Is Howe Elementary School a good school?

Howe Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.3% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Howe Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 354 students attended Howe Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Howe Elementary School?

Students at Howe Elementary School are 86% African American, 13% Hispanic, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Howe Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Howe Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Orr Academy High School

Howe Elementary School

Summary:

Howe Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 382 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. Howe Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Howe Elementary School faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 41.7% to 52.6% in recent years, and academic performance that is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 10.4% of Howe students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 30.5% for the district and 41.2% for the state. In mathematics, only 8.1% of Howe students were proficient or better, compared to 18.3% for the district and 28.4% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as African American students, special education students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Despite the relatively high spending per student at Howe Elementary School, at $17,186 in the 2022-2023 school year, the school's academic performance remains significantly below the district and state averages. This raises questions about the effective allocation and utilization of resources to support student learning. Nearby schools, such as Nash Elementary, Ellington Elementary, and KIPP Academy Chicago Campus, generally perform better than Howe Elementary School on key metrics, suggesting that the challenges faced by Howe Elementary School are not necessarily shared by all schools in the surrounding area.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

720 N Lorel Ave
Chicago, IL 60644-1666

(773) 534-6060

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
2061^st of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,112

Students who attend Howe Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Orr Academy High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.8

Number of students: 354

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.6%

Hispanic:

13.0%

White:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 97.2%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Howe Elementary School ranks worse than 99.7% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 449^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 8.27. (See more...)

Compare Details Howe Elementary School ranks worse than 74.2% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.44. (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 (85.6%), Hispanic (13%), White (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 97.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Howe Elementary School is 11.8, which is the 127^th best among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Howe Elementary School employs 30 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Howe Elementary School is $21,112, which is the 224^th highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Howe Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Howe Elementary School 2061^st of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Howe Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Howe Elementary School 1011^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Howe Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless 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 Rating:

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Rank History for Howe Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	1.59	1990^th	2020	1.5%
2004	1.45	1994^th	2030	1.8%
2005	0.69	2009^th	2022	0.6%
2006	1.87	2038^th	2086	2.3%
2007	0.50	2091^st	2095	0.2%
2008	5.02	2007^th	2092	4.1%
2009	8.23	1979^th	2120	6.7%
2010	15.05	1894^th	2139	11.5%
2011	30.02	1648^th	2147	23.2%
2012	33.45	1614^th	2166	25.5%
2013	28.46	1618^th	2167	25.3%
2014	20.64	1743^rd	2093	16.7%
2015	11.03	1974^th	2052	3.8%
2016	12.05	1914^th	2046	6.5%
2017	10.00	1964^th	2044	3.9%
2018	9.80	1972^nd	2037	3.2%
2019	8.71	2041^st	2086	2.2%
2021	12.46	1889^th	1948	3.0%
2022	10.42	2060^th	2082	1.1%
2023	11.02	2002^nd	2077	3.6%
2024	8.27	2061^st	2067	0.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.94	637^th	763	16.5%
2019	19.72	1148^th	1194	3.9%
2022	24.79	930^th	1113	16.4%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.79	1689^th	1765	4.3%
2019	13.00	1760^th	1816	3.1%
2021	18.45	1433^rd	1514	5.4%
2022	14.24	1737^th	1763	1.5%
2023	15.66	1730^th	1808	4.3%
2024	10.84	1787^th	1793	0.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Homeless students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	18.37	22^nd	24	8.3%
2022	35.31	26^th	36	27.8%
2023	28.65	27^th	30	10.0%
2024	23.31	49^th	52	5.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.19	1873^rd	1964	4.6%
2019	8.70	1978^th	2019	2.0%
2021	13.01	1581^st	1680	5.9%
2022	11.18	1918^th	1970	2.6%
2023	10.53	1913^th	1957	2.2%
2024	8.54	1938^th	1942	0.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	9.76	1931^st	1972	2.1%
2019	10.77	1938^th	2019	4.0%
2021	14.73	1578^th	1707	7.6%
2022	10.46	1963^rd	1977	0.7%
2023	12.48	1875^th	1984	5.5%
2024	9.37	1938^th	1959	1.1%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	25.42	594^th	698	14.9%
2019	24.52	621^st	711	12.7%
2021	28.90	348^th	428	18.7%
2022	22.97	644^th	684	5.8%
2023	24.62	602^nd	692	13.0%
2024	18.70	636^th	655	2.9%

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 Howe Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	3.82	1154^th	1185	2.6%
2004	1.45	1201^st	1204	0.2%
2005	2.32	1185^th	1209	2.0%
2006	2.49	1241^st	1272	2.4%
2007	3.25	1256^th	1287	2.4%
2008	2.22	1276^th	1293	1.3%
2009	11.63	1192^nd	1318	9.6%
2010	29.65	1025^th	1327	22.8%
2011	23.32	1125^th	1344	16.3%
2012	27.06	1086^th	1365	20.4%
2013	29.73	1022^nd	1367	25.2%
2014	24.34	1051^st	1322	20.5%
2015	15.59	1154^th	1302	11.4%
2016	15.05	1177^th	1294	9.0%
2017	13.02	1196^th	1293	7.5%
2018	11.06	1232^nd	1293	4.7%
2019	8.58	1332^nd	1356	1.8%
2021	12.24	1186^th	1241	4.4%
2022	12.17	1321^st	1369	3.5%
2023	14.61	1243^rd	1367	9.1%
2024	24.44	1011^th	1363	25.8%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.79	496^th	602	17.6%
2019	24.69	700^th	792	11.6%
2022	26.43	767^th	781	1.8%
2023	18.48	788^th	805	2.1%
2024	27.20	603^rd	802	24.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.65	1080^th	1161	7.0%
2019	10.44	1193^rd	1217	2.0%
2021	15.98	983^rd	1019	3.5%
2022	16.29	1160^th	1221	5.0%
2023	21.53	1057^th	1234	14.3%
2024	35.11	782^nd	1219	35.8%

