Is Brown W Elementary School a good school?

Brown W Elementary School ranks in the bottom 11.0% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Brown W Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 205 students attended Brown W Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Brown W Elementary School?

Students at Brown W Elementary School are 92% African American, 6% Hispanic, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Brown W Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Brown W Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Wells Community Academy High School

Brown W Elementary School

Summary:

Brown W Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago Public Schools District 299. With just 205 students, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Illinois, receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Brown W Elementary School significantly underperforms compared to the district and state averages on standardized tests, with only 14.8% of students proficient in English Language Arts and just 7.7% proficient in mathematics. The school also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 33.7% to 44.4% over the past few years. Additionally, 94.63% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite spending significantly more per student ($31,079 in 2022-2023) and having a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 10:1, the school has not shown any meaningful improvement in its academic performance over the past 10 years.

When comparing Brown W Elementary School to nearby schools in the same district, such as Skinner Elementary School and Mitchell Elementary School, it is clear that Brown W is an outlier in terms of academic performance, with proficiency rates more than 40 percentage points lower in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. Addressing the significant challenges faced by Brown W Elementary School will likely require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach involving the school, district, and community.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

54 N Hermitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60612-2631

(773) 534-7250

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1839^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $29,223

Students who attend Brown W Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Wells Community Academy High School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.0

Number of students: 205

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.7%

Hispanic:

5.9%

White:

1.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 94.6%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Brown W Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Brown W Elementary School ranks worse than 89% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 332^nd among 452 ranked elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.22. (See more...)

Compare Details Brown W Elementary School ranks worse than 79.8% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.48. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Brown W Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details

Compare

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Brown W Elementary School is $29,223, which is the 28^th highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Brown W Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Brown W Elementary School 1839^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Brown W Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Brown W Elementary School 1087^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Brown W Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Chicago Public Schools District 299:

SchoolDigger ranks Chicago Public Schools District 299 688^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Brown W Elementary School.

What do you think?

Your rating for Brown W Elementary School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Brown W Elementary School

Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	7.76	1824^th	2020	9.7%
2004	3.99	1926^th	2030	5.1%
2005	2.91	1925^th	2022	4.8%
2006	6.67	1949^th	2086	6.6%
2007	3.78	2014^th	2095	3.9%
2008	11.88	1894^th	2092	9.5%
2009	6.58	2011^th	2120	5.1%
2010	14.49	1908^th	2139	10.8%
2011	12.23	1959^th	2147	8.8%
2012	12.45	1991^st	2166	8.1%
2013	19.54	1809^th	2167	16.5%
2014	9.06	1979^th	2093	5.4%
2015	13.84	1882^nd	2052	8.3%
2016	20.98	1668^th	2046	18.5%
2017	8.75	1998^th	2044	2.3%
2018	10.00	1965^th	2037	3.5%
2019	11.62	1974^th	2086	5.4%
2021	12.38	1897^th	1948	2.6%
2022	11.19	2031^st	2082	2.4%
2023	11.47	1987^th	2077	4.3%
2024	15.22	1839^th	2067	11.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.36	1679^th	1765	4.9%
2019	14.08	1742^nd	1816	4.1%
2021	17.84	1452^nd	1514	4.1%
2022	15.41	1712^th	1763	2.9%
2023	15.81	1726^th	1808	4.5%
2024	21.60	1544^th	1793	13.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	13.62	1859^th	2019	7.9%
2021	11.69	1620^th	1680	3.6%
2022	11.03	1925^th	1970	2.3%
2023	13.12	1833^rd	1957	6.3%
2024	14.94	1756^th	1942	9.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.15	1868^th	1972	5.3%
2019	16.07	1803^rd	2019	10.7%
2023	13.32	1856^th	1984	6.5%
2024	14.61	1779^th	1959	9.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	27.52	554^th	698	20.6%
2019	27.28	578^th	711	18.7%
2021	28.10	360^th	428	15.9%
2022	24.12	627^th	684	8.3%
2023	26.87	566^th	692	18.2%
2024	34.24	432^nd	655	34.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Brown W Elementary School

Compare

Rank History for all middle school students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	4.16	1150^th	1185	3.0%
2004	12.37	1034^th	1204	14.1%
2005	21.02	963^rd	1209	20.3%
2006	28.15	993^rd	1272	21.9%
2007	20.16	1070^th	1287	16.9%
2008	14.42	1127^th	1293	12.8%
2009	17.60	1120^th	1318	15.0%
2010	17.31	1148^th	1327	13.5%
2011	29.53	1063^rd	1344	20.9%
2012	17.02	1201^st	1365	12.0%
2013	16.42	1198^th	1367	12.4%
2014	7.46	1266^th	1322	4.2%
2015	10.92	1242^nd	1302	4.6%
2016	15.57	1173^rd	1294	9.4%
2017	20.26	1055^th	1293	18.4%
2018	14.82	1148^th	1293	11.2%
2019	14.79	1201^st	1356	11.4%
2021	16.54	1097^th	1241	11.6%
2022	14.58	1257^th	1369	8.2%
2023	11.83	1307^th	1367	4.4%
2024	20.48	1087^th	1363	20.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.20	1011^th	1161	12.9%
2019	22.43	1018^th	1217	16.4%
2021	25.06	831^st	1019	18.4%
2022	16.86	1151^st	1221	5.7%
2023	16.81	1148^th	1234	7.0%
2024	26.97	925^th	1219	24.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.62	1098^th	1226	10.4%
2023	14.59	1155^th	1275	9.4%
2024	18.06	1055^th	1251	15.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.88	1080^th	1223	11.7%
2019	16.35	1133^rd	1296	12.6%
2022	10.52	1278^th	1286	0.6%
2023	13.39	1205^th	1292	6.7%
2024	24.01	943^rd	1264	25.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Brown W Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.64	329^th	511	35.6%
2019	32.82	395^th	565	30.1%
2021	32.91	264^th	385	31.4%
2022	27.38	477^th	573	16.8%
2023	25.21	486^th	569	14.6%
2024	39.34	305^th	548	44.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Friday, April 20, 2012

