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Higgins Elementary Community Academy

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1750^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Higgins Elementary Community Academy is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 271 students. The school is part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299, which is ranked 698 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Higgins Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom 20% of Illinois elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Higgins Elementary faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.4% to 46.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Academically, the school's students perform poorly on standardized tests compared to the district and state. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 33.8% of Higgins students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 42.8% for the district and 53.1% for the state. In math, only 11% of Higgins students were proficient, compared to 27.3% for the district and 38.5% for the state. The school's subgroups, such as female students, male students, and low socioeconomic status students, all perform significantly worse than their peers across the state.

While Higgins Elementary spends significantly more per student ($22,263 in 2023-2024) compared to the district average, this does not translate to better academic outcomes. Nearby schools in the same district, such as Colemon J Elementary Academy, White Elementary Career Academy, and Haley Elementary Academy, also perform poorly compared to the state, but generally outperform Higgins Elementary in both English Language Arts and math proficiency. Addressing the root causes of Higgins' high chronic absenteeism rates and implementing a more holistic approach to resource allocation and school improvement may be necessary to drive meaningful improvements in student outcomes.

271

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,194

Per pupil spending ?

94.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11710 S Morgan St
Chicago, IL 60643-5249

(773) 535-5625

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

Students who attend Higgins Elementary Community Academy usually attend:

High:

Fenger Academy High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.4%

Hispanic:

8.9%

White:

0.7%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Higgins Elementary Community Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 29th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (16% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 25% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg33%

Illinois avg44%

Elementary school

1,750^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,067^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 22%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

287^th of 451Elementary Schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299

698^th of 811Chicago Public Schools District 299 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	1750 of 2056	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	1757 of 2067	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1800 of 2077	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	1715 of 2082	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.5	1887 of 1948	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.8	1586 of 2086	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	1639 of 2037	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.5	1640 of 2044	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.4	1442 of 2046	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.5	1461 of 2052	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	59.7	883 of 2093	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	42.0	1353 of 2167	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.9	1044 of 2166	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	40.9	1470 of 2147	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.1	1570 of 2139	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.2	1686 of 2120	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.4	1752 of 2092	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.7	1841 of 2095	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.1	1898 of 2086	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	6.7	1862 of 2022	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	17.8	1735 of 2030	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	5.2	1880 of 2020	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	363 of 688	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	356 of 655	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.3	371 of 692	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	347 of 684	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.8	331 of 428	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.5	257 of 711	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.9	282 of 698	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	1514 of 1942	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	1613 of 1942	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	1717 of 1957	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	1661 of 1970	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	1495 of 2019	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	1532 of 1964	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	23.3	1484 of 1800	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	1434 of 1793	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	1426 of 1808	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	1316 of 1763	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	1408 of 1514	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.4	1126 of 1816	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.4	1255 of 1765	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	1687 of 1947	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	1651 of 1959	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	1596 of 1984	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	1625 of 1977	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	1525 of 2019	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	1623 of 1972	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	1067 of 1368	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	1072 of 1363	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	920 of 1367	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.5	1114 of 1369	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.4	1211 of 1241	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	1132 of 1356	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	1060 of 1293	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.3	1010 of 1293	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.1	1038 of 1294	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.7	1010 of 1302	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	61.4	508 of 1322	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.1	508 of 1367	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.0	378 of 1365	72.3%	★★★★☆
2011	53.3	733 of 1344	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	34.4	984 of 1327	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.7	1146 of 1318	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	61.6	593 of 1293	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	43.0	859 of 1287	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	28.7	988 of 1272	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	8.4	1085 of 1209	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	17.1	986 of 1204	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	26.9	895 of 1185	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.7	255 of 574	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.3	244 of 548	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	154 of 569	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	39.6	295 of 573	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.4	338 of 385	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.6	304 of 565	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	260 of 511	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	1011 of 1248	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	957 of 1275	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	1009 of 1286	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	953 of 1276	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	918 of 1226	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	836 of 1229	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	805 of 1219	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	658 of 1234	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	968 of 1221	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	976 of 1019	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	997 of 1217	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	906 of 1161	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.3	1097 of 1271	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	828 of 1264	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	766 of 1292	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.2	1013 of 1286	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	1120 of 1296	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2025)47th percentile+32 vs school

Female (2025)22nd percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)13th percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2025)56th percentile+34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)19th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts34%-19 vs state

