The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Davis M Magnet Elem School
Davis M is a small elementary and middle school on the South Side of Chicago, serving from pre-K through eighth grade with a student population of roughly a few dozen per grade level across its band. The school is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299, the nation's second-largest school district, which serves a massive portion of the city's public school population across hundreds of campuses.
The school's recent state test results reveal academic performance that parents should understand fully. In grades where state testing occurred in 2024-25, proficiency rates were substantially below the state baseline and well below the midpoint among Cook County districts. In mathematics, fourth-grade students showed proficiency near the lowest quartile; fifth-grade math proficiency was even lower. Sixth-grade math and language arts performed somewhat better, with language arts proficiency above the median in that grade alone. Language arts proficiency in grades four and five was quite low. A parent may want to look into what instructional supports or interventions the school has in place for struggling students, and whether there are plans to address these trends. Science proficiency data for fifth grade also showed low attainment. Testing data was not reported for grades three, seven, and eight, which may reflect the nature of the state assessment schedule or school-specific factors a parent could ask the school to clarify.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller Hispanic presence and very few white or multiracial students. Free-and-reduced-price lunch rates were not available in the reported data. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits in the Englewood neighborhood at a specific address on South Paulina.
Chicago itself is one of the nation's most walkable and transit-rich cities, with an extensive 'L' rail network and bus system, parks throughout every neighborhood, and lakefront amenities. The city has resumed population growth after a period of decline and continues to approve housing units at a steady pace. Cook County's housing market shows modest year-over-year appreciation, with a median home value reflecting typical Chicago-area pricing. Rents are rising gradually, and the county's supply of available homes remains relatively stable.
The Chicago Public Schools district is undergoing structural change. In 2024, voters elected the first members of a newly constituted 21-member elected school board, replacing the previous mayor-appointed system, with a fully elected board scheduled for 2027. The district released a strategic plan centered on strengthening neighborhood schools and moving away from the school-choice model that has long defined CPS. In late 2024, CPS replaced numeric school ratings with new holistic accountability dashboards that look beyond test scores. The district has also rolled out Skyline, a comprehensive PreK-12 curriculum available to all district schools at no additional cost, replacing the prior system where schools sourced their own materials. These shifts reshape how families navigate school choice and how schools are evaluated.
For a family considering Davis M, the key questions are whether the school's current academic results match their expectations, what targeted support exists for students below grade level, and how the school's place in the neighborhood-schools framework aligns with their priorities as the district pivots away from selective enrollment toward a neighborhood-based model. The school's small size and location in an established South Side neighborhood are defining characteristics; a parent should visit, speak with current families, and ask directly about the school's plans to improve outcomes in mathematics and language arts.
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