Is Fernwood Elementary School a good school?

Fernwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 24.8% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Fernwood Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 255 students attended Fernwood Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Fernwood Elementary School?

Students at Fernwood Elementary School are 94% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Fernwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Fernwood Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Julian High School

Fernwood Elementary School

Summary:

Fernwood Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 265 students. As part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299, which is ranked 688 out of 813 districts in Illinois, Fernwood has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of that time period.

Fernwood Elementary School faces significant challenges, particularly in the areas of chronic absenteeism and academic performance. The school has had very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.7% to 50.2% over the past 5 years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Academically, Fernwood's proficiency rates on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) are well below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 33.7% of Fernwood students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 30.5% for the district and 41.2% for the state, and only 13.9% were proficient or better in math, compared to 18.3% for the district and 28.4% for the state.

When comparing Fernwood Elementary School to the nearby schools in the same district, such as Wacker Elementary, Hughes L Elementary, and Mount Vernon Elementary, it becomes clear that Fernwood is one of the lower-performing schools in the area, with higher chronic absenteeism rates and lower academic proficiency. Addressing the root causes of these issues will be crucial for Fernwood to make significant progress and better serve its students.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

10041 S Union Ave
Chicago, IL 60628-1824

(773) 535-2700

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1555^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,373

Students who attend Fernwood Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Julian High School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.5

Number of students: 255

Racial breakdown:

African American:

93.7%

Two or more races:

4.7%

Hispanic:

1.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 94.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Fernwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Fernwood Elementary School ranks worse than 75.2% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 211^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 24.59. (See more...)

Compare Details Fernwood Elementary School ranks better than 50.4% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 44.68. (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 (93.7%), two or more races (4.7%), Hispanic (1.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 94.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Fernwood Elementary School is 17.5. 424 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Fernwood Elementary School employs 14.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Fernwood Elementary School is $20,373. 248 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Fernwood Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Fernwood Elementary School 1555^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Fernwood Elementary School 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 Fernwood Elementary School 676^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Fernwood Elementary School 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.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Fernwood Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	6.36	1857^th	2020	8.1%
2004	18.24	1730^th	2030	14.8%
2005	9.60	1827^th	2022	9.6%
2006	8.53	1923^rd	2086	7.8%
2007	26.70	1728^th	2095	17.5%
2008	19.47	1789^th	2092	14.5%
2009	21.33	1778^th	2120	16.1%
2010	43.83	1414^th	2139	33.9%
2011	27.29	1714^th	2147	20.2%
2012	47.09	1362^nd	2166	37.1%
2013	39.96	1406^th	2167	35.1%
2014	29.50	1549^th	2093	26.0%
2015	36.92	1212^th	2052	40.9%
2016	22.55	1627^th	2046	20.5%
2017	31.72	1364^th	2044	33.3%
2018	26.19	1514^th	2037	25.7%
2019	39.21	1217^th	2086	41.7%
2021	24.04	1438^th	1948	26.2%
2022	26.61	1477^th	2082	29.1%
2023	21.71	1615^th	2077	22.2%
2024	24.59	1555^th	2067	24.8%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	41.41	1018^th	1765	42.3%
2019	58.25	600^th	1816	67.0%
2021	38.02	902^nd	1514	40.4%
2022	38.89	1049^th	1763	40.5%
2023	34.99	1175^th	1808	35.0%
2024	39.98	1059^th	1793	40.9%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.98	1491^st	1964	24.1%
2019	38.61	1200^th	2019	40.6%
2021	26.01	1223^rd	1680	27.2%
2022	24.02	1481^st	1970	24.8%
2023	22.82	1510^th	1957	22.8%
2024	28.42	1364^th	1942	29.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	29.74	1387^th	1972	29.7%
2019	46.09	1009^th	2019	50.0%
2021	26.54	1222^nd	1707	28.4%
2022	33.15	1244^th	1977	37.1%
2023	25.14	1453^rd	1984	26.8%
2024	26.94	1391^st	1959	29.0%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.19	192^nd	698	72.5%
2019	72.99	99^th	711	86.1%
2021	55.76	102^nd	428	76.2%
2022	61.85	161^st	684	76.5%
2023	50.46	259^th	692	62.6%
2024	55.57	201^st	655	69.3%

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

Rank History for Fernwood Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	5.94	1119^th	1185	5.6%
2004	7.07	1109^th	1204	7.9%
2005	5.99	1121^st	1209	7.3%
2006	18.37	1070^th	1272	15.9%
2007	34.89	944^th	1287	26.7%
2008	22.25	1066^th	1293	17.6%
2009	29.88	1015^th	1318	23.0%
2010	25.27	1069^th	1327	19.4%
2011	24.08	1118^th	1344	16.8%
2012	30.81	1041^st	1365	23.7%
2013	46.67	747^th	1367	45.4%
2014	22.56	1084^th	1322	18.0%
2015	24.58	995^th	1302	23.6%
2016	21.73	1066^th	1294	17.6%
2017	38.95	763^rd	1293	41.0%
2018	19.49	1067^th	1293	17.5%
2019	23.06	1058^th	1356	22.0%
2021	29.92	825^th	1241	33.5%
2022	23.98	1023^rd	1369	25.3%
2023	37.58	809^th	1367	40.8%
2024	44.68	676^th	1363	50.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.47	875^th	1161	24.6%
2019	34.14	830^th	1217	31.8%
2021	46.29	474^th	1019	53.5%
2022	35.72	751^st	1221	38.5%
2023	51.85	505^th	1234	59.1%
2024	62.93	335^th	1219	72.5%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.84	1072^nd	1226	12.6%
2019	32.45	870^th	1276	31.8%
2021	30.79	682^nd	1017	32.9%
2022	23.66	982^nd	1286	23.6%
2023	40.26	721^st	1275	43.5%
2024	43.93	649^th	1251	48.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	25.00	918^th	1223	24.9%
2019	14.86	1174^th	1296	9.4%
2021	17.43	923^rd	1048	11.9%
2022	31.77	835^th	1286	35.1%
2023	33.59	814^th	1292	37.0%
2024	43.75	624^th	1264	50.6%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Fernwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	47.65	215^th	511	57.9%
2019	54.32	185^th	565	67.3%
2021	65.89	66^th	385	82.9%
2022	50.45	212^th	573	63.0%
2023	71.86	82^nd	569	85.6%
2024	71.65	89^th	548	83.8%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, March 6, 2018

