The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Richardson Middle School
Richardson Middle School serves grades five through eight in Chicago's Southwest Side. It is a public school within Chicago Public Schools District 299, located in the 60629 zip code on the South Karlov Avenue corridor.
The enrollment is roughly 840 students distributed fairly evenly across the four grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a very small share of students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and on special education and English learner populations were not available in the records we reviewed.
In state testing for math and English language arts, Richardson's performance is below the midpoint among districts across Cook County. The most recent Illinois state test results, from spring 2025, show the school's overall proficiency rate around the bottom quarter of its county comparison group. Math proficiency varies by grade level, ranging from roughly one in seven eighth graders meeting state standards to roughly one in four seventh graders. English language arts performance is somewhat stronger, with proficiency ranging from roughly one in three eighth graders to roughly two in five sixth graders meeting state standards. In science, the grades that were tested (fifth and eighth) showed similar low proficiency rates. State assessment data for the earliest grades (third and fourth) were not available, likely because those grades are not part of the school's configuration as a middle school. Participation in state testing was nearly universal across all grades where results were reported. The state testing regime changed cut scores in the most recent year, so direct year-to-year trend comparisons are not reliably available.
The school sits in a neighborhood where housing values are accessible relative to the wider Chicago metro and Cook County, with median home values reflective of a working- to middle-class area. Rental costs are similarly moderate. The Cook County housing market overall has shown modest inventory and has been shifting gradually toward greater supply in early 2026, though demand remains subdued across the county.
Chicago is a large, dense city with a strong public transit system and extensive neighborhood commerce. It has resumed population growth after years of decline and continues to approve new housing units, with particularly rapid development along the downtown waterfront and North Lakefront. The city's economy is diverse, anchored by finance, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and major public employers including Chicago Public Schools itself.
At the district level, Chicago Public Schools has undergone several significant shifts. The most visible is the transition to an elected school board, with the first partial election in November 2024 and a complete election of all 21 seats scheduled for November 2026. This gives families direct voice in governance for the first time. The district adopted a strategic plan in 2024 titled "Together We Rise" that emphasizes strengthening neighborhood schools, signaling a move away from the choice-based enrollment policies that have defined the district for decades. CPS also replaced its old numeric school ratings with new holistic dashboards starting in late 2024, changing how families evaluate school quality and making test scores one element rather than the primary measure. The district rolled out Skyline, a PreK-12 universal curriculum developed by CPS, across multiple subjects beginning in 2021-2022, standardizing instructional materials across district schools.
Richardson's academic outcomes suggest the school would benefit from targeted support in math proficiency across multiple grades. Parents considering this school may want to examine the school's specific instructional approach, support structures, and any supplementary programs aimed at lifting achievement in tested subjects. The neighborhood setting, moderate housing costs, and strong transit access may appeal to families seeking to stay in their community while using public schools. The district's recent pivot toward neighborhood school investment and the new governance model may also factor into longer-term confidence in the school's trajectory.
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