Mathematics11%-28 vs state

Science9%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Higgins Elementary Community Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)							IAR Mathematics (2025)							% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Pneumococcal (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Pneumococcal All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Higgins Elementary Community Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	11710 S Morgan St	Chicago	60643	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-5625	271	23	11.7	94.1%	2 (0.7%)	245 (90.4%)	24 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.6	1750^th of 2056 public elementary schools	14.9%		17.4	1757^th of 2067 public elementary schools	15.0%	7	8.8	10.0	15.8	29.2	29.4	44.4	33.3	50.0	33.8	10.5	12.5	17.6	7.4	9.1	5.0	11.0	82.6	90.6	90.6	90.6	96.4	89.5	80.8	13.4	19.2	$23,194	$3,531	$19,664
Whistler Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	11533 S Ada St	Chicago	60643	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-5560	242	19	12.7	88.8%	0 (0.0%)	235 (97.1%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	26.9	1509^th of 2056 public elementary schools	26.6%		26.5	1501^st of 2067 public elementary schools	27.4%	8	12.5	13.6	30.8	26.1	50.0	52.9	43.5	45.5	40.2	24.0	17.4	6.3	25.0	4.3	14.3	15.3	81.9	85.4	85.4	85.4	95.3	85.0	83.9	5.5	16.5	$23,107	$2,918	$20,189
Colemon J Elementary Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	1441 W 119th St	Chicago	60643	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-3975	166	23	7.3	77.7%	0 (0.0%)	157 (94.6%)	9 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45.1	1106^th of 2056 public elementary schools	46.2%		38.6	1186^th of 2067 public elementary schools	42.6%	80	42.9	23.5	64.3	35.7	42.9	40.0	61.5	64.7	50.5	35.7	21.4	42.9	28.6	23.1	35.3	32.0	94.9	96.1	96.1	96.1	97.2	96.6	94.4	11.2	25.8	$31,360	$5,020	$26,340
White Elementary Career Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	1136 W 122nd St	Chicago	60643	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-5672	116	11	10.5	92.2%	0 (0.0%)	109 (94.0%)	5 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	24.2	1577^th of 2056 public elementary schools	23.3%		26.7	1494^th of 2067 public elementary schools	27.7%	83		11.1	53.8	33.3		30.8	54.5	50.0	41.8	15.4	11.1		7.7	0.0	0.0	6.3	86.9	87.7	87.7	87.7	95.1	87.7	82.8	12.3	22.1	$29,920	$2,206	$27,714
Haley Elementary Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	11411 S Eggleston Ave	Chicago	60628	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-5340	458	33	13.7	98.0%	7 (1.5%)	401 (87.6%)	47 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	17.5	1730^th of 2056 public elementary schools	15.9%		24.1	1565^th of 2067 public elementary schools	24.3%	165	10.4	19.0	14.5	47.1	10.4	26.5	30.0	40.5	26.6	42.6	17.6	0.0	0.0	2.0	2.3	11.8	78.8	83.6	83.6	83.6	91.9	82.9	82.7	5.2	14.0	$21,726	$3,504	$18,222
Shoop Math-Sci Technical Elementary Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	11140 S Bishop St	Chicago	60643	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-2715	515	30	17.1	91.3%	3 (0.6%)	481 (93.4%)	21 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	19.5	1679^th of 2056 public elementary schools	18.3%		21.4	1648^th of 2067 public elementary schools	20.3%	31	12.5	14.9	25.0	45.1	30.2	27.3	26.4	24.4	30.2	33.3	20.4	9.7	0.0	18.9	4.5	12.8	80.7	86.8	86.8	86.8	93.0	86.8	82.2	6.5	16.9	$18,857	$2,094	$16,763
Burr Oak Academy	Public	PK, KG-2	1441 W 124th St	Calumet Park	60827	Cook County	Calumet Public School District 132	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 824-3090	289	21	14.0	6.2%	3 (1.0%)	210 (72.7%)	70 (24.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)								(n/a)																	92.1	95.3	95.3	95.3	95.9	95.3	93.4	14.2		$18,141	$1,537	$16,604
Metcalfe Elementary Community Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	12339 S Normal Ave	Chicago	60628	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-5590	354	22	16.0	95.5%	2 (0.6%)	301 (85.0%)	49 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	12	1873^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	8.9%		11.2	2005^th of 2067 public elementary schools	3.0%	132	10.0	11.1	27.3	17.2	12.9	22.0	14.3	21.6	19.8	9.4	20.7	6.5	9.8	0.0	21.6	12.0	69.5	72.8	72.8	72.8	88.2	71.5	69.5		13.8	$20,386	$3,373	$17,013
Burr Oak Elementary School	Public	3-5	1440 W 125th St	Calumet Park	60827	Cook County	Calumet Public School District 132	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 388-8010	290	9	32.2	26.2%	0 (0.0%)	195 (67.2%)	91 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	14.1	1817^th of 2056 public elementary schools	11.6%		16.1	1806^th of 2067 public elementary schools	12.6%	11	14.7		16.0	19.8	42.1				26.0	10.6	14.6	8.4				11.2	97.2	97.2	97.2	97.2	98.3	96.5	97.2			$18,328	$1,923	$16,406
Dunne Technology Academy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	10845 S Union Ave	Chicago	60628	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-5517	206	20	10.3	79.1%	0 (0.0%)	200 (97.1%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	45.8	1083^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	47.3%		28.7	1440^th of 2067 public elementary schools	30.3%	357	10.0	28.0	54.2	60.0	41.4	73.3	41.2	44.0	50.4	45.8	33.3	10.3	26.7	23.5	12.0	24.0	87.2	94.9	94.9	94.9	95.4	94.4	87.2	8.7	27.2	$25,889	$3,786	$22,103

Frequently Asked Questions about Higgins Elementary Community Academy

How many students attend Higgins Elementary Community Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 271 students attended Higgins Elementary Community Academy.

What schools do graduates of Higgins Elementary Community Academy attend?

Students who attend Higgins Elementary Community Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Fenger Academy High School

Is Higgins Elementary Community Academy a good school?

Higgins Elementary Community Academy ranks in the bottom 14.9% of Illinois elementary schools.

What district is Higgins Elementary Community Academy in?

Chicago Public Schools District 299

What is the racial makeup of Higgins Elementary Community Academy?

Students at Higgins Elementary Community Academy are 90% African American, 9% Hispanic.

Rate Higgins Elementary Community Academy!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.