Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad

KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade on the South Side of Chicago, in the 60623 zip code. The school enrolled a student body that is predominantly Black, with smaller Hispanic and multiracial populations. The enrollment is modest, with roughly equal distribution across grades, running to about a high school-like size for the grade band.

The most pressing reality is academic performance. In math, the school's proficiency across tested grades (third through eighth) sits well below the state benchmark. Third-grade math proficiency stands in the low-to-mid range; by fourth grade it drops sharply; by fifth grade only a very small fraction of students meet state proficiency. Sixth through eighth grade math proficiency remains in the single digits. The trajectory is deeply concerning. English language arts shows somewhat better results, with third- and fourth-grade students at modest but noticeable proficiency rates, fifth grade holding steady, and eighth grade notably stronger—reaching into the mid-to-upper range. This is the brightest spot in the data. Science proficiency in fifth and eighth grade is similarly low to math.

Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Cook County school districts. A parent should look into this further with the school directly: the data shows a pattern of weak foundational skills that does not improve with progression through the grades, which raises questions about curriculum, instructional approach, and student support systems.

Ascend Academy sits within Chicago Public Schools District 299, which is undergoing significant structural and policy shifts. The district is moving toward a fully elected Board of Education; the first election took place in November 2024, and all 21 seats will be elected in November 2026. The board also adopted a strategic plan in 2024 titled "Together We Rise" that intends to strengthen neighborhood schools and has backed away from the school-choice and selective-enrollment emphasis that long defined CPS. The district has also phased out numeric school ratings in favor of new accountability dashboards and rolled out Skyline, a uniform PreK-12 curriculum across all content areas, so instructional materials are now standardized district-wide rather than school-selected.

Charter schools like Ascend operate within this district ecosystem but maintain distinct governance and flexibility. As a KIPP school—part of the Knowledge Is Power Program network—Ascend likely follows KIPP's model of extended school day and year, mission-driven culture, and accountability for student outcomes. That said, the state assessment data is the baseline reality: proficiency rates are weak, especially in math, and the school is not currently demonstrating strong academic gains.

The South Side neighborhood where Ascend sits is part of Chicago's vast residential fabric. Chicago is a large, dense city of multiple community areas and neighborhoods, with a major downtown, extensive transit via the CTA, and significant lakefront. The housing market in the 60623 zip code shows modest home values and rental rates that have edged upward. The broader Cook County market is characterized by moderate listing supply and muted demand; the region's economy remains diversified across finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and public sector employment.

For a parent weighing Ascend Academy, the core question is whether the school's model and trajectory align with their family's needs. The school offers a known brand with deep mission alignment and extended time on task. However, the test results show students are not currently reaching state proficiency benchmarks at rates the school and families would hope for, and the pattern across grades suggests the issue may be systemic rather than isolated to a single cohort. A conversation with school leadership about instructional design, student support, literacy and numeracy foundations, and evidence of progress over time would be essential before enrolling.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 38% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 412%

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

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

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 24% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 69%

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

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

Grade 78%

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

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

Grade 87%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 36% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 39% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 45% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 46% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 48% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 518%

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

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 2 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.