Is Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts a good school?

Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts?

In the 2023-24 school year, 265 students attended Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts.

What is the racial makeup of Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts?

Students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts are 90% African American, 9% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts attend?

Students who attend Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts usually go on to attend: High : Tilden Career Communty Academy High School

Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Summary:

Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 238 students. The school is part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299, which is ranked 688 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dewey Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most years. The school faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, well-below-average test scores across all grade levels and subjects, and poor subgroup performance. For example, in 2023-2024, only 26.2% of Dewey students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 30.5% for the district and 41.2% for the state. In math, only 13.4% of Dewey students were proficient, compared to 18.3% for the district and 28.4% for the state. Comparing Dewey to nearby schools, such as Sherwood Elementary, Nicholson Technical Academy, and Beasley Elementary Magnet, reveals that Dewey is one of the lowest-performing schools in the area.

Despite higher spending per student and a lower student-teacher ratio, Dewey Elementary's academic outcomes remain very poor, raising questions about how resources are being allocated and utilized at the school. Addressing the underlying factors contributing to Dewey's struggles, such as attendance and socioeconomic challenges, as well as exploring ways to leverage the school's fine arts focus, could be crucial for driving meaningful improvements.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

5415 S Union Ave
Chicago, IL 60609-5244

(773) 535-1666

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1731^st of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $26,553

Students who attend Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts usually attend:

High:

Tilden Career Communty Academy High School

Student/teacher ratio: 9.8

Number of students: 265

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.8%

Hispanic:

9.1%

White:

0.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95.5%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts ranks worse than 83.7% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 277^th among 452 ranked elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.21. (See more...)

Compare Details Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts ranks worse than 52% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 42.63. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (89.8%), Hispanic (9.1%), White (0.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts is 9.8, which is the 37^th best among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts employs 27 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts is $26,553, which is the 62^nd highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts:

SchoolDigger ranks Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts 1731^st of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts 709^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Chicago Public Schools District 299:

SchoolDigger ranks Chicago Public Schools District 299 688^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	1.36	1998^th	2020	1.1%
2004	1.10	2009^th	2030	1.0%
2005	4.16	1898^th	2022	6.1%
2006	15.96	1837^th	2086	11.9%
2007	14.79	1870^th	2095	10.7%
2008	16.08	1835^th	2092	12.3%
2009	21.82	1771^st	2120	16.5%
2010	0.33	2139^th	2139	0.0%
2011	1.19	2141^st	2147	0.3%
2012	1.09	2155^th	2166	0.5%
2013	2.37	2159^th	2167	0.4%
2014	2.09	2082^nd	2093	0.5%
2015	11.95	1951^st	2052	4.9%
2016	12.85	1893^rd	2046	7.5%
2017	11.95	1898^th	2044	7.1%
2018	11.51	1931^st	2037	5.2%
2019	13.49	1920^th	2086	8.0%
2021	18.31	1641^st	1948	15.8%
2022	11.62	2014^th	2082	3.3%
2023	15.77	1838^th	2077	11.5%
2024	18.21	1731^st	2067	16.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.05	1627^th	1765	7.8%
2019	19.29	1654^th	1816	8.9%
2021	29.12	1137^th	1514	24.9%
2022	16.87	1676^th	1763	4.9%
2023	24.49	1492^nd	1808	17.5%
2024	27.45	1386^th	1793	22.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.64	1861^st	1964	5.2%
2019	14.81	1821^st	2019	9.8%
2021	13.53	1567^th	1680	6.7%
2022	11.54	1908^th	1970	3.1%
2023	18.19	1665^th	1957	14.9%
2024	23.25	1498^th	1942	22.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	13.75	1823^rd	1972	7.6%
2019	15.59	1817^th	2019	10.0%
2021	18.34	1452^nd	1707	14.9%
2022	12.53	1892^nd	1977	4.3%
2023	15.04	1790^th	1984	9.8%
2024	15.95	1726^th	1959	11.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.68	493^rd	698	29.4%
2019	35.40	457^th	711	35.7%
2021	43.04	183^rd	428	57.2%
2022	28.23	552^nd	684	19.3%
2023	37.73	402^nd	692	41.9%
2024	38.91	380^th	655	42.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