I have enjoyed my time working with Brown. The school overall appears to have a vision of developing the whole child. Children are assessed on a regular basis and that information is used to decide their next step. The teachers are always friendly and willing to speak with parents. There are many opportunities for families to participate in the school through volunteering, attending extracurricular activities, and supporting the students through fundraisers. There are also many volunteer agencies that work with the school and children. One agency has a before school store that allows the children to come to school and pick up all their school supplies for the coming year (backpack, uniform, shoes, notebooks). Brown appears to be a model school in their mission to help and educate children. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Brown W Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	4	525	n/a	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	533
1990	5	451	n/a	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	463
1991	5	504	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	520
1992	7	535	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	553
1993	8	577	2	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	600
1994	4	540	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	555
1995	2	509	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
1996	2	509	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
1997	2	510	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	515
1998	0	488	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	495
1999	0	421	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	425
2000	0	396	1	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	402
2001	0	379	1	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	386
2002	0	333	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	339
2003	0	333	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	339
2004	0	292	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	300
2005	1	288	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	303
2006	2	276	1	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	290
2007	0	243	2	9	3	n/a	n/a	0	257
2008	3	223	1	10	2	n/a	n/a	1	240
2009	3	234	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	240
2010	1	196	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	1	203
2011	3	203	0	6	0	2	0	0	214
2012	3	201	0	8	0	1	1	0	214
2013	1	189	0	7	2	1	0	0	200
2014	0	217	1	5	2	0	0	0	225
2015	1	229	2	10	1	0	0	0	243
2016	2	248	1	10	1	1	5	0	268
2017	5	259	0	16	1	1	2	0	284
2018	4	230	1	15	0	2	1	0	253
2019	4	202	1	17	0	1	0	0	225
2020	6	186	0	15	0	1	0	0	208
2021	5	171	0	5	0	0	0	0	181
2022	4	155	0	4	0	0	0	0	163
2023	3	188	1	12	0	0	1	0	205

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Brown W Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	533	33.0	16.1	n/a
1990	463	35.0	13.2	n/a
1991	520	38.0	13.6	n/a
1992	553	42.0	13.1	n/a
1993	600	41.0	14.6	n/a
1994	555	39.0	14.2	n/a
1995	521	40.0	13.0	n/a
1996	521	40.0	13.0	n/a
1997	515	35.0	14.7	n/a
1998	495	30.0	16.5	n/a
1999	425	29.0	14.7	n/a
2000	402	24.0	16.8	n/a
2001	386	24.0	16.1	n/a
2002	339	20.0	17.0	90
2003	339	20.0	17.0	90
2004	300	19.4	15.5	97
2005	303	23.6	12.8	99
2006	290	25.6	11.3	77.2
2007	257	15.0	17.1	84.8
2008	240	15.0	16.0	99.2
2009	240	18.0	13.3	98.8
2010	203	21.0	9.6	99
2011	214	18.0	11.8	98.6
2012	214	17.0	12.5	98.6
2013	200	17.6	11.3	98
2014	225	18.5	12.1	97.8
2015	243	17.0	14.2	98.8
2016	268	20.0	13.4	95.9
2017	284	13.6	20.8	98.6
2018	253	19.8	12.7	96.8
2019	225	20.5	10.9	80
2020	208	20.5	10.1	98.1
2021	181	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	163	21.5	7.5	82.8
2023	205	20.5	10.0	94.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Brown W Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	533	33.0	16.1	n/a
1990	463	35.0	13.2	n/a
1991	520	38.0	13.6	n/a
1992	553	42.0	13.1	n/a
1993	600	41.0	14.6	n/a
1994	555	39.0	14.2	n/a
1995	521	40.0	13.0	n/a
1996	521	40.0	13.0	n/a
1997	515	35.0	14.7	n/a
1998	495	30.0	16.5	n/a
1999	425	29.0	14.7	n/a
2000	402	24.0	16.8	n/a
2001	386	24.0	16.1	n/a
2002	339	20.0	17.0	90
2003	339	20.0	17.0	90
2004	300	19.4	15.5	97
2005	303	23.6	12.8	99
2006	290	25.6	11.3	77.2
2007	257	15.0	17.1	84.8
2008	240	15.0	16.0	99.2
2009	240	18.0	13.3	98.8
2010	203	21.0	9.6	99
2011	214	18.0	11.8	98.6
2012	214	17.0	12.5	98.6
2013	200	17.6	11.3	98
2014	225	18.5	12.1	97.8
2015	243	17.0	14.2	98.8
2016	268	20.0	13.4	95.9
2017	284	13.6	20.8	98.6
2018	253	19.8	12.7	96.8
2019	225	20.5	10.9	80
2020	208	20.5	10.1	98.1
2021	181	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	163	21.5	7.5	82.8
2023	205	20.5	10.0	94.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates