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Richards Career Academy High School

Public Grades 9-12

614^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 620 Illinois High Schools

Better than 1% of Illinois high schools

Summary

Richards Career Academy High School is a Chicago Public Schools high school in Chicago, serving grades 9–12 with 348 students. Its 2025–2026 11th-grade ACT proficiency was 14% in English language arts (ELA) and 13% in science, both well below district and state results. The clearest concern is attendance: 79% of students were chronically absent, compared with 39% in the district and 24% statewide.

Richards’ available ACT results are lower than those of nearby schools as well as district and state benchmarks. Its ELA score was 25 percentage points below the district and 36 below the state; science was 24 points below the district and 35 below the state. Richards also scored below all four nearby schools with comparable ACT results in both subjects. Graduation was 64%, versus 83% in the district and 90% statewide, while dropout was 10%, compared with 4% and 2%. The school’s attendance rate was also above the nearby-school average of 59%. Richards’ 2025–2026 ACT math and PreACT scores are suppressed, so they cannot be compared.

ELA and science ACT scores improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: ELA rose from 3% to 14%, and science from 6% to 13%, narrowing—but not closing—their gaps with the state. SchoolDigger placed Richards at the 1st percentile statewide, with 0 stars and a rank of 614 out of 620, in 2025–2026; its overall percentile has fluctuated, reaching 12 in 2023–2024 before falling to 3 and then 1. A relative bright spot in SchoolDigger’s 2024–2025 rankings was performance for students with disabilities, at the 36th percentile compared with 3rd overall. Its English-language-learner subgroup ranking fell from the 56th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 1st in 2024–2025. The student-teacher ratio was 11.2 in 2024–2025, close to the nearby average of 11.7. Also in 2024–2025, 97% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with an 85% nearby-school average; these figures provide context, not an explanation of results.

348

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,890

Per pupil spending ?

97.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

88.9%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

5009 S Laflin St
Chicago, IL 60609-4940

(773) 535-4945

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

Feeder schools for Richards Career Academy High School:

Elementary:	Chavez Elementary Multicultural Academy Ct
	Daley Elementary Academy
	Hedges Elementary School
	Lara Elementary Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.1%

African American:

26.4%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Richards Career Academy High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2016 → 1st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (13% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Illinois average (64% vs 90%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg36%

Illinois avg47%

614^th of 620

Illinois public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

94^th of 99High Schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299

568^th of 738Chicago 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	2.8	614 of 620	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.6	680 of 698	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	613 of 697	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	690 of 699	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	662 of 699	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.8	647 of 688	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	670 of 701	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	634 of 647	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.5	638 of 642	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.9	635 of 643	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.3	610 of 614	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.7	638 of 670	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	1.9	648 of 670	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.3	637 of 665	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.9	639 of 655	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.4	631 of 643	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.1	594 of 632	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	1.0	612 of 624	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.9	580 of 612	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.9	586 of 596	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	0.6	580 of 590	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	0.5	588 of 592	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	1.0	567 of 586	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	265 of 323	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	208 of 299	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.6	293 of 301	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	241 of 294	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	241 of 281	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	237 of 299	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	233 of 253	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	33.8	313 of 491	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.0	261 of 429	39.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	382 of 428	10.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	280 of 284	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	39.9	110 of 248	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.1	201 of 217	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	190 of 205	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.8	86 of 189	54.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.6	141 of 183	23.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	126 of 151	16.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	6.9	644 of 685	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	542 of 664	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	644 of 656	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.0	609 of 658	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	586 of 639	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	642 of 665	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.2	602 of 620	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	5.4	360 of 366	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	291 of 336	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	331 of 333	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	322 of 335	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.8	305 of 317	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	307 of 317	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	284 of 291	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.1	136 of 138	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	47.5	53 of 125	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.1	55 of 104	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	46 of 98	53.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	42 of 91	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	7.4	462 of 478	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.8	652 of 672	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	534 of 639	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	635 of 644	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	591 of 626	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	557 of 611	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	608 of 639	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	567 of 585	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	4.1	677 of 685	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	631 of 668	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	663 of 668	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	635 of 664	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.6	626 of 653	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.3	637 of 675	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.2	602 of 619	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	419 of 527	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	329 of 482	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.1	375 of 476	21.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	286 of 493	42.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	270 of 453	40.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.6	306 of 473	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	248 of 374	33.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)36th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)18th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)1st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts14%-36 vs state