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Rank History for all middle school students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	8.22	1075^th	1185	9.3%
2004	3.17	1181^st	1204	1.9%
2005	4.72	1134^th	1209	6.2%
2006	7.25	1178^th	1272	7.4%
2007	7.93	1191^st	1287	7.5%
2008	23.98	1046^th	1293	19.1%
2009	18.16	1116^th	1318	15.3%
2010	2.50	1304^th	1327	1.7%
2011	0.85	1340^th	1344	0.3%
2012	1.41	1356^th	1365	0.7%
2013	0.55	1367^th	1367	0.0%
2014	1.76	1316^th	1322	0.5%
2015	11.52	1234^th	1302	5.2%
2016	11.94	1226^th	1294	5.3%
2017	20.98	1036^th	1293	19.9%
2018	23.75	991^st	1293	23.4%
2019	19.50	1121^st	1356	17.3%
2021	23.49	958^th	1241	22.8%
2022	23.34	1035^th	1369	24.4%
2023	31.26	897^th	1367	34.4%
2024	42.63	709^th	1363	48.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.74	754^th	1161	35.1%
2019	26.52	961^st	1217	21.0%
2021	39.19	597^th	1019	41.4%
2022	32.44	828^th	1221	32.2%
2023	47.11	590^th	1234	52.2%
2024	53.97	465^th	1219	61.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.30	803^rd	1226	34.5%
2019	21.53	1016^th	1276	20.4%
2024	39.27	714^th	1251	42.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	13.21	1139^th	1223	6.9%
2019	21.05	1038^th	1296	19.9%
2021	22.27	851^st	1048	18.8%
2022	25.19	951^st	1286	26.0%
2023	33.96	809^th	1292	37.4%
2024	42.79	642^nd	1264	49.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	51.81	182^nd	511	64.4%
2019	46.11	256^th	565	54.7%
2021	51.78	122^nd	385	68.3%
2022	47.63	227^th	573	60.4%
2023	58.56	158^th	569	72.2%
2024	66.87	108^th	548	80.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	444	n/a	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	446
1990	n/a	456	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	456
1991	0	384	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	384
1992	0	387	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
1993	0	363	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	364
1994	0	369	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	371
1995	0	569	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	569
1996	0	569	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	569
1997	0	568	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	568
1998	0	526	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	528
1999	0	460	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	460
2000	0	480	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	480
2001	0	569	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	571
2002	0	631	0	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	632
2003	0	631	0	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	632
2004	0	612	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	612
2005	0	547	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	548
2006	0	552	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	553
2007	1	482	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	483
2008	1	478	0	3	4	n/a	n/a	10	496
2009	0	429	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	435
2010	0	411	0	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	419
2011	0	329	0	8	0	1	5	0	343
2012	0	341	0	11	0	0	4	0	356
2013	0	314	0	10	0	0	3	0	327
2014	0	327	0	10	0	0	3	0	340
2015	0	351	0	9	0	0	3	0	363
2016	0	374	0	20	0	0	3	0	397
2017	0	383	0	29	0	0	1	0	413
2018	1	388	0	28	0	0	1	0	418
2019	0	373	0	24	0	0	1	0	398
2020	4	280	0	25	0	0	1	0	310
2021	4	271	0	17	0	0	1	0	293
2022	5	265	0	30	0	0	1	0	301
2023	2	211	0	25	0	0	0	0	238
2024	2	238	0	24	0	0	1	0	265

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	446	26.0	17.1	n/a
1990	456	24.0	19.0	n/a
1991	384	26.0	14.7	n/a
1992	387	22.0	17.5	n/a
1993	364	22.0	16.5	n/a
1994	371	18.0	20.6	n/a
1995	569	29.0	19.6	n/a
1996	569	29.0	19.6	n/a
1997	568	32.0	17.8	n/a
1998	528	29.0	18.2	n/a
1999	460	28.0	16.4	n/a
2000	480	27.0	17.8	n/a
2001	571	29.0	19.7	n/a
2002	632	23.0	27.5	71
2003	632	23.0	27.5	71
2004	612	28.7	21.3	75
2005	548	34.4	15.9	78.3
2006	553	34.4	16.1	79.6
2007	483	25.0	19.3	93
2008	496	23.0	21.6	95.3
2009	435	25.5	17.1	97.5
2010	419	23.0	18.2	99.3
2011	343	23.5	14.5	99.1
2012	356	21.0	16.9	99.2
2013	327	18.2	17.8	98.2
2014	340	18.5	18.3	97.9
2015	363	19.0	19.1	99.2
2016	397	24.0	16.5	100
2017	413	22.2	18.5	98.8
2018	418	23.8	17.5	99
2019	398	28.0	14.2	96.7
2020	310	27.0	11.4	95.8
2021	293	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	301	25.0	12.0	97.3
2023	238	26.0	9.1	98.3
2024	265	27.0	9.8	95.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	446	26.0	17.1	n/a
1990	456	24.0	19.0	n/a
1991	384	26.0	14.7	n/a
1992	387	22.0	17.5	n/a
1993	364	22.0	16.5	n/a
1994	371	18.0	20.6	n/a
1995	569	29.0	19.6	n/a
1996	569	29.0	19.6	n/a
1997	568	32.0	17.8	n/a
1998	528	29.0	18.2	n/a
1999	460	28.0	16.4	n/a
2000	480	27.0	17.8	n/a
2001	571	29.0	19.7	n/a
2002	632	23.0	27.5	71
2003	632	23.0	27.5	71
2004	612	28.7	21.3	75
2005	548	34.4	15.9	78.3
2006	553	34.4	16.1	79.6
2007	483	25.0	19.3	93
2008	496	23.0	21.6	95.3
2009	435	25.5	17.1	97.5
2010	419	23.0	18.2	99.3
2011	343	23.5	14.5	99.1
2012	356	21.0	16.9	99.2
2013	327	18.2	17.8	98.2
2014	340	18.5	18.3	97.9
2015	363	19.0	19.1	99.2
2016	397	24.0	16.5	100
2017	413	22.2	18.5	98.8
2018	418	23.8	17.5	99
2019	398	28.0	14.2	96.7
2020	310	27.0	11.4	95.8
2021	293	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	301	25.0	12.0	97.3
2023	238	26.0	9.1	98.3
2024	265	27.0	9.8	95.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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