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Cardenas Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1416^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Cardenas Elementary School serves 764 students in pre-K through grade 8 in Chicago and is part of Chicago Public Schools District 299. Its strongest headline is its local test-score standing: in 2025–2026, Cardenas had the highest reported all-grades ELA and math proficiency rates among nearby schools with results available.

Cardenas’s ELA rate was 50%, 4 points above the district, though 6 points below the state; its 28% math rate was 2 points below the district and 12 below the state. Nearby, those results were ahead of the next-highest reported rates: 48% ELA and 22% math at Legacy Elementary Charter School. Seventh grade was especially strong, with 63% proficiency in ELA and 41% in math, both above district and state results. Science is a weaker area: fifth-grade proficiency was 26%, 8 points below the district and 21 below the state; eighth-grade science was also below both. Nearby schools have different grade spans, so comparisons are not always like for like.

ELA has improved over time, rising 16 points from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026, while math gained 10 points over that period but fell 3 points in the latest year. The state gaps widened in 2025–2026: Cardenas was 6 points below the state in ELA and 12 below in math. SchoolDigger rates Cardenas 1 star and places it at the 18th statewide percentile, down from the 44th percentile in 2024–2025; the district is also rated 1 star and ranks at the 23rd percentile. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for English Language Learner Students was 66 in 2024–2025, compared with 44 overall; for Low Socio Economic Status Students, it fell from 67 to 30 by 2025–2026. These rankings describe how effectively the school serves each group. In 2024–2025, 96% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, and the student–teacher ratio was 13.6.

764

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,202

Per pupil spending ?

95.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.4%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

2345 S Millard Ave
Chicago, IL 60623-3110

(773) 534-1465

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

Students who attend Cardenas Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Farragut Career Academy High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.5%

White:

3.5%

African American:

2.7%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Cardenas Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2019 → 18th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (36% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg38%

Illinois avg49%

Elementary school

1,416^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 25 pts since 2019

From bottom 43% (2019) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

709^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 7 pts since 2019

From bottom 30% (2019) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

186^th of 280Elementary 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	1416 of 1737	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.7	1146 of 2056	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	1329 of 2067	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	1356 of 2077	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	1251 of 2082	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.2	1379 of 1948	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.5	1184 of 2086	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	787 of 1049	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	632 of 886	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	723 of 907	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	55.8	270 of 788	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.2	456 of 826	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.6	382 of 788	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.3	199 of 768	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	32.5	405 of 537	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.5	326 of 743	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	11.9	1173 of 1286	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	43.5	1076 of 1942	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	1198 of 1942	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	1126 of 1957	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.8	1158 of 1970	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	1312 of 1680	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	1359 of 2019	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	377 of 536	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.0	383 of 982	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.0	451 of 959	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.7	493 of 970	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.5	398 of 954	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.4	403 of 742	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.8	344 of 955	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	31.8	701 of 1001	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.3	595 of 1800	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.7	908 of 1793	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.4	833 of 1808	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.2	634 of 1763	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.8	910 of 1514	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.7	548 of 1816	69.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	1178 of 1311	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.7	1143 of 1947	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	1289 of 1959	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.5	1441 of 1984	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	1184 of 1977	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	1191 of 1707	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.9	922 of 2019	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	723 of 1292	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	729 of 1195	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.5	741 of 1156	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	763 of 1113	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	652 of 1194	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	36.2	709 of 1126	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.3	687 of 1368	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.6	621 of 1363	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	616 of 1367	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.9	767 of 1369	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.3	919 of 1241	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.3	954 of 1356	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	298 of 694	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.9	114 of 639	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	61.4	151 of 674	77.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	41.3	262 of 483	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	276 of 486	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	199 of 480	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	264 of 454	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	232 of 339	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	607 of 867	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.0	655 of 1248	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.3	617 of 1251	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.6	690 of 1275	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.1	842 of 1286	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.5	826 of 1017	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.1	950 of 1276	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	241 of 483	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.6	273 of 669	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.4	215 of 643	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.5	199 of 661	69.9%	★★★★☆
2022	48.2	298 of 662	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.7	363 of 517	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	413 of 639	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	52.5	346 of 788	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.8	385 of 1229	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.6	311 of 1219	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	262 of 1234	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	60.2	357 of 1221	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	34.0	679 of 1019	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.4	629 of 1217	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	577 of 829	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.8	645 of 1271	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	571 of 1264	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	502 of 1292	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	581 of 1286	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.9	779 of 1048	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	859 of 1296	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	406 of 812	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	250 of 802	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.6	222 of 805	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	45.6	308 of 781	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.3	602 of 792	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2025)44th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)30th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)30th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2025)25th percentile-19 vs school

Male (2026)10th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile-10 vs school

Middle school

Disabled (2025)57th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)50th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2025)50th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)46th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)30th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)30th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts50%-6 vs state

Science33%-17 vs state

Mathematics28%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardenas Elementary 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)				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	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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cardenas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2345 S Millard Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1465	764	56	13.6	95.8%	27 (3.5%)	21 (2.7%)	714 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	18.5	1416^th of 1737 public elementary schools	18.5%		42.7	1146^th of 2056 public elementary schools	44.3%	270	26.4	39.2	37.6	44.0	40.2	52.4	63.4	64.6	49.9	28.2	29.3	20.7	23.8	41.4	24.1	27.5	97.4%		$22,202	$1,322	$20,879
Crown Elementary Community Acd Fine Arts Center	Public	K-8	2128 S Saint Louis Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1680	92	14	6.5	87.0%	0 (0.0%)	68 (73.9%)	23 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)								(n/a)									39.0								97%		$36,320	$3,346	$32,974
Little Village Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2620 S Lawndale Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1880	575	55	10.5	91.3%	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.2%)	562 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.6	1611^th of 1737 public elementary schools	7.3%		17.9	1721^st of 2056 public elementary schools	16.3%	110	29.4	39.1	23.2	30.6	25.5	38.3	33.8	51.6	34.5	21.4			23.0	23.9		18.4	97.9%		$24,826	$2,382	$22,445
Kanoon Elementary Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-8	2233 S Kedzie Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1736	389	31	12.4	93.8%	2 (0.5%)	16 (4.1%)	365 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									11.6							5.6	95.2%		$23,508	$2,409	$21,100
McCormick Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2712 S Sawyer Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-7252	502	39	12.8	96.6%	7 (1.4%)	3 (0.6%)	488 (97.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	5.2	1696^th of 1737 public elementary schools	2.4%		14.6	1800^th of 2056 public elementary schools	12.5%	104	25.4			26.2	19.0				19.7							9.6	97.4%		$25,646	$1,857	$23,789
Ortiz De Dominguez Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	3000 S Lawndale Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1600	404	32	12.6	87.4%	6 (1.5%)	5 (1.2%)	393 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	99.7%		$25,843	$1,798	$24,045
Dvorak Technology Academy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3615 W 16th St	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1690	276	25	11.2	88.8%	2 (0.7%)	219 (79.3%)	52 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)							33.3	39.3	26.1							7.5	93.5%		$25,075	$2,570	$22,506
Legacy Elementary Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	3318 W Ogden Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 542-1640	458	26	17.6	92.4%	3 (0.7%)	417 (91.0%)	32 (7.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	23.1	1311^th of 1737 public elementary schools	24.5%		16.1	1762^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	14.3%	451	27.1	47.8	42.9	29.8	44.7	60.4	44.7	65.2	47.9	38.8		20.8		23.4	21.7	22.2	97.5%		$17,970	$1,911	$16,059
Whitney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2815 S Komensky Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1560	559	44	12.8	94.6%	9 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	549 (98.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.5	1691^st of 1737 public elementary schools	2.6%		13.4	1834^th of 2056 public elementary schools	10.8%	143		35.0	19.0	29.5		27.9	37.7	49.2	31.6					18.9	16.4	14.6	97.4%		$21,246	$1,297	$19,948
Penn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1616 S Avers Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1665	218	24	9.1	85.3%	0 (0.0%)	192 (88.1%)	25 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									14.9								90.9%		$32,661	$2,220	$30,441

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardenas Elementary School

Is Cardenas Elementary School a good school?

Cardenas Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Cardenas Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cardenas Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Farragut Career Academy High School

How many students attend Cardenas Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 764 students attended Cardenas Elementary School.

What district is Cardenas Elementary School in?

Chicago Public Schools District 299

What is the racial makeup of Cardenas Elementary School?

Students at Cardenas Elementary School are 93% Hispanic, 4% White, 3% African American.

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

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

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 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.