Orozco Elem Fine Arts & Sciences, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Orozco Elem Fine Arts & Sciences

Orozco Elem Fine Arts & Sciences serves grades pre-K through 8 in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood and draws a homogeneous student population: the vast majority of enrollment is Hispanic, with just one or two Asian students, a handful of Black and white students, and no Native American or Pacific Islander students recorded. The school is small to mid-sized for its grade span, with enrollment across the decade from pre-K through 8th grade.

The school's name flags its stated mission around fine arts and sciences, though the data provided does not detail program offerings, course breadth, or how those themes shape day-to-day instruction. A parent interested in the arts or STEM pathway should ask the school directly about what this designation means in practice.

State testing results from the most recent year show a stark pattern across the grades: students in grades 3 through 7 show low proficiency in math, ranging from roughly one-fifth to one-third of students meeting state benchmarks, while 8th grade jumps markedly higher. In English language arts, the picture is similar in the lower grades, with grades 3 and 7 around one-third proficient, grades 4 and 6 in the low to mid-40s, and again grades 5 and 8 performing notably better. Science results, measured only at grades 5 and 8, show proficiency at just over half the grade 5 cohort and approaching two-thirds in grade 8. The upward trajectory in 8th grade across all subjects is noteworthy and may reflect either a more academically prepared class, targeted intervention, or other school factors; a parent should ask about this pattern.

Across the tested grades and subjects, Orozco's overall proficiency sits below the median among Cook County school districts. All students participated in testing, which indicates reliable data rather than absences skewing results.

The school is a regular public school within Chicago Public Schools District 299, which means it operates under the same governance, curriculum frameworks, and accountability structures as the district's other non-selective campuses. Chicago Public Schools recently moved toward strengthening neighborhood schools and away from school-choice priorities, and the district rolled out a new universal curriculum called Skyline across content areas; these shifts will affect how resources and instructional supports reach Orozco. The district also replaced numeric school ratings with new accountability dashboards in late 2024 and is transitioning from a mayor-appointed school board to a fully elected 21-member board by 2026, changing how policy is set.

The neighborhood immediately around the school sits in a zip code where home values are modest relative to Chicago's overall housing market, with median home prices and rents both showing year-over-year increases. The area has historically been affordable by city standards, though rents have ticked up notably in recent months. This economic context shapes both family stability and the resource constraints many households may face.

A parent choosing Orozco should understand that state testing proficiency through grade 7 is below typical benchmarks, with a substantial improvement visible only in 8th grade. Whether this reflects the maturity of the cohort, school-level strengths that activate in middle school, or other factors is not clear from the data alone and merits a direct conversation with school leadership. The fine arts and sciences mission may offer distinctive programming, but details on scope and enrollment pathways are not available here. The school's racial composition is heavily Hispanic and quite homogeneous, which is a demographic fact a parent may weigh depending on their own values around peer diversity. For a family in Pilsen seeking a neighborhood elementary-to-middle option with a stated arts focus and proximity to home, Orozco is worth a deeper visit; families seeking evidence of strong across-the-board academic proficiency may want to look at the school's data further or consider other options.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 431%

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

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 24% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 23% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 23% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 39% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 43% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 45% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 46% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 48% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 29% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 31% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 38 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.