science proficiency, tested in grades five and eight, runs similarly low: fewer than one in three students in either grade meet standards.

Positioned against districts across Cook County, Chicago Academy's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint. This pattern suggests the school may be experiencing a common transition challenge: students perform adequately in the foundational elementary years but struggle with the shift to more abstract and cumulative math and science content in the fifth-through-eighth grade span. A parent may want to look into this further with the school: whether there are transitions in staffing, instructional approach, or student support between the elementary and middle grade sections, and what interventions or supports exist for students who fall behind.

The school is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299, which serves the entire city. CPS recently completed a shift from a fully mayor-appointed board to one with elected members, marking a structural change in who sets district policy. The district has also launched new school accountability dashboards, replacing its prior numeric ratings. At the instructional level, CPS rolled out Skyline, a district-developed universal curriculum spanning English language arts, math, science, and other subjects, available at no cost to school-managed campuses. Chicago Academy, as a regular public school within CPS, has access to these district resources.

The school sits in Chicago's Northwest Side, a neighborhood woven into the broader fabric of the city. The area is walkable, served by CTA bus and 'L' rail transit, and anchored by Chicago Park District parks, the Chicago Public Library system, and community institutions. Housing values in the zip code are moderate, and rental costs have risen in line with broader city trends. The neighborhood reflects the growth momentum Chicago has regained after years of decline, with new housing approvals rising and net domestic migration improving.

For families prioritizing strong early literacy and math foundations, Chicago Academy's elementary results suggest adequate instructional capacity. For families with students entering the fifth through eighth grade range, the significant performance gap in math warrants direct conversation with school leadership about curriculum, support structure, and any tracking or acceleration options available to catch students who have fallen behind.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 38% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 29% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 24% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 23% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 27% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 820%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 36% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 39% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 43% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 45% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 754%

School 54% · District 46% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 48% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 29% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 2 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.