Science12%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Richards Career Academy High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PreACT Secure English Language Arts (2026)		PreACT Secure Mathematics (2026)		PreACT Secure Science (2026)		ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	ISA Science (2026)	IAR English Language Arts (2026)			IAR Mathematics (2026)			Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 9th Grade	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 10th Grade	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Richards Career Academy High School	Public	9-12	5009 S Laflin St	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-4945	348	31	11.2	97.1%	1 (0.3%)	92 (26.4%)	237 (68.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)	2.8	614^th of 620 public high schools	1.0%		4.6	680^th of 698 public high schools	2.6%	66							13.6		12.5								88.9%		$29,890	$3,581	$26,309
Peace and Education Coalition High School	Public	10-12	4946 S Paulina St	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-9212	0	24	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																	88.8%
Back of The Yards IB High School	Public	9-12	2111 W 47th St	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-7320	1,039	82	12.7	93.0%	9 (0.9%)	15 (1.4%)	1,005 (96.7%)	7 (0.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.7	492^nd of 620 public high schools	20.6%		35.2	481^st of 698 public high schools	31.1%	11	44.7	24.2	20.4	12.3	34.6	24.6	43.9	28.9	37.7								99.8%		$18,149	$1,112	$17,037
Tilden Career Communty Academy High School	Public	9-12	4747 S Union Ave	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1625	288	27	10.6	86.8%	21 (7.3%)	89 (30.9%)	170 (59.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)								(n/a)																	86.1%		$31,772	$3,581	$28,191
Lindblom Math & Science Academy High School	Public	7-12	6130 S Wolcott Ave	Chicago	60636	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-9300	1,316	85	15.4	57.8%	33 (2.5%)	862 (65.5%)	394 (29.9%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	17 (1.3%)	90	47^th of 620 public high schools	92.4%		90.9	52^nd of 698 public high schools	92.6%	5	88.0	80.9	50.9	51.1	68.2	70.6	83.1	55.8	77.9	64.7	88.9	92.6	90.8	61.5	51.6	56.5	98.2%		$18,016	$1,010	$17,006
Gage Park High School	Public	9-12	5630 S Rockwell St	Chicago	60629	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-9230	392	33	12.0	93.9%	5 (1.3%)	89 (22.7%)	298 (76.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	20.9																95.1%		$28,121	$2,015	$26,106
Ombudsman Chicago South	Public	9-12	6057 S Western Ave	Chicago	60636	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(773) 498-5085	0	5	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																	92.9%
Noble St Charter - Mansueto	Public, Charter	9-12	2911 W 47Th St	Chicago	60632	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(773) 349-8200	1,106	61	18.2	91.0%	6 (0.5%)	6 (0.5%)	1,087 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21.6	493^rd of 620 public high schools	20.5%		33.3	491^st of 698 public high schools	29.7%	2	48.7	33.3	29.2	15.9	30.3	33.5	34.1	20.7	32.6								99.6%		$19,476	$1,667	$17,809
Bronzeville Scholastic High School	Public	9-12	4934 S Wabash Ave	Chicago	60615	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1150	119	19	6.2	90.8%	0 (0.0%)	109 (91.6%)	9 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	99.1%		$44,513	$2,145	$42,368
Williams Medical Prep High School	Public	9-12	4934 S Wabash Ave	Chicago	60615	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1120	74	16	4.6	75.7%	0 (0.0%)	71 (95.9%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.7%)								(n/a)																	100%		$49,330	$3,571	$45,759

Frequently Asked Questions about Richards Career Academy High School

What is the racial makeup of Richards Career Academy High School?

Students at Richards Career Academy High School are 68% Hispanic, 26% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Richards Career Academy High School?

Richards Career Academy High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Chavez Elementary Multicultural Academy Ct
Elementary : Daley Elementary Academy
Elementary : Hedges Elementary School
Elementary : Lara Elementary Academy

Is Richards Career Academy High School a good school?

Richards Career Academy High School ranks in the bottom 1.0% of Illinois high schools.

What district is Richards Career Academy High School in?

Chicago Public Schools District 299

How many students attend Richards Career Academy High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 348 students attended Richards Career Academy High School.

Rate Richards Career Academy High School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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.