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Ward L Elementary School

Q: Is Ward L Elementary School a good school?

Ward L Elementary School ranks in the bottom 3.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Ward L Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 279 students attended Ward L Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ward L Elementary School?

Students at Ward L Elementary School are 66% African American, 33% Hispanic, 1% White.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1985^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Ward L Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 259 students. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ward L Elementary School significantly underperforms compared to the Chicago Public Schools District 299 and the state of Illinois in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 16.5% of students were proficient or better in ELA compared to 42.8% for the district and 53.1% for the state. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.4% to 46.2% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school struggles to serve its student subgroups effectively, ranking in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools for various student groups.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Polaris Elementary Charter Academy, Cameron Elementary School, and Casals Elementary School, generally outperform Ward L Elementary School in academic proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and student group performance, despite serving similar student populations. The relatively high spending per student at Ward L Elementary School, coupled with the poor academic outcomes, raises questions about the effectiveness of the school's resource allocation and the need for a more targeted and strategic approach to improving student learning.

279

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,081

Per pupil spending ?

91.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

646 N Lawndale Ave
Chicago, IL 60624-1254

(773) 534-6440

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

Racial breakdown:

African American:

65.9%

Hispanic:

33.0%

White:

1.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Ward L Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (10% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school10%

District avg33%

Illinois avg44%

Elementary school

1,985^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,340^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

412^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	8.5	1985 of 2056	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.3	2050 of 2067	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	2061 of 2077	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	1943 of 2082	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1618 of 1948	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	1903 of 2086	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	1978 of 2037	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.9	1899 of 2044	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.8	1791 of 2046	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.9	1328 of 2052	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.5	1257 of 2093	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	61.1	911 of 2167	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	43.0	1445 of 2166	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	23.3	1783 of 2147	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	58.0	1101 of 2139	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.1	1321 of 2120	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	10.5	1907 of 2092	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.8	2015 of 2095	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.7	1985 of 2086	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.7	1872 of 2022	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	4.5	1912 of 2030	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	8.3	1818 of 2020	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	552 of 688	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	597 of 655	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	635 of 692	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	454 of 684	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.4	169 of 428	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.2	499 of 711	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	623 of 698	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.0	1713 of 1942	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.6	1898 of 1942	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	1911 of 1957	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	1607 of 1970	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	1645 of 1680	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.5	1808 of 2019	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	1899 of 1964	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	9.4	957 of 959	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	1685 of 1800	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	1770 of 1793	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	1786 of 1808	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	1591 of 1763	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	31.9	1069 of 1514	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	1601 of 1816	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	1700 of 1765	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	1922 of 1947	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	1949 of 1959	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	1962 of 1984	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.8	1927 of 1977	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	1276 of 1707	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	1848 of 2019	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	1890 of 1972	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	1340 of 1368	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	1330 of 1363	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	1294 of 1367	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	1243 of 1369	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	1108 of 1241	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	1263 of 1356	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	1231 of 1293	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.8	1205 of 1293	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	23.0	1044 of 1294	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.2	981 of 1302	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	50.1	679 of 1322	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.2	651 of 1367	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.9	713 of 1365	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	17.2	1171 of 1344	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	72.6	378 of 1327	71.5%	★★★★☆
2009	62.8	555 of 1318	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	35.9	933 of 1293	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.3	1151 of 1287	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	12.9	1116 of 1272	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	12.1	1042 of 1209	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	15.8	998 of 1204	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	52.1	645 of 1185	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	487 of 574	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	454 of 548	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	459 of 569	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	391 of 573	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	203 of 385	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.6	459 of 565	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.7	424 of 511	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	1237 of 1248	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	1181 of 1251	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	1256 of 1275	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	1147 of 1286	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.1	991 of 1017	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	1154 of 1276	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1175 of 1226	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	1198 of 1229	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	1163 of 1219	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	1172 of 1234	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	1072 of 1221	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	829 of 1019	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	1099 of 1217	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	1084 of 1161	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	1153 of 1271	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	1205 of 1264	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	1148 of 1292	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	1160 of 1286	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	870 of 1048	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	1220 of 1296	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	1105 of 1223	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2022	27.3	635 of 781	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2025)20th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)12th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Special Education (2022)19th percentile+9 vs school

African American (2025)15th percentile+13 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts16%-37 vs state

Science9%-34 vs state

Mathematics4%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ward L Elementary School

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
Ward L Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	646 N Lawndale Ave	Chicago	60624	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-6440	279	25	11.1	91.8%	3 (1.1%)	184 (65.9%)	92 (33.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.5	1985^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.5%		9.3	2050^th of 2067 public elementary schools	0.8%	65	0.0	18.2	32.0	10.0	7.7	17.4	4.3	27.3	16.5	12.0	0.0	7.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.6	89.5	93.4	93.4	93.8	95.3	90.6	86.3	15.6	20.7	$27,081	$3,710	$23,370
KIPP One Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	730 N Pulaski Rd	Chicago	60624	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(773) 938-8578	996	8	124.5	97.2%	2 (0.2%)	551 (55.3%)	441 (44.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.2	1663^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	19.1%		19.7	1690^th of 2067 public elementary schools	18.2%	27	22.5	38.6	15.0	17.3	24.5	46.5	46.3	50.6	31.9	29.2	19.2	8.8	19.2	23.2	26.8	21.0										$18,544	$1,380	$17,164
Polaris Elementary Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	620 N Sawyer Ave	Chicago	60624	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-0820	343	15	22.8	71.1%	4 (1.2%)	304 (88.6%)	35 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.7	1981^st of 2056 public elementary schools	3.6%		11.6	1989^th of 2067 public elementary schools	3.8%	8	8.7	15.6	19.5	7.7	8.7	30.0	32.4	40.6	24.2	7.3	7.7	4.3	3.3	5.9	6.3	5.9										$22,726	$873	$21,853
Cameron Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1234 N Monticello Ave	Chicago	60651	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-4290	671	52	12.8	97.5%	6 (0.9%)	101 (15.1%)	555 (82.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	17.5	1728^th of 2056 public elementary schools	16.0%		12.3	1965^th of 2067 public elementary schools	4.9%	237	11.3	17.1	33.3	26.7	24.5	30.6	10.9	30.0	26.3	35.1	21.7	3.8	1.6	16.4	8.6	14.3	68.7	72.7	72.7	72.7	86.9	70.8	69.7	2.9	16.8	$18,976	$2,973	$16,003
Morton Elementary Career Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	431 N Troy St	Chicago	60612	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-6791	268	31	8.6	75.7%	35 (13.1%)	159 (59.3%)	68 (25.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	28.3	1473^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	28.4%		15	1851^st of 2067 public elementary schools	10.4%	378		15.4	40.7	13.3		38.9	26.1	38.5	32.2	51.9	20.0		5.6	0.0	8.0	17.9	88.0	92.6	92.6	92.6	96.3	92.1	89.8		20.4	$25,095	$3,384	$21,710
Casals Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3501 W Potomac Ave	Chicago	60651	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-4444	337	30	11.4	90.2%	12 (3.6%)	83 (24.6%)	233 (69.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.5%)	69.6	609^th of 2056 public elementary schools	70.4%		59.1	749^th of 2067 public elementary schools	63.8%	140	17.5	36.4	68.6	57.1	59.0	75.0	71.0	69.7	66.3	71.4	67.9	33.3	50.0	54.8	45.5	53.2	68.9	74.4	74.4	74.4	83.1	74.4	70.6	7.1	14.2	$20,298	$2,402	$17,896
Piccolo Elementary Specialty School	Public	PK, KG-8	1040 N Keeler Ave	Chicago	60651	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-4425	643	57	11.3	92.2%	7 (1.1%)	198 (30.8%)	434 (67.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19.3	1688^th of 2056 public elementary schools	17.9%		13	1945^th of 2067 public elementary schools	5.9%	257	32.8	12.1	23.5	18.6	37.5	27.8	35.3	32.8	29.9	34.0	11.6	4.7	7.4	5.9	1.6	10.2	83.0	87.1	87.1	87.3	93.7	85.9	82.9	12.2	22.5	$19,319	$2,868	$16,451
Tilton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	223 N Keeler Ave	Chicago	60624	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-6746	244	19	12.8	83.2%	2 (0.8%)	193 (79.1%)	48 (19.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.1	1968^th of 2056 public elementary schools	4.3%		12.9	1948^th of 2067 public elementary schools	5.8%	20	18.5	3.3	8.3	9.7	29.6	12.5	18.8	19.4	16.3	8.3	3.3	11.1	0.0	20.0	0.0	6.0	86.0	92.6	92.6	92.6	97.1	92.2	91.3	5.0	18.2	$24,608	$5,350	$19,258
Beidler Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3151 W Walnut St	Chicago	60612	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-6811	232	19	12.2	84.1%	1 (0.4%)	200 (86.2%)	31 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.4	2017^th of 2056 public elementary schools	1.9%		17	1770^th of 2067 public elementary schools	14.4%	247	12.5	17.4	8.7	19.2	20.0	21.4	29.2	48.0	24.5	0.0	3.8	0.0	0.0	25.0	16.0	7.3	85.4	91.7	91.7	91.7	94.9	91.7	87.4	7.5	19.4	$26,560	$4,594	$21,966
LEARN Charter Excel Campus	Public, Charter	K-6	3021 W Carroll Ave	Chicago	60612	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(312) 243-7001	379	27	14.0	93.4%	0 (0.0%)	370 (97.6%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	51.2	982^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	52.2%		51.8	894^th of 2067 public elementary schools	56.7%	88	16.3		49.0	35.8	53.1	69.8			52.8	56.9	47.2	32.7	27.0			40.3										$19,061	$4,061	$15,000

Frequently Asked Questions about Ward L Elementary School

What district is Ward L Elementary School in?

Chicago Public Schools District 299

How many students attend Ward L Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 279 students attended Ward L Elementary School.

Is Ward L Elementary School a good school?

Ward L Elementary School ranks in the bottom 3.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Ward L Elementary School?

Students at Ward L Elementary School are 66% African American, 33% Hispanic, 1% White.

Rate Ward L Elementary School!

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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.