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Columbus West Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-3

Summary

Columbus West Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in Cicero, Illinois, with 586 students. The school is part of the Cicero School District 99, which is ranked 718 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbus West Elementary School has consistently been ranked in the bottom 20% of Illinois elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a ranking between 1643 and 1916 out of over 2,000 schools. The school faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates, poor academic performance, and achievement gaps among subgroups. In 2023-2024, only 11.9% of Columbus West students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 23.6% in the district and 41.2% statewide. In math, 17.6% of Columbus West students were proficient, compared to 13.1% in the district and 28.4% statewide. Despite spending significantly more per student ($19,268 in 2022-2023) than the state average, the school's academic outcomes remain among the lowest in the state.

Interestingly, the other Cicero elementary schools, such as Drexel, Goodwin, Woodrow Wilson, and Abe Lincoln, perform better than Columbus West on most metrics, including academic achievement, chronic absenteeism, and student-teacher ratios. Additionally, the nearby Berwyn schools, such as Hiawatha, Pershing, and Komensky, generally outperform Columbus West and the Cicero district on academic measures, despite serving similar demographics.

534

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,218

Per pupil spending ?

90.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5425 W 31st St
Cicero, IL 60804-3989

(708) 780-4482

District: Cicero School District 99

Students who attend Columbus West Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Columbus East Elementary School
	Unity Junior High School
High:	J Sterling Morton East High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.5%

White:

2.4%

African American:

1.1%

See top rated Illinois public schools

Compare Columbus West Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2014 → 22nd in 2024

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (35% vs 46% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 25 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg27%

Illinois avg46%

Not ranked this year

Columbus West Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

730^th of 811Cicero School District 99 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	22.5	1606 of 2067	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	1727 of 2077	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	1737 of 2082	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	1659 of 1948	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	1788 of 2086	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	1643 of 2037	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.7	1749 of 2044	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.9	1753 of 2046	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.4	1858 of 2052	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.6	1916 of 2093	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.7	1989 of 2167	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	16.3	1922 of 2166	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	12.7	1952 of 2147	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	23.8	1758 of 2139	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	12.8	1913 of 2120	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.6	1843 of 2092	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.6	1829 of 2095	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.6	1828 of 2086	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	10.5	1821 of 2022	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	6.2	1881 of 2030	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	2.1	1973 of 2020	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	37.1	517 of 826	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.9	615 of 788	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	649 of 768	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	505 of 537	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	564 of 743	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	455 of 718	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	16.8	1689 of 1942	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	1633 of 1957	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	1731 of 1970	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	1457 of 1680	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	1739 of 2019	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	1634 of 1964	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	34.1	647 of 959	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	750 of 970	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	775 of 954	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.8	561 of 742	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.4	804 of 955	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	737 of 938	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	29.7	1318 of 1793	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.6	1271 of 1808	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	1285 of 1763	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	1320 of 1514	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.1	1371 of 1816	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	1278 of 1765	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	29.1	1342 of 1959	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.4	1552 of 1984	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	1544 of 1977	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	1453 of 1707	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	1656 of 2019	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	1556 of 1972	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	23.3	1028 of 1194	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	478 of 763	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)37th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2024)33rd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2024)31st percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)26th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2019)14th percentile~ school

Female (2024)13th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics42%+3 vs state

