Is Jesse C White Learning Academy a good school?

Jesse C White Learning Academy ranks in the bottom 12.7% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Jesse C White Learning Academy?

In the 2023-24 school year, 432 students attended Jesse C White Learning Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Jesse C White Learning Academy?

Students at Jesse C White Learning Academy are 89% African American, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Jesse C White Learning Academy attend?

Students who attend Jesse C White Learning Academy usually go on to attend: High : Thornwood High School

Jesse C White Learning Academy

Summary:

Jesse C White Learning Academy is an elementary school located in Hazel Crest, Illinois, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 427 students. The school is part of the Hazel Crest School District 152-5, and based on the data provided, it has consistently ranked in the bottom 15% of Illinois elementary schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 29.5% to 46.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools. Academically, the school's performance, as measured by proficiency rates on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA), is consistently well below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 10% of students were proficient in ELA and 6.8% were proficient in Math, compared to state averages of 41.2% and 28.4%, respectively. Additionally, while Jesse C White Learning Academy has relatively stronger performance among African American students compared to the overall student population, female and male students, as well as students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, perform significantly worse than their peers statewide.

Despite the school's poor performance, it spends a relatively high amount per student, ranging from $15,146 to $20,628 per year over the past few years. This suggests that the issue may not be solely a lack of funding, but rather how the resources are being utilized. The nearby schools in the Hazel Crest and Prairie-Hills districts also struggle academically, with most ranking in the bottom 20-25% of Illinois elementary schools. However, Jesse C White Learning Academy consistently performs worse than these nearby schools across various metrics, suggesting that addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and ensuring more equitable opportunities and support for all students could be key levers for improving student outcomes at the school.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

16910 S Western Ave
Hazel Crest, IL 60429

(708) 825-2190

District: Hazel Crest School District 152-5

SchoolDigger Rank:
1805^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $22,472

Students who attend Jesse C White Learning Academy usually attend:

High:

Thornwood High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 432

Racial breakdown:

African American:

88.9%

Hispanic:

6.5%

Two or more races:

3.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99.5%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Jesse C White Learning Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Jesse C White Learning Academy ranks worse than 87.3% of elementary schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.09. (See more...)

Compare Details Jesse C White Learning Academy ranks worse than 95.1% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.85. (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 (88.9%), Hispanic (6.5%), two or more races (3.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 99.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Jesse C White Learning Academy is 14.8. (See more...)

Compare Jesse C White Learning Academy employs 29 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jesse C White Learning Academy is $22,472.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Jesse C White Learning Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Jesse C White Learning Academy 1805^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Jesse C White Learning Academy 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 Jesse C White Learning Academy 1296^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Jesse C White Learning Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Jesse C White Learning Academy

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	33.77	1491^st	2020	26.2%
2004	8.40	1852^nd	2030	8.8%
2005	7.04	1859^th	2022	8.1%
2006	40.47	1495^th	2086	28.3%
2007	29.82	1689^th	2095	19.4%
2008	36.84	1511^th	2092	27.8%
2009	44.52	1381^st	2120	34.9%
2010	53.16	1220^th	2139	43.0%
2011	29.12	1676^th	2147	21.9%
2012	26.98	1726^th	2166	20.3%
2013	39.04	1420^th	2167	34.5%
2014	38.25	1355^th	2093	35.3%
2015	9.31	2014^th	2052	1.9%
2016	19.10	1716^th	2046	16.1%
2017	20.59	1662^nd	2044	18.7%
2018	23.32	1574^th	2037	22.7%
2019	18.83	1764^th	2086	15.4%
2022	17.36	1769^th	2082	15.0%
2023	15.70	1840^th	2077	11.4%
2024	16.09	1805^th	2067	12.7%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.69	1170^th	1765	33.7%
2019	30.18	1367^th	1816	24.7%
2022	27.45	1359^th	1763	22.9%
2023	24.22	1505^th	1808	16.8%
2024	23.51	1486^th	1793	17.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.74	1594^th	1964	18.8%
2019	15.90	1801^st	2019	10.8%
2022	18.13	1662^nd	1970	15.6%
2023	14.97	1789^th	1957	8.6%
2024	18.37	1648^th	1942	15.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	29.27	1401^st	1972	29.0%
2019	24.62	1543^rd	2019	23.6%
2022	17.21	1715^th	1977	13.3%
2023	19.48	1622^nd	1984	18.2%
2024	13.31	1827^th	1959	6.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	47.07	291^st	698	58.3%
2019	41.35	371^st	711	47.8%
2022	42.49	333^rd	684	51.3%
2023	36.82	419^th	692	39.5%
2024	33.18	450^th	655	31.3%

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 Jesse C White Learning Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2016	14.44	1187^th	1294	8.3%
2017	15.67	1141^st	1293	11.8%
2018	20.83	1041^st	1293	19.5%
2019	14.69	1205^th	1356	11.1%
2022	20.14	1098^th	1369	19.8%
2023	17.43	1170^th	1367	14.4%
2024	11.85	1296^th	1363	4.9%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	24.93	680^th	792	14.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.35	830^th	1161	28.5%
2019	21.55	1031^st	1217	15.3%
2022	29.43	900^th	1221	26.3%
2023	24.65	995^th	1234	19.4%
2024	16.21	1125^th	1219	7.7%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.57	894^th	1226	27.1%
2019	14.64	1144^th	1276	10.3%
2022	13.43	1197^th	1286	6.9%
2023	16.59	1107^th	1275	13.2%
2024	12.96	1156^th	1251	7.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.21	1096^th	1223	10.4%
2019	15.60	1155^th	1296	10.9%
2022	29.86	865^th	1286	32.7%
2023	19.65	1076^th	1292	16.7%
2024	11.68	1218^th	1264	3.6%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Jesse C White Learning Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.42	209^th	511	59.1%
2019	33.49	385^th	565	31.9%
2022	40.00	291^st	573	49.2%
2023	32.47	386^th	569	32.2%
2024	23.99	460^th	548	16.1%

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
Thursday, February 27, 2020

Excellent school! Excellent Principal! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Jesse C White Learning Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	56	146	n/a	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	207
1990	40	172	3	7	1	n/a	n/a	223
1991	50	222	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	276
1992	42	199	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	247
1993	27	162	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	193
1994	25	155	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	184
1995	24	171	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	195
1996	24	171	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	195
1997	21	190	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	216
1998	31	187	1	8	0	n/a	n/a	227
1999	25	224	1	10	0	n/a	n/a	260
2000	27	251	1	6	0	n/a	n/a	285
2001	29	273	1	14	0	n/a	n/a	317
2002	16	199	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	226
2003	16	199	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	226
2004	34	330	0	21	0	n/a	n/a	385
2005	15	349	0	30	0	n/a	n/a	394
2006	15	334	4	30	0	n/a	n/a	383
2007	13	282	3	31	0	n/a	n/a	329
2008	9	218	2	21	0	n/a	n/a	250
2009	7	205	2	25	0	n/a	n/a	239
2010	6	200	2	24	0	n/a	n/a	232
2011	6	182	0	23	0	0	0	211
2012	5	209	0	25	0	0	0	239
2013	1	199	0	22	0	0	0	222
2014	1	207	0	16	0	0	0	224
2015	2	218	0	26	0	0	0	246
2016	5	430	1	47	0	0	2	485
2017	3	451	0	49	0	0	0	503
2018	1	469	0	43	0	0	0	513
2019	2	466	0	38	0	0	0	506
2020	1	408	0	31	0	0	0	440
2021	17	395	2	8	9	0	1	432
2022	5	381	2	30	1	0	1	420
2023	1	384	1	32	1	0	8	427
2024	1	384	0	28	3	0	16	432

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 Jesse C White Learning Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	207	11.0	18.8	n/a
1990	223	12.0	18.5	n/a
1991	276	12.0	23.0	n/a
1992	247	14.0	17.6	n/a
1993	193	10.0	19.3	n/a
1994	184	10.0	18.4	n/a
1995	195	8.0	24.4	n/a
1996	195	8.0	24.4	n/a
1997	216	11.0	19.6	n/a
1998	227	9.0	25.2	n/a
1999	260	13.0	20.0	n/a
2000	285	13.1	21.8	n/a
2001	317	12.6	25.2	n/a
2002	226	16.0	14.1	66.8
2003	226	16.0	14.1	66.8
2004	385	19.0	20.3	69.4
2005	394	19.0	20.7	71.8
2006	383	21.0	18.2	91.9
2007	329	21.0	15.7	77.2
2008	250	14.0	17.9	86
2009	239	15.0	15.9	90.4
2010	232	13.0	17.8	97.4
2011	211	15.0	14.0	96.7
2012	239	16.0	14.9	98.7
2013	222	19.5	11.3	98.6
2014	224	15.0	14.9	98.7
2015	246	14.0	17.5	98
2016	485	29.0	16.7	99.2
2017	503	31.1	16.1	89.5
2018	513	30.8	16.6	90.4
2019	506	32.5	15.5	99.4
2020	440	30.3	14.4	98.4
2021	432	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	420	31.7	13.2	91.9
2023	427	33.0	12.9	98.8
2024	432	29.0	14.8	99.5

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 Jesse C White Learning Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	207	11.0	18.8	n/a
1990	223	12.0	18.5	n/a
1991	276	12.0	23.0	n/a
1992	247	14.0	17.6	n/a
1993	193	10.0	19.3	n/a
1994	184	10.0	18.4	n/a
1995	195	8.0	24.4	n/a
1996	195	8.0	24.4	n/a
1997	216	11.0	19.6	n/a
1998	227	9.0	25.2	n/a
1999	260	13.0	20.0	n/a
2000	285	13.1	21.8	n/a
2001	317	12.6	25.2	n/a
2002	226	16.0	14.1	66.8
2003	226	16.0	14.1	66.8
2004	385	19.0	20.3	69.4
2005	394	19.0	20.7	71.8
2006	383	21.0	18.2	91.9
2007	329	21.0	15.7	77.2
2008	250	14.0	17.9	86
2009	239	15.0	15.9	90.4
2010	232	13.0	17.8	97.4
2011	211	15.0	14.0	96.7
2012	239	16.0	14.9	98.7
2013	222	19.5	11.3	98.6
2014	224	15.0	14.9	98.7
2015	246	14.0	17.5	98
2016	485	29.0	16.7	99.2
2017	503	31.1	16.1	89.5
2018	513	30.8	16.6	90.4
2019	506	32.5	15.5	99.4
2020	440	30.3	14.4	98.4
2021	432	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	420	31.7	13.2	91.9
2023	427	33.0	12.9	98.8
2024	432	29.0	14.8	99.5

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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