Summary:
Three Chicago public high schools in ZIP code 60634 serve grades 9–12: Steinmetz College Prep High School, Chicago Academy High School and Rickover Naval Academy High School. Their results show markedly different academic and attendance outcomes. The widest gap is between Chicago Academy and Steinmetz: Chicago Academy’s grade 11 ACT proficiency leads by 40 percentage points in English language arts, 28 points in math and 27 points in science. Steinmetz is lowest in all nine current test comparisons, making the difference consistent across grades and subjects.
Chicago Academy leads six of the nine 2025–26 comparisons, including all three ACT subjects; its ACT English language arts and science results are 7 and 2 points above state results, though its ACT math result is 3 points below the state. Rickover stands out for graduation and improvement: its 99% graduation rate is the area’s highest, and its average change across the nine tests was a 6-point gain. Steinmetz has a 69% graduation rate and 74% chronic absenteeism, compared with state figures of 90% and 24%. Rickover’s absenteeism is also high at 42%, while Chicago Academy’s is 34%.
Recent gains are not shared across the schools: Rickover’s average test result rose 6 points from 2024–25, while Chicago Academy’s fell 1 point and Steinmetz’s fell 3; Rickover’s grade 9 English and math results also declined. SchoolDigger ranks Chicago Academy 291st of 620 schools (53rd percentile, 3 stars), Rickover 355th (43rd percentile, 2 stars) and Steinmetz 589th (5th percentile, 0 stars). The schools also differ in size and reported income measure: Steinmetz has 1,230 students and 88% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25; Chicago Academy has 580 students, 77% eligible and a student-teacher ratio of 12; Rickover has 527 students, 65% eligible and a ratio of 15.8. These contrasts provide context, but do not show that any one characteristic explains a school’s results.
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