English Language Arts28%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbus West 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
Columbus West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	5425 W 31st St	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 780-4482	534	40	13.3	90.4%	13 (2.4%)	6 (1.1%)	510 (95.5%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)								(n/a)			28.0						28.0	41.6						41.6	98.6	98.6	98.6	98.6	98.6	97.7	98.6	7.1		$23,218	$2,004	$21,215
Drexel Elementary School	Public	K-6	5407 W 36th St	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 652-5532	396	29	13.6	71.2%	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.5%)	386 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32.3	1380^th of 2056 public elementary schools	32.9%		21.5	1640^th of 2067 public elementary schools	20.7%	260	34.8		27.9	24.4	45.7	29.2			32.0	46.5	27.5	34.8	12.5			29.9	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	81.3	93.8	93.8		11.0	$24,492	$1,969	$22,523
Goodwin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2625 S Austin Blvd	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 652-5500	502	35	14.3	82.1%	6 (1.2%)	7 (1.4%)	488 (97.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26.2	1533^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	25.4%		28.8	1436^th of 2067 public elementary schools	30.5%	97	22.1		22.2	40.0	41.9	18.0			32.0	23.8	41.7	16.3	18.0			24.3	97.7	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.7	97.5	97.7	5.9	11.6	$21,211	$2,063	$19,148
Abe Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3545 S 61st Ave	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 652-8889	717	58	12.4	92.2%	11 (1.5%)	5 (0.7%)	696 (97.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	41.8	1170^th of 2056 public elementary schools	43.1%		35.6	1254^th of 2067 public elementary schools	39.3%	84	30.9		35.5	40.7	45.4	63.6			45.6	30.0	33.0	24.7	34.1			30.3	95.1	95.1	95.1	95.1	95.1	95.1	95.1	4.5	11.3	$21,690	$1,794	$19,895
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School	Public	K-6	2310 S 57th Ave	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 652-2552	622	38	16.5	86.2%	9 (1.4%)	6 (1.0%)	606 (97.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21.7	1622^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	21.1%		23.8	1574^th of 2067 public elementary schools	23.9%	48	18.3		23.7	22.0	35.0	48.8			31.8	24.7	16.0	13.3	17.1			17.5	98.0	98.1	98.1	98.1	25.0	97.7	98.0		11.8	$16,575	$1,548	$15,028
Sherlock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5347 W 22nd Pl	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 652-8885	583	34	17.1	82.5%	8 (1.4%)	8 (1.4%)	567 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.8	1516^th of 2056 public elementary schools	26.3%		33.4	1301^st of 2067 public elementary schools	37.1%	215	28.6		17.9	27.1	36.0	42.7			31.3	32.8	28.2	17.6	21.9			24.8	96.9	96.9	96.9	96.9	96.9	96.6	96.9	6.7	12.1	$16,933	$1,875	$15,059
Cicero West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	4937 W 23rd St	Cicero	60804	Cook County	Cicero School District 99	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 780-4487	557	39	14.2	57.1%	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.8%)	543 (97.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			27.0						27.0	32.0						32.0	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5		97.3	97.1			$21,621	$1,906	$19,715
Komensky Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2515 Cuyler Ave	Berwyn	60402	Cook County	Berwyn South School District 100	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 795-2342	320	29	10.9	85.6%	10 (3.1%)	15 (4.7%)	288 (90.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.2%)	30.7	1415^th of 2056 public elementary schools	31.2%		35.1	1267^th of 2067 public elementary schools	38.7%	148	20.0		41.5	38.5	28.9				36.5	39.6	30.8	22.2				31.4	94.9	94.9	94.9	94.9	94.9	94.0	94.9	15.9		$19,098	$1,988	$17,110
Zapata Elementary Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2728 S Kostner Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-1390	524	46	11.3	91.0%	13 (2.5%)	3 (0.6%)	507 (96.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22.8	1599^th of 2056 public elementary schools	22.2%		23	1596^th of 2067 public elementary schools	22.8%	3	24.4	30.2	19.6	37.0	35.7	31.5	48.1	62.3	38.9	21.4	26.1	23.8	9.4	15.4	22.6	19.5	95.9	98.3	98.3	98.3	98.8	97.5	97.1	5.5	33.9	$21,259	$2,132	$19,128
Hiawatha Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6539 26th St	Berwyn	60402	Cook County	Berwyn South School District 100	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 795-2327	394	31	12.9	75.6%	20 (5.1%)	27 (6.9%)	336 (85.3%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	37.4	1264^th of 2056 public elementary schools	38.5%		45.9	1023^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	50.5%	241	28.3		33.3	49.1	48.1				43.6	46.3	23.6	22.6				30.9	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	14.7		$17,550	$1,979	$15,571

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus West Elementary School

What district is Columbus West Elementary School in?

Cicero School District 99

How many students attend Columbus West Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 534 students attended Columbus West Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Columbus West Elementary School?

Students at Columbus West Elementary School are 96% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Columbus West Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Columbus West Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbus East Elementary School
Middle : Unity Junior High School
High : J Sterling Morton East High 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.