My third year at Fernwood Elememtary School & all I can say they are EXCELLENT. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Smalll school. Great staff. Strong administration... Close Quote

Enrollment information for Fernwood Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	503	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	503
1990	n/a	501	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	501
1991	0	518	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	518
1992	0	518	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	518
1993	1	425	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	426
1994	0	414	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	414
1995	0	424	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	424
1996	0	424	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	424
1997	0	449	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	449
1998	1	453	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	454
1999	0	475	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	476
2000	0	450	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	450
2001	1	453	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	454
2002	1	447	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	448
2003	1	447	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	448
2004	0	413	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	413
2005	0	430	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	430
2006	0	465	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	467
2007	0	434	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	436
2008	0	443	0	0	3	n/a	n/a	3	449
2009	1	444	2	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	450
2010	0	352	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	355
2011	0	318	0	0	0	0	0	0	318
2012	0	340	0	1	0	0	0	0	341
2013	0	311	0	1	0	0	1	0	313
2014	0	303	0	0	0	0	2	0	305
2015	0	340	0	1	0	0	1	0	342
2016	0	350	0	0	0	0	1	0	351
2017	0	295	0	1	0	1	0	0	297
2018	0	299	0	1	0	1	0	0	301
2019	0	268	0	2	0	0	0	0	270
2020	0	272	0	2	0	0	1	0	275
2021	0	260	0	1	0	0	1	0	262
2022	0	292	0	7	0	0	1	0	300
2023	0	260	0	4	0	0	1	0	265
2024	0	239	0	4	0	0	12	0	255

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 Fernwood Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	503	20.0	25.1	n/a
1990	501	21.0	23.8	n/a
1991	518	22.0	23.5	n/a
1992	518	23.0	22.5	n/a
1993	426	21.0	20.3	n/a
1994	414	21.5	19.3	n/a
1995	424	24.0	17.7	n/a
1996	424	24.0	17.7	n/a
1997	449	25.0	18.0	n/a
1998	454	24.0	18.9	n/a
1999	476	21.0	22.7	n/a
2000	450	22.0	20.5	n/a
2001	454	24.2	18.8	n/a
2002	448	22.0	20.4	76.8
2003	448	22.0	20.4	76.8
2004	413	16.9	24.4	81.4
2005	430	25.5	16.9	99.3
2006	467	25.5	18.3	94.6
2007	436	22.0	19.8	97
2008	449	22.0	20.4	97.5
2009	450	23.5	19.1	90
2010	355	25.0	14.2	98.9
2011	318	16.0	19.8	97.5
2012	341	18.0	18.9	98.2
2013	313	22.5	13.8	97.4
2014	305	18.0	16.9	97.4
2015	342	17.0	20.1	98.2
2016	351	14.0	25.0	96
2017	297	11.5	25.6	97
2018	301	14.1	21.2	96.3
2019	270	15.0	18.0	92.2
2020	275	12.0	22.9	92.7
2021	262	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	300	15.0	20.0	93.7
2023	265	15.0	17.6	87.5
2024	255	14.5	17.5	94.1

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 Fernwood Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	503	20.0	25.1	n/a
1990	501	21.0	23.8	n/a
1991	518	22.0	23.5	n/a
1992	518	23.0	22.5	n/a
1993	426	21.0	20.3	n/a
1994	414	21.5	19.3	n/a
1995	424	24.0	17.7	n/a
1996	424	24.0	17.7	n/a
1997	449	25.0	18.0	n/a
1998	454	24.0	18.9	n/a
1999	476	21.0	22.7	n/a
2000	450	22.0	20.5	n/a
2001	454	24.2	18.8	n/a
2002	448	22.0	20.4	76.8
2003	448	22.0	20.4	76.8
2004	413	16.9	24.4	81.4
2005	430	25.5	16.9	99.3
2006	467	25.5	18.3	94.6
2007	436	22.0	19.8	97
2008	449	22.0	20.4	97.5
2009	450	23.5	19.1	90
2010	355	25.0	14.2	98.9
2011	318	16.0	19.8	97.5
2012	341	18.0	18.9	98.2
2013	313	22.5	13.8	97.4
2014	305	18.0	16.9	97.4
2015	342	17.0	20.1	98.2
2016	351	14.0	25.0	96
2017	297	11.5	25.6	97
2018	301	14.1	21.2	96.3
2019	270	15.0	18.0	92.2
2020	275	12.0	22.9	92.7
2021	262	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	300	15.0	20.0	93.7
2023	265	15.0	17.6	87.5
2024	255	14.5	17.5	94.1

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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