Is Barack Obama School of Ldership a good school?

Barack Obama School of Ldership ranks 1545 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Barack Obama School of Ldership?

In the 2023-24 school year, 315 students attended Barack Obama School of Ldership.

What is the racial makeup of Barack Obama School of Ldership?

Students at Barack Obama School of Ldership are 82% African American, 11% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Barack Obama School of Ldership attend?

Students who attend Barack Obama School of Ldership usually go on to attend: Middle : Michelle Obama School of Technology High : Rich Township High School

Barack Obama School of Ldership

Summary:

Barack Obama School of Leadership is an elementary school located in Chicago Heights, Illinois, serving grades 4-5 with a total enrollment of 329 students. The school is part of the Park Forest School District 163, and based on the data provided, it has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

The school faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.5% in 2019-2020 to a peak of 37.4% in 2021-2022, which is much higher than the state and district averages. Academically, the school's performance on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) is also well below state and district averages, with only 22% of students proficient or better in ELA and just 10.3% in mathematics in 2023-2024. While the school performs relatively well for African American students, it struggles with Hispanic students and students with disabilities, ranking in the bottom half of the state in these subgroups.

Interestingly, when comparing Barack Obama School of Leadership to nearby schools, both within the Park Forest School District 163 and the neighboring Chicago Heights School District 170, some schools, such as Roosevelt Elementary and Kennedy Elementary, demonstrate higher proficiency rates and better overall performance, despite also serving high-poverty communities.

Detail:

Public 4-5

401 Concord Dr
Chicago Heights, IL 60411-3916

(708) 668-9101

District: Park Forest School District 163

SchoolDigger Rank:
1545^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,486

Students who attend Barack Obama School of Ldership usually attend:

Middle:	Michelle Obama School of Technology
High:	Rich Township High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.4

Number of students: 315

Racial breakdown:

African American:

81.9%

Hispanic:

11.1%

Two or more races:

4.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81.6%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Barack Obama School of Ldership to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Barack Obama School of Ldership ranks worse than 74.7% of elementary schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.94. (See more...)

Compare Details Barack Obama School of Ldership is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2015 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.19. (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 Barack Obama School of Ldership has the largest elementary school student body size in the Park Forest School District 163. Racial makeup is: African American (81.9%), Hispanic (11.1%), two or more races (4.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 81.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Barack Obama School of Ldership is 13.4, which is the 2^nd best among 1 elementary schools in the Park Forest School District 163. (See more...)

Compare Barack Obama School of Ldership employs 23.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Barack Obama School of Ldership is $23,486. 2 elementary schools in the Park Forest School District 163 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Barack Obama School of Ldership:

SchoolDigger ranks Barack Obama School of Ldership 1545^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Barack Obama School of Ldership in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

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Rank History for Barack Obama School of Ldership

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2015	22.41	1647^th	2052	19.7%
2016	26.97	1507^th	2046	26.3%
2017	39.43	1182^nd	2044	42.2%
2018	30.34	1415^th	2037	30.5%
2019	20.08	1727^th	2086	17.2%
2022	18.42	1724^th	2082	17.2%
2023	21.52	1623^rd	2077	21.9%
2024	24.94	1545^th	2067	25.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	30.50	524^th	763	31.3%
2019	21.24	1098^th	1194	8.0%
2022	25.54	899^th	1113	19.2%
2023	23.76	952^nd	1156	17.6%
2024	26.84	902^nd	1195	24.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	43.34	973^rd	1765	44.9%
2019	30.35	1361^st	1816	25.1%
2022	27.63	1348^th	1763	23.5%
2023	30.44	1314^th	1808	27.3%
2024	37.27	1136^th	1793	36.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.16	1353^rd	1964	31.1%
2019	21.75	1644^th	2019	18.6%
2022	21.11	1560^th	1970	20.8%
2023	27.24	1391^st	1957	28.9%
2024	23.34	1495^th	1942	23.0%

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

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.58	643^rd	907	29.1%
2024	36.47	529^th	886	40.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.37	1330^th	1972	32.6%
2019	21.55	1637^th	2019	18.9%
2022	17.19	1716^th	1977	13.2%
2023	17.72	1689^th	1984	14.9%
2024	27.69	1378^th	1959	29.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	53.75	233^rd	698	66.6%
2019	45.46	331^st	711	53.4%
2022	45.62	305^th	684	55.4%
2023	51.28	250^th	692	63.9%
2024	56.30	195^th	655	70.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Barack Obama School of Ldership

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	25.89	785^th	955	17.8%
2022	31.46	663^rd	954	30.5%
2023	16.99	918^th	970	5.4%
2024	32.79	658^th	959	31.4%

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 Barack Obama School of Ldership

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2015	40.19	714^th	1302	45.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Barack Obama School of Ldership

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	149	242	3	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	406
1989	128	241	2	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	384
1990	129	260	2	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	403
1991	122	269	3	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	408
1992	169	280	3	32	2	n/a	n/a	0	486
1993	160	295	10	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	477
1994	150	324	2	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	495
1995	117	357	9	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	499
1996	117	357	9	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	499
1997	92	372	20	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	505
1998	80	384	30	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	516
1999	83	384	16	28	6	n/a	n/a	0	517
2000	69	291	18	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	397
2001	64	316	24	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	420
2002	49	356	1	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	420
2003	49	356	1	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	420
2004	32	344	2	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	394
2005	40	319	2	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	386
2006	31	311	3	23	1	n/a	n/a	21	390
2007	20	299	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	27	376
2008	12	286	0	26	0	n/a	n/a	30	354
2009	13	274	1	20	0	n/a	n/a	32	340
2010	16	292	1	20	1	n/a	n/a	36	366
2011	22	373	2	30	3	2	45	0	477
2012	13	361	3	30	3	1	25	0	436
2013	12	362	1	29	3	0	41	0	448
2014	6	353	1	19	0	1	42	0	422
2015	13	376	1	41	2	2	26	0	461
2016	13	353	0	35	4	1	30	0	436
2017	12	337	0	40	2	1	23	0	415
2018	10	308	0	40	1	1	28	0	388
2019	9	349	0	49	0	0	28	0	435
2020	10	341	0	46	0	0	19	0	416
2021	9	263	0	45	2	0	13	0	332
2022	5	239	0	40	0	0	9	0	293
2023	6	265	0	40	0	0	18	0	329
2024	6	258	0	35	1	0	15	0	315

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 Barack Obama School of Ldership

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	406	20.4	19.9	n/a
1989	384	20.0	19.2	n/a
1990	403	20.0	20.1	n/a
1991	408	21.0	19.4	n/a
1992	486	23.2	20.9	n/a
1993	477	24.5	19.5	n/a
1994	495	27.5	18.0	n/a
1995	499	31.5	15.8	n/a
1996	499	31.5	15.8	n/a
1997	505	29.5	17.1	n/a
1998	516	27.0	19.1	n/a
1999	517	29.0	17.8	n/a
2000	397	26.0	15.3	n/a
2001	420	25.0	16.8	n/a
2002	420	29.0	14.5	83.1
2003	420	29.0	14.5	83.1
2004	394	28.0	14.1	84.5
2005	386	30.0	12.9	88.6
2006	390	28.0	13.9	86.7
2007	376	23.0	16.3	92
2008	354	24.0	14.8	86.4
2009	340	27.1	12.5	88.3
2010	366	27.1	13.5	101.8
2011	477	25.1	18.9	86.4
2012	436	24.0	18.1	90.1
2013	448	25.5	17.5	80.6
2014	422	21.0	20.0	89.3
2015	461	26.0	17.7	88.1
2016	436	32.0	13.6	84.9
2017	415	31.2	13.2	86
2018	388	31.2	12.4	77.3
2019	435	31.3	13.8	83
2020	416	35.4	11.7	84.4
2021	332	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	293	29.4	9.9	86.3
2023	329	29.4	11.1	74.2
2024	315	23.4	13.4	81.6

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 Barack Obama School of Ldership

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	406	20.4	19.9	n/a
1989	384	20.0	19.2	n/a
1990	403	20.0	20.1	n/a
1991	408	21.0	19.4	n/a
1992	486	23.2	20.9	n/a
1993	477	24.5	19.5	n/a
1994	495	27.5	18.0	n/a
1995	499	31.5	15.8	n/a
1996	499	31.5	15.8	n/a
1997	505	29.5	17.1	n/a
1998	516	27.0	19.1	n/a
1999	517	29.0	17.8	n/a
2000	397	26.0	15.3	n/a
2001	420	25.0	16.8	n/a
2002	420	29.0	14.5	83.1
2003	420	29.0	14.5	83.1
2004	394	28.0	14.1	84.5
2005	386	30.0	12.9	88.6
2006	390	28.0	13.9	86.7
2007	376	23.0	16.3	92
2008	354	24.0	14.8	86.4
2009	340	27.1	12.5	88.3
2010	366	27.1	13.5	101.8
2011	477	25.1	18.9	86.4
2012	436	24.0	18.1	90.1
2013	448	25.5	17.5	80.6
2014	422	21.0	20.0	89.3
2015	461	26.0	17.7	88.1
2016	436	32.0	13.6	84.9
2017	415	31.2	13.2	86
2018	388	31.2	12.4	77.3
2019	435	31.3	13.8	83
2020	416	35.4	11.7	84.4
2021	332	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	293	29.4	9.9	86.3
2023	329	29.4	11.1	74.2
2024	315	23.4	13.4	81.6

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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