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KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-8

1694^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy serves 897 students in grades K–8 in Chicago, within Chicago Public Schools District 299, which SchoolDigger ranks at the 23rd percentile statewide. The most important finding is that academic results are low across subjects: in 2025–2026, proficiency was 26% in English Language Arts (ELA), 18% in math, and 25% in eighth-grade science.

Test results trail district and state levels: ELA proficiency was 26%, compared with 46% in the district and 56% statewide; math was 18%, versus 29% and 40%; and eighth-grade science was 25%, versus 41% and 52%. ELA is also below the nearby-school average of 29%, and Ascend’s result is lower than six of the ten nearby results. For math, only three nearby schools had reported all-grades results; their average was 22%, above Ascend’s 18%. Attendance is a clear bright spot: chronic absenteeism was 21% in 2025–2026, down from 41% in 2021–2022. The latest rate is below the state’s 24%, the district’s 39%, and the nearby-school average of 41%.

Math proficiency has improved over three years, rising from 3% in 2023–2024 to 13% in 2024–2025 and 18% in 2025–2026; its gap with the state narrowed from 26 to 22 points. ELA rose from 17% to 30%, then fell to 26%, while its state gap widened from 24 to 30 points. SchoolDigger places Ascend at the 2nd percentile statewide with 0 stars for 2025–2026, down from the 15th percentile the prior year; nearby Legacy Elementary Charter School and Cardenas Elementary School rank at the 25th and 18th percentiles. SchoolDigger’s ranking of how well the school serves African American students fell from the 49th percentile in 2024–2025, when the overall ranking was at the 15th percentile, to the 6th percentile in 2025–2026—a 43-point drop. As context, 95% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, compared with a nearby average of 90%; this describes the school community, not the cause of its results. The reported student-teacher ratio was 112.1 in 2024–2025, a sharp change from 17.6 the year before and an unusual figure to interpret as typical class size.

897

Students ?

112.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,145

Per pupil spending ?

94.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

89.7%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

1616 S Avers Ave
Chicago, IL 60623-2401

(773) 521-4399

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.4%

Hispanic:

9.6%

Two or more races:

0.6%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 22nd percentile in 2019 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (23% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg38%

Illinois avg49%

Elementary school

1,694^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 19 pts since 2019

From bottom 22% (2019) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,024^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 30 pts since 2019

From bottom 39% (2019) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

272^nd 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	5.3	1694 of 1737	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	1753 of 2056	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	1915 of 2067	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	1848 of 2077	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	1803 of 2082	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	1631 of 2086	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	13.9	145 of 154	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	43.8	349 of 688	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.1	483 of 655	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.5	423 of 692	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.3	360 of 684	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.7	265 of 711	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	789 of 1049	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	837 of 886	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	736 of 907	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	2.8	1279 of 1286	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	1656 of 1942	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	1717 of 1942	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1712 of 1957	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	1722 of 1970	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	1598 of 2019	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	34 of 44	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	38 of 52	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	23 of 30	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.1	14 of 36	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.7	12 of 24	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	9.4	963 of 1001	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.9	1396 of 1800	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	1614 of 1793	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	1584 of 1808	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1443 of 1763	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.7	1197 of 1816	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	3.1	1304 of 1311	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	1646 of 1947	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	1862 of 1959	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	1766 of 1984	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	1700 of 1977	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1554 of 2019	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	1093 of 1292	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	1109 of 1195	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	867 of 1156	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	814 of 1113	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	1041 of 1194	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	11.1	1024 of 1126	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.2	1068 of 1368	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	1169 of 1363	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	1165 of 1367	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	1250 of 1369	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.3	825 of 1356	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	177 of 224	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.3	267 of 574	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.5	359 of 548	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	337 of 569	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	412 of 573	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.8	120 of 565	78.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	656 of 694	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	532 of 639	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.4	435 of 674	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	6.2	817 of 867	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	1024 of 1248	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	1033 of 1251	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	1090 of 1275	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	1148 of 1286	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.2	687 of 1276	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	16 of 58	72.4%	★★★★☆
2024	48.5	32 of 70	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.1	29 of 53	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.9	29 of 34	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.3	10 of 36	72.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	663 of 788	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	876 of 1229	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	977 of 1219	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	991 of 1234	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	1094 of 1221	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.0	482 of 1217	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	13.3	728 of 829	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.9	919 of 1271	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	1111 of 1264	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	1100 of 1292	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	1172 of 1286	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	917 of 1296	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	790 of 812	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	763 of 802	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	641 of 805	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	654 of 781	16.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	634 of 792	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Disabled (2025)25th percentile+10 vs school

Homeless (2025)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)15th percentile~ school

African American (2026)6th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

Female (2026)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Homeless (2025)72nd percentile+50 vs school

African American (2026)21st percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)12th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)6th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2025)5th percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2025)3rd percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts26%-30 vs state

Science25%-25 vs state

Mathematics18%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy

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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
KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1616 S Avers Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(773) 521-4399	897	8	112.1	94.8%	1 (0.1%)	802 (89.4%)	86 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	5.3	1694^th of 1737 public elementary schools	2.5%		16.4	1753^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	14.7%	59		24.7	16.3	30.0	14.8	14.3	41.5	39.5	25.9	29.6	19.1			23.2	20.9	17.9	89.7%		$21,145	$1,013	$20,131
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
Herzl Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3711 W Douglas Blvd	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1480	429	34	12.6	97.2%	5 (1.2%)	379 (88.3%)	41 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)								(n/a)								33.3	14.2								88%		$23,153	$2,417	$20,735
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
Mason Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1856 S Keeler Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1530	241	20	11.9	95.0%	3 (1.2%)	197 (81.7%)	41 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									26.1							9.8	97%		$28,168	$2,367	$25,801
Hughes C Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4247 W 15th St	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1762	169	19	9.1	90.5%	0 (0.0%)	122 (72.2%)	45 (26.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)								(n/a)	52.6								20.0							16.7	86.7%		$26,822	$1,369	$25,452
Lawndale Elementary Community Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	3500 W Douglas Blvd	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1635	191	18	10.4	80.6%	0 (0.0%)	165 (86.4%)	26 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									15.4								88.5%		$25,167	$1,988	$23,180
Frazier Perspectives Magnet Elementary School	Public	K-8	4027 W Grenshaw St	Chicago	60624	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-6880	129	21	6.2	88.4%	1 (0.8%)	117 (90.7%)	11 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								73.3	36.3								97.4%		$42,067	$1,994	$40,073
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy

How many students attend KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 897 students attended KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy.

What district is KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy in?

Chicago Public Schools District 299

Is KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy a good school?

KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy ranks in the bottom 2.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy?

Students at KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy are 89% African American, 10% Hispanic.

Rate KIPP Chicago Charters - Ascend Academy!

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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.