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Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy

Q: Is Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy a good school?

Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy ranks 1349 th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1349^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy is a public school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 314 students enrolled. 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.

Unfortunately, Wells Preparatory consistently underperforms the district and state in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 53.6% of Wells Preparatory students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 42.8% for the district and 53.1% for the state. In Mathematics, only 21.4% of Wells Preparatory students were proficient or better, compared to 27.3% for the district and 38.5% for the state. The school's performance has been consistently low, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Univ of Chicago Charter-Donoghue, Bronzeville Classical Elementary School, and Pershing Elementary Humanities Magnet, generally outperform Wells Preparatory in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency, despite serving similar student populations. Bronzeville Classical Elementary School, in particular, stands out with exceptional performance, ranking in the top 5% of Illinois elementary schools.

308

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,776

Per pupil spending ?

82.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

249 E 37th St
Chicago, IL 60653-1001

(773) 535-1204

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

Students who attend Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy usually attend:

High:

Phillips Academy High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

96.1%

Hispanic:

2.3%

Two or more races:

1.0%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 21st percentile in 2014 → 34th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (28% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Science scores 25 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg33%

Illinois avg44%

Elementary school

1,349^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

635^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 40 pts since 2015

From bottom 13% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

153^rd 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	33.4	1349 of 2056	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	1421 of 2067	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.0	1521 of 2077	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	1850 of 2082	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	1637 of 2086	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	1509 of 2037	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.8	1579 of 2044	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.8	1541 of 2046	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.4	1579 of 2052	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.0	1655 of 2093	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.1	1911 of 2167	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	13.3	1975 of 2166	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	22.9	1792 of 2147	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.4	1566 of 2139	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.3	1655 of 2120	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.7	1766 of 2092	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.0	1776 of 2095	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	5.3	1973 of 2086	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	15.9	1773 of 2022	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	22.0	1690 of 2030	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	17.4	1698 of 2020	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	139 of 688	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	57.2	189 of 655	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	44.5	319 of 692	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.2	371 of 684	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.1	272 of 711	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	230 of 698	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	1210 of 1942	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	1241 of 1942	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1705 of 1957	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	1833 of 1970	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	1468 of 2019	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	1413 of 1964	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.0	942 of 1800	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	1125 of 1793	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.5	1313 of 1808	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	1483 of 1763	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.6	1177 of 1816	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.5	1072 of 1765	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	1445 of 1947	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	1598 of 1959	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.4	1287 of 1984	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.2	1628 of 1977	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	1771 of 2019	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	1535 of 1972	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	25.7	933 of 1195	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	635 of 1368	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	559 of 1363	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	595 of 1367	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	18.5	1144 of 1369	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	1221 of 1356	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	1017 of 1293	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.2	785 of 1293	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	25.1	1002 of 1294	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.0	1128 of 1302	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.5	957 of 1322	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.6	894 of 1367	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	26.2	1095 of 1365	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	40.7	915 of 1344	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.6	838 of 1327	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.5	841 of 1318	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.3	635 of 1293	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	34.1	951 of 1287	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.2	984 of 1272	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	7.1	1105 of 1209	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	6.4	1121 of 1204	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	42.3	751 of 1185	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	72.8	92 of 574	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.5	58 of 548	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.1	91 of 569	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	40.5	288 of 573	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.0	405 of 565	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.5	179 of 511	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	51.2	563 of 1248	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.9	430 of 1251	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	618 of 1275	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.3	1026 of 1286	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.2	1101 of 1276	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	969 of 1226	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	441 of 1229	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	354 of 1219	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	60.9	359 of 1234	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	26.4	952 of 1221	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	1029 of 1217	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	766 of 1161	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	696 of 1271	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	12.6	1232 of 1286	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	1199 of 1296	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.0	978 of 1223	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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

African American (2025)80th percentile+45 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2024)22nd percentile-9 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)84th percentile+30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)45th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%~ state avg

