Daley Elem Academy, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Daley Elem Academy

Daley Elem Academy serves pre-K through 8th grade and sits in the Bridgeport neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. The school enrolls a small student body across ten grades, with the heaviest concentration in the middle grades. The enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of Black students and very few students of other backgrounds. Data on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations was not available, so a reader looking for information on economic need or special education and English learner enrollment would need to contact the school directly.

The most important thing a parent needs to know is that academic proficiency across math and English language arts is substantially below what students in this grade band are expected to achieve. In math, proficiency rates across grades 3 through 8 range from around one in twelve students to roughly one in five, with the weakest results in grades 5 and 6. In English language arts, proficiency is similarly low across grades 3 through 6, at around one in five or fewer, though results rise noticeably in grades 7 and 8, where proficiency reaches more than a third of students. Science data is available only for grades 5 and 8; grade 5 shows one in seven students proficient, and grade 8 shows roughly one in four. All students tested in the school participated in assessments, which is a strength in terms of data completeness.

When positioned against other district-managed and charter schools in Cook County, Daley sits in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency. No graduation rate data is available because the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported.

The housing market in the 60609 zip code that includes the school is accessible by Chicago standards. Home values are modestly below both the state and national medians, and rental costs are well below state and national levels. The market shows balanced conditions with a moderate supply of active listings and steady new inventory. This is a neighborhood where housing is relatively affordable for the Chicago area, which may appeal to families seeking lower cost of living while remaining in the city.

Chicago itself is a large, dense city with strong public transit, extensive parks and lakefront access, and a diverse array of neighborhoods and employers. The city has resumed population growth after a period of decline, and housing approvals are increasing, particularly in downtown and North Lakefront areas and the Near West Side.

At the district level, Chicago Public Schools is undergoing significant structural change. The school board is transitioning from fully mayoral appointment to full election, with all 21 seats to be elected in November 2026. The district has adopted a strategic plan that privileges neighborhood schools over school choice, a reversal of longstanding policy. The district has also introduced a new universal curriculum called Skyline and replaced its prior numeric school ratings with new accountability dashboards. These are shifts parents should understand as they weigh the district's direction and priorities.

A parent considering Daley Elem Academy should recognize that the school's test results indicate students are struggling with grade-level content in core subjects. The school's context as a neighborhood elementary serves a highly Hispanic student population in an affordable Chicago neighborhood with accessible public transit. A parent may want to look further into whether the school offers targeted support to address the proficiency gap, what instructional approaches are in place, and how the school is addressing attendance and engagement.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 38% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 29% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 24% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 23% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 27% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 36% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 39% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 43% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 45% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 46% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 48% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 29% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 31% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below 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.