Is Ward L Elementary School a good school?

Ward L Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.8% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Ward L Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 259 students attended Ward L Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Ward L Elementary School?

Students at Ward L Elementary School are 76% African American, 23% Hispanic.

Ward L Elementary School

Summary:

Ward L Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the Chicago Public Schools District 299, with 247 students located in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. Unfortunately, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Illinois, with a statewide ranking between 1618 and 2061 out of over 2,000 schools and receiving 0 or 1 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger, indicating very poor performance.

Ward L Elementary School significantly underperforms compared to the Chicago Public Schools district and the state of Illinois on standardized tests, with only 6.7% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 0% meeting or exceeding math standards, compared to much higher district and state averages. The school also struggles with extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 42.4% to 56.0% in recent years, well above the district and state. Interestingly, nearby schools in the same district, such as Polaris Elementary Charter Academy, Cameron Elementary School, and Casals Elementary School, generally outperform Ward L Elementary School on academic measures, despite serving similar student populations.

While Ward L Elementary School faces significant challenges, the presence of higher-performing schools in the same district and community indicates that there may be opportunities for the school to improve with the right strategies and support. The school's relatively high spending per student, ranging from $14,873 to $25,751 in recent years, suggests that the school may not be effectively allocating its resources to support student learning. Identifying and replicating the practices of successful nearby schools could be a promising approach to help Ward L Elementary School address its attendance and academic performance issues.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

646 N Lawndale Ave
Chicago, IL 60624-1254

(773) 534-6440

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
2050^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $26,492

Student/teacher ratio: 11.2

Number of students: 259

Racial breakdown:

African American:

76.4%

Hispanic:

23.2%

Pacific Islander:

0.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 98.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Ward L Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ward L Elementary School ranks worse than 99.2% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 441^st among 452 ranked elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.34. (See more...)

Compare Details Ward L Elementary School ranks worse than 97.6% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.46. (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 (76.4%), Hispanic (23.2%), Pacific Islander (0.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 98.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ward L Elementary School is 11.2, which is the 96^th best among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Ward L Elementary School employs 23 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ward L Elementary School is $26,492, which is the 63^rd highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ward L Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Ward L Elementary School 2050^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Ward L 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:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks Ward L Elementary School 1330^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Ward L 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.)

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Your rating for Ward L Elementary School?

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Rank History for Ward L Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	8.28	1818^th	2020	10.0%
2004	4.49	1912^th	2030	5.8%
2005	5.69	1872^nd	2022	7.4%
2006	4.66	1985^th	2086	4.8%
2007	3.77	2015^th	2095	3.8%
2008	10.46	1907^th	2092	8.8%
2009	48.10	1321^st	2120	37.7%
2010	57.96	1101^st	2139	48.5%
2011	23.29	1783^rd	2147	17.0%
2012	43.03	1445^th	2166	33.3%
2013	61.13	911^th	2167	58.0%
2014	43.49	1257^th	2093	39.9%
2015	32.92	1328^th	2052	35.3%
2016	16.78	1791^st	2046	12.5%
2017	11.95	1899^th	2044	7.1%
2018	9.48	1978^th	2037	2.9%
2019	14.05	1903^rd	2086	8.8%
2021	18.86	1618^th	1948	16.9%
2022	13.19	1943^rd	2082	6.7%
2023	9.33	2061^st	2077	0.8%
2024	9.34	2050^th	2067	0.8%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	13.97	1700^th	1765	3.7%
2019	21.88	1601^st	1816	11.8%
2021	31.90	1069^th	1514	29.4%
2022	19.60	1591^st	1763	9.8%
2023	12.77	1786^th	1808	1.2%
2024	12.76	1770^th	1793	1.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.14	1899^th	1964	3.3%
2019	15.51	1808^th	2019	10.5%
2021	11.01	1645^th	1680	2.1%
2022	19.64	1607^th	1970	18.4%
2023	10.57	1911^th	1957	2.4%
2024	10.60	1898^th	1942	2.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.16	1890^th	1972	4.2%
2019	14.40	1848^th	2019	8.5%
2021	24.54	1276^th	1707	25.2%
2022	11.82	1927^th	1977	2.5%
2023	9.72	1962^nd	1984	1.1%
2024	8.82	1949^th	1959	0.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.22	623^rd	698	10.7%
2019	32.22	499^th	711	29.8%
2021	46.36	169^th	428	60.5%
2022	33.28	454^th	684	33.6%
2023	22.52	635^th	692	8.2%
2024	22.42	597^th	655	8.9%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	9.43	957^th	959	0.2%

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

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

Rank History for Ward L Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	52.14	645^th	1185	45.6%
2004	15.81	998^th	1204	17.1%
2005	12.09	1042^nd	1209	13.8%
2006	12.86	1116^th	1272	12.3%
2007	11.27	1151^st	1287	10.6%
2008	35.87	933^rd	1293	27.8%
2009	62.82	555^th	1318	57.9%
2010	72.58	378^th	1327	71.5%
2011	17.23	1171^st	1344	12.9%
2012	54.93	713^th	1365	47.8%
2013	53.19	651^st	1367	52.4%
2014	50.11	679^th	1322	48.6%
2015	25.18	981^st	1302	24.7%
2016	23.03	1044^th	1294	19.3%
2017	12.77	1205^th	1293	6.8%
2018	11.07	1231^st	1293	4.8%
2019	12.20	1263^rd	1356	6.9%
2021	15.92	1108^th	1241	10.7%
2022	15.15	1243^rd	1369	9.2%
2023	12.30	1294^th	1367	5.3%
2024	10.46	1330^th	1363	2.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	27.32	635^th	781	18.7%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.45	1084^th	1161	6.6%
2019	17.68	1099^th	1217	9.7%
2021	25.16	829^th	1019	18.6%
2022	21.22	1072^nd	1221	12.2%
2023	15.37	1172^nd	1234	5.0%
2024	14.45	1163^rd	1219	4.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	9.66	1175^th	1226	4.2%
2019	13.93	1154^th	1276	9.6%
2021	10.07	991^st	1017	2.6%
2022	15.53	1147^th	1286	10.8%
2023	9.04	1256^th	1275	1.5%
2024	11.69	1181^st	1251	5.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.69	1105^th	1223	9.6%
2019	12.49	1220^th	1296	5.9%
2021	20.82	870^th	1048	17.0%
2022	15.78	1160^th	1286	9.8%
2023	16.26	1148^th	1292	11.1%
2024	12.48	1205^th	1264	4.7%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Ward L Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	25.69	424^th	511	17.0%
2019	27.63	459^th	565	18.8%
2021	40.35	203^rd	385	47.3%
2022	32.71	391^st	573	31.8%
2023	27.22	459^th	569	19.3%
2024	24.44	454^th	548	17.2%

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 Ward L Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	3	749	n/a	20	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	772
1990	3	757	n/a	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	772
1991	0	725	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	734
1992	3	772	0	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	783
1993	0	735	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	743
1994	3	760	0	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	779
1995	0	751	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	753
1996	0	751	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	753
1997	0	852	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	861
1998	1	812	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	817
1999	0	797	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	797
2000	0	752	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	752
2001	0	732	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	732
2002	0	726	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	726
2003	0	726	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	726
2004	1	619	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	620
2005	0	609	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	611
2006	2	499	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	5	513
2007	1	455	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	2	462
2008	0	410	0	3	1	n/a	n/a	3	417
2009	1	448	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	452
2010	1	438	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	449
2011	2	425	0	19	0	0	1	0	447
2012	2	411	1	13	0	0	1	0	428
2013	2	372	0	12	0	0	1	0	387
2014	2	654	0	18	1	0	4	0	679
2015	2	613	0	33	0	0	4	0	652
2016	3	537	0	26	0	0	1	0	567
2017	2	476	0	27	0	1	4	0	510
2018	2	434	0	30	0	0	1	0	467
2019	5	343	0	28	0	0	0	0	376
2020	4	301	0	29	0	0	0	0	334
2021	1	295	2	38	0	2	0	0	338
2022	1	249	1	38	0	1	1	0	291
2023	0	207	0	39	0	1	0	0	247
2024	0	198	0	60	0	1	0	0	259

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 Ward L Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	772	36.0	21.4	n/a
1990	772	37.0	20.8	n/a
1991	734	38.0	19.3	n/a
1992	783	41.0	19.0	n/a
1993	743	44.0	16.9	n/a
1994	779	44.0	17.7	n/a
1995	753	40.0	18.8	n/a
1996	753	40.0	18.8	n/a
1997	861	43.0	20.0	n/a
1998	817	45.0	18.2	n/a
1999	797	41.0	19.4	n/a
2000	752	40.0	18.8	n/a
2001	732	41.0	17.9	n/a
2002	726	38.0	19.1	99.6
2003	726	38.0	19.1	99.6
2004	620	31.1	19.9	96.9
2005	611	32.9	18.6	96.7
2006	513	32.6	15.7	97
2007	462	22.0	21.0	95.9
2008	417	22.0	19.0	100
2009	452	23.0	19.7	99.1
2010	449	21.0	21.3	99.3
2011	447	20.0	22.3	95.7
2012	428	18.0	23.7	99.3
2013	387	20.1	19.2	99
2014	679	39.0	17.4	99.6
2015	652	36.0	18.1	98.8
2016	567	33.0	17.1	98.2
2017	510	26.4	19.2	99.2
2018	467	26.7	17.4	98.9
2019	376	28.0	13.4	98.4
2020	334	25.0	13.3	97.6
2021	338	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	291	29.5	9.8	97.3
2023	247	28.0	8.8	97.6
2024	259	23.0	11.2	98.1

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 Ward L Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	772	36.0	21.4	n/a
1990	772	37.0	20.8	n/a
1991	734	38.0	19.3	n/a
1992	783	41.0	19.0	n/a
1993	743	44.0	16.9	n/a
1994	779	44.0	17.7	n/a
1995	753	40.0	18.8	n/a
1996	753	40.0	18.8	n/a
1997	861	43.0	20.0	n/a
1998	817	45.0	18.2	n/a
1999	797	41.0	19.4	n/a
2000	752	40.0	18.8	n/a
2001	732	41.0	17.9	n/a
2002	726	38.0	19.1	99.6
2003	726	38.0	19.1	99.6
2004	620	31.1	19.9	96.9
2005	611	32.9	18.6	96.7
2006	513	32.6	15.7	97
2007	462	22.0	21.0	95.9
2008	417	22.0	19.0	100
2009	452	23.0	19.7	99.1
2010	449	21.0	21.3	99.3
2011	447	20.0	22.3	95.7
2012	428	18.0	23.7	99.3
2013	387	20.1	19.2	99
2014	679	39.0	17.4	99.6
2015	652	36.0	18.1	98.8
2016	567	33.0	17.1	98.2
2017	510	26.4	19.2	99.2
2018	467	26.7	17.4	98.9
2019	376	28.0	13.4	98.4
2020	334	25.0	13.3	97.6
2021	338	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	291	29.5	9.8	97.3
2023	247	28.0	8.8	97.6
2024	259	23.0	11.2	98.1

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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