Mathematics21%-17 vs state

Science18%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wells Preparatory Elementary 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
Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	249 E 37th St	Chicago	60653	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1204	308	22	14.0	82.8%	2 (0.6%)	296 (96.1%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	33.4	1349^th of 2056 public elementary schools	34.4%		29.2	1421^st of 2067 public elementary schools	31.3%	72	22.6	14.3	25.9	38.5	44.4	66.7	78.3	78.6	53.6	28.6	23.1	25.8	16.7	17.4	14.3	21.4	77.8	82.2	82.2	82.2	93.8	80.6	79.4	10.9	12.8	$22,776	$2,969	$19,807
James R Doolittle Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	535 E 35th St	Chicago	60616	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1040	257	21	12.5	84.8%	0 (0.0%)	252 (98.1%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7.2	2020^th of 2056 public elementary schools	1.8%		10.4	2025^th of 2067 public elementary schools	2.0%	5	10.7	16.7	4.3	18.4	13.8	8.3	23.8	22.2	15.0	4.3	7.9	0.0	8.3	0.0	0.0	3.9	81.3	85.9	85.9	85.9	91.2	85.1	79.8	9.2	12.6	$24,891	$4,318	$20,573
Univ of Chicago Charter-Donoghue	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	707 E 37th St	Chicago	60653	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(773) 285-5301	499	23	21.6	84.6%	0 (0.0%)	474 (95.0%)	16 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	32.8	1361^st of 2056 public elementary schools	33.8%		33.1	1308^th of 2067 public elementary schools	36.7%	53	24.4		37.8	33.3	57.7				42.7	33.3	17.1	25.6				25.3										$18,355	$1,216	$17,139
John J Pershing Magnet Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3200 S Calumet Ave	Chicago	60616	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-9272	439	32	13.7	83.1%	9 (2.1%)	392 (89.3%)	24 (5.5%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	17.1	1741^st of 2056 public elementary schools	15.3%		15.8	1817^th of 2067 public elementary schools	12.1%	76	18.6	22.4	9.7	22.2	40.0	51.2	27.9	20.4	29.6	9.7	5.7	7.0	5.0	9.3	10.2	7.9	82.2	85.9	85.9	85.9	90.5	85.9	84.4	6.5	23.1	$21,245	$4,793	$16,451
Bronzeville Classical Elementary School	Public	K-8	8 W Root St	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	No	(773) 535-8085	458	26	17.6	16.6%	23 (5.0%)	340 (74.2%)	22 (4.8%)	41 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.8%)	97.1	23^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	98.9%		97.3	42^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	98.0%	19	75.4	84.0	76.8	92.7	98.2	94.6	97.4	100.0	92.4	89.3	89.3	73.7	82.1	71.8	60.0	79.9	94.1	96.2	96.2	96.2	97.2	95.7	95.5		13.7	$15,884	$963	$14,921
James Farmer Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	4214 S Saint Lawrence Ave	Chicago	60653	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1687	321	19	16.8	94.1%	0 (0.0%)	300 (93.5%)	14 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	14.3	1810^th of 2056 public elementary schools	12.0%		24.7	1551^st of 2067 public elementary schools	25.0%	259	21.2	18.4	7.1	20.0	22.9	30.0	35.2	25.0	24.9	7.1	13.8	17.6	13.8	15.1	12.5	13.6	81.8	87.4	87.4	87.4	89.7	87.1	83.1	4.0	24.2	$19,898	$2,407	$17,490
Mollison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4415 S Dr Martin L King Jr Dr	Chicago	60653	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1804	237	17	13.9	85.7%	0 (0.0%)	221 (93.2%)	11 (4.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	5.3	2045^th of 2056 public elementary schools	0.5%		11.3	2002^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	3.1%	43	9.4	3.6	0.0	0.0	12.9	8.0	45.5	17.9	13.5	5.0	3.4	0.0	4.0	22.7	10.7	7.1	88.5	92.8	92.8	92.8	97.5	92.8	88.5	6.4	23.8	$23,499	$4,165	$19,334
Hendricks Elementary Community Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	4316 S Princeton Ave	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1696	217	19	11.7	97.2%	3 (1.4%)	184 (84.8%)	27 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	8.7	1977^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.8%		12.2	1971^st of 2067 public elementary schools	4.6%	6	0.0	12.5	22.7	6.7	5.0	27.8	0.0	12.5	12.7	22.7	0.0	0.0	5.6	7.1	12.5	8.6	84.2	86.3	85.8	85.8	94.5	86.3	84.7	6.6	12.6	$29,272	$3,516	$25,757
Woodson South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4414 S Evans Ave	Chicago	60653	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1280	298	22	13.5	70.8%	0 (0.0%)	272 (91.3%)	19 (6.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.7%)	14.7	1794^th of 2056 public elementary schools	12.7%		12.2	1970^th of 2067 public elementary schools	4.7%	176	11.5	5.0	35.0	14.7	30.8	17.1	9.4	42.5	24.4	40.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	3.1	0.0	5.2	85.4	88.4	88.8	88.4	96.6	86.7	86.4	4.1	19.4	$23,327	$3,330	$19,997
Minnie Minoso Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	3527 S Wallace St	Chicago	60609	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-1732	304	29	10.5	89.8%	38 (12.5%)	137 (45.1%)	98 (32.2%)	18 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	24.6	1568^th of 2056 public elementary schools	23.7%		25.1	1542^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	25.4%	26	35.7	27.8	27.3	18.2	46.4	46.2	52.0	58.3	41.8	4.5	6.1	17.9	15.4	20.0	22.2	14.7	79.3	83.1	83.1	83.1	93.4	82.5	81.5		22.6	$29,628	$2,694	$26,934

Frequently Asked Questions about Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy

Is Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy a good school?

Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy ranks 1349^th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 308 students attended Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy?

Students at Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy are 96% African American, 2% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy attend?

Students who attend Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Phillips Academy High School

What district is Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy in?

Chicago Public Schools District 299

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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.