Acero Chtr - Sandra Cisneros Elem, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Acero Chtr - Sandra Cisneros Elem

Acero Chtr - Sandra Cisneros Elem is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Chicago's Pershing Road area, on the Southwest Side. The school enroll a small population almost entirely of Hispanic descent, reflecting the neighborhood composition. This is a young, relatively small charter within Chicago Public Schools, drawing families who have chosen this school option from across the district.

State test results from 2024-25 show a school in early academic struggle. Math proficiency ranges from as low as a few percent in grade six to a high of about one in five students in grade seven, with most other grades falling between those bounds. English language arts results are similarly compressed at the lower end, except grade five, which reaches about halfway to proficiency, and grade eight, which is above a third. Science proficiency in grade five sits just above one in ten; grade eight reaches about one in four. The school participates fully in state testing and reports these results with full participation. Against other schools in Cook County, this school's proficiency index places it at the bottom quartile.

One strength appears to be eighth-grade reading performance, which is the school's highest single result and suggests that at least some students are advancing. The grade-five reading result also stands out as the school's highest achievement across either subject. Beyond those two points, proficiency is uniformly low across grades and subjects.

The school sits at the intersection of two district shifts. Chicago Public Schools has committed to a strategy centered on strengthening neighborhood schools and backing away from selective-enrollment and choice-driven admissions. Simultaneously, the district replaced its numeric school ratings in late 2024 with broader dashboards covering not only test scores but school experience and resources. Parents comparing this school to others will now see a more complex picture of how it deploys resources and supports student experience, though the test data itself tells a consistent story of early-stage academic performance.

Enrollment is stable at a small size. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and special-education or English learner counts are not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the composition of its student population and what supports are available for any students who are learning English.

The neighborhood housing market has moderate value with recent modest growth. Rent is accessible relative to incomes in the broader region, though the cost of living remains a real consideration for any family in Cook County.

For a parent considering this school, the essential question is whether you are seeking a charter option in this part of Chicago and what your tolerance is for a school with very low current test achievement. The data itself does not explain why this is happening, so conversations with the school about its instructional approach, staff stability, curriculum implementation, and concrete plans to raise proficiency would be important before enrollment. The school exists within the district's broader commitment to neighborhood schooling, which may be a fit for some families even if test results are presently weak.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 38% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 29% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 24% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 63%

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

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

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 27% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 23% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 36% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 39% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 43% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 45% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 46% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 48% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 29% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 31% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with 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.