Minnie Minoso Academy

Minnie Minoso Academy is an elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, serving 315 students in grades PK-8. 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. Minnie Minoso Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a ranking between 799 and 1,562 and a 1-3 star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school faces significant challenges, with high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 25.4% to 40.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Minnie Minoso Academy's test scores are also consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in ELA and Math were 41.8% and 14.7%, respectively, compared to the district's 42.8% and 27.3%, and the state's 53.1% and 38.5%. The school's performance varies significantly across different student groups, with African American and Hispanic students performing relatively better than their peers at the district and state levels, while the school's female, male, and low socioeconomic status students perform significantly worse.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Armour Elementary School, Healy Elementary School, and Sheridan Elementary Math & Science Academy, generally outperform Minnie Minoso Academy in terms of test scores, chronic absenteeism, and overall school rankings. However, one notable exception is Bronzeville Classical Elementary School, which is located about 1 mile from Minnie Minoso Academy and consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Illinois, with proficiency rates well above the district and state averages. This suggests that high-performing schools can exist within the same district as lower-performing ones, indicating the potential for improvement at Minnie Minoso Academy.