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

Rank History for middle school Homeless students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	19.80	34^th	36	5.6%
2022	33.81	23^rd	34	32.4%
2024	51.16	28^th	70	60.0%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	9.51	1177^th	1226	4.0%
2019	8.85	1235^th	1276	3.2%
2021	12.40	964^th	1017	5.2%
2022	12.90	1206^th	1286	6.2%
2023	12.97	1192^nd	1275	6.5%
2024	32.36	808^th	1251	35.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.92	584^th	674	13.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Howe Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	13.76	1127^th	1223	7.8%
2019	9.30	1285^th	1296	0.8%
2022	12.74	1230^th	1286	4.4%
2023	17.08	1130^th	1292	12.5%
2024	20.09	1031^st	1264	18.4%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.13	400^th	511	21.7%
2019	20.82	528^th	565	6.5%
2021	30.81	287^th	385	25.5%
2022	26.41	490^th	573	14.5%
2023	31.24	399^th	569	29.9%
2024	49.62	220^th	548	59.9%

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: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Howe Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	6	1297	n/a	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1307
1990	4	1303	n/a	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1310
1991	1	1201	0	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	1203
1992	0	1111	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	1111
1993	1	1014	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	1016
1994	0	946	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	948
1995	1	966	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	971
1996	1	966	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	971
1997	0	977	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	980
1998	3	960	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	967
1999	0	939	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	941
2000	163	682	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	845
2001	1	809	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	814
2002	0	779	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	782
2003	0	779	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	782
2004	0	785	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	792
2005	0	793	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	798
2006	0	691	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	1	696
2007	0	685	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	3	688
2008	0	585	0	2	1	n/a	n/a	7	595
2009	0	552	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	555
2010	0	538	1	2	2	n/a	n/a	1	544
2011	0	575	1	6	0	0	0	0	582
2012	1	562	1	10	0	0	1	0	575
2013	0	583	1	16	2	0	0	0	602
2015	1	554	1	22	1	0	2	0	581
2016	1	501	1	14	0	0	1	0	518
2017	0	477	1	12	1	0	3	0	494
2018	0	463	0	15	1	0	1	0	480
2019	0	405	0	20	0	0	1	0	426
2020	0	397	0	18	0	0	1	0	416
2021	0	365	0	22	0	0	1	0	388
2022	1	367	0	32	0	0	2	0	402
2023	3	337	0	39	0	0	3	0	382
2024	4	303	0	46	0	0	1	0	354

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 Howe Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1307	57.0	22.9	n/a
1990	1310	58.0	22.5	n/a
1991	1203	63.0	19.0	n/a
1992	1111	62.0	17.9	n/a
1993	1016	61.0	16.7	n/a
1994	948	55.0	17.2	n/a
1995	971	48.0	20.2	n/a
1996	971	48.0	20.2	n/a
1997	980	48.0	20.4	n/a
1998	967	44.0	22.0	n/a
1999	941	39.0	24.1	n/a
2000	845	40.0	21.1	n/a
2001	814	39.0	20.9	n/a
2002	782	37.0	21.1	83.4
2003	782	37.0	21.1	83.4
2004	792	37.0	21.4	91.7
2005	798	37.9	21.1	88.6
2006	696	39.6	17.6	86.6
2007	688	26.0	26.5	83.9
2008	595	28.0	21.3	91.5
2009	555	30.0	18.5	94.2
2010	544	30.0	18.1	99.6
2011	582	29.0	20.0	98.5
2012	575	30.0	19.1	97.6
2013	602	32.9	18.2	98.7
2015	581	37.0	15.7	98.6
2016	518	30.0	17.2	98.8
2017	494	24.6	20.0	97.8
2018	480	24.8	19.3	96.7
2019	426	28.0	15.2	95.8
2020	416	25.0	16.6	95
2021	388	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	402	25.0	16.0	97
2023	382	25.5	14.9	97.1
2024	354	30.0	11.8	97.2

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 Howe Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1307	57.0	22.9	n/a
1990	1310	58.0	22.5	n/a
1991	1203	63.0	19.0	n/a
1992	1111	62.0	17.9	n/a
1993	1016	61.0	16.7	n/a
1994	948	55.0	17.2	n/a
1995	971	48.0	20.2	n/a
1996	971	48.0	20.2	n/a
1997	980	48.0	20.4	n/a
1998	967	44.0	22.0	n/a
1999	941	39.0	24.1	n/a
2000	845	40.0	21.1	n/a
2001	814	39.0	20.9	n/a
2002	782	37.0	21.1	83.4
2003	782	37.0	21.1	83.4
2004	792	37.0	21.4	91.7
2005	798	37.9	21.1	88.6
2006	696	39.6	17.6	86.6
2007	688	26.0	26.5	83.9
2008	595	28.0	21.3	91.5
2009	555	30.0	18.5	94.2
2010	544	30.0	18.1	99.6
2011	582	29.0	20.0	98.5
2012	575	30.0	19.1	97.6
2013	602	32.9	18.2	98.7
2015	581	37.0	15.7	98.6
2016	518	30.0	17.2	98.8
2017	494	24.6	20.0	97.8
2018	480	24.8	19.3	96.7
2019	426	28.0	15.2	95.8
2020	416	25.0	16.6	95
2021	388	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	402	25.0	16.0	97
2023	382	25.5	14.9	97.1
2024	354	30.0	11.8	97.2

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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