Is Mays Elementary Academy a good school?

Mays Elementary Academy ranks in the bottom 1.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Mays Elementary Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 238 students attended Mays Elementary Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Mays Elementary Academy?

Students at Mays Elementary Academy are 95% African American, 4% Hispanic.

Mays Elementary Academy

Summary:

Mays Elementary Academy is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299, which is ranked 688 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Mays Elementary Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Mays Elementary Academy faces significant challenges, including a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, from 4.8% in 2019-2020 to 44.5% in 2023-2024, which is much higher than the district and state averages. Academically, the school's performance is well below the district and state, with only 8% of students proficient or better in ELA and 0% proficient in math in 2023-2024, compared to 30.5% and 18.3% for the district, respectively. The school serves a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 77.73% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools in the district, such as King Academy of Social Justice, Bond Elementary School, and Parker Elementary Community Academy, Mays Elementary Academy performs significantly worse, with higher chronic absenteeism and lower academic proficiency. Despite the school's persistent low performance, it has a relatively high spending per student, at $22,224 in 2022-2023, raising questions about the effective use of resources and the need for a more targeted approach to school improvement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

6656 S Normal Blvd
Chicago, IL 60621-2558

(773) 535-3892

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
2035^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,569

Student/teacher ratio: 12.5

Number of students: 238

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.4%

Hispanic:

4.2%

Two or more races:

0.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.7%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Mays Elementary Academy ranks worse than 98.5% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 430^th among 452 ranked elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.07. (See more...)

Compare Details Mays Elementary Academy ranks worse than 95.8% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.27. (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 Mays Elementary Academy has the largest elementary school student body size in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mays Elementary Academy is $23,569, which is the 138^th highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Mays Elementary Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Mays Elementary Academy 2035^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Mays Elementary Academy 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 Mays Elementary Academy 1306^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Mays Elementary Academy 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.)

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Rank History for Mays Elementary Academy

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	1.96	1976^th	2020	2.2%
2004	11.49	1807^th	2030	11.0%
2005	6.92	1861^st	2022	8.0%
2006	35.63	1583^rd	2086	24.1%
2007	38.05	1540^th	2095	26.5%
2008	42.04	1421^st	2092	32.1%
2009	25.98	1701^st	2120	19.8%
2010	37.19	1536^th	2139	28.2%
2011	45.43	1383^rd	2147	35.6%
2012	45.01	1406^th	2166	35.1%
2013	34.73	1498^th	2167	30.9%
2014	12.39	1904^th	2093	9.0%
2015	15.23	1841^st	2052	10.3%
2016	12.68	1900^th	2046	7.1%
2017	16.41	1783^rd	2044	12.8%
2018	13.55	1865^th	2037	8.4%
2019	10.04	2012^th	2086	3.5%
2021	12.54	1879^th	1948	3.5%
2022	11.77	2010^th	2082	3.5%
2023	9.88	2046^th	2077	1.5%
2024	10.07	2035^th	2067	1.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	21.29	1548^th	1765	12.3%
2019	15.26	1728^th	1816	4.8%
2021	18.08	1444^th	1514	4.6%
2022	17.08	1672^nd	1763	5.2%
2023	12.98	1782^nd	1808	1.4%
2024	13.54	1760^th	1793	1.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.51	1605^th	1964	18.3%
2019	12.21	1888^th	2019	6.5%
2023	10.10	1924^th	1957	1.7%
2024	10.76	1893^rd	1942	2.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.85	1904^th	1972	3.4%
2019	9.94	1965^th	2019	2.7%
2022	11.35	1937^th	1977	2.0%
2023	10.39	1947^th	1984	1.9%
2024	10.42	1919^th	1959	2.0%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.94	427^th	698	38.8%
2019	27.53	572^nd	711	19.5%
2021	29.03	347^th	428	18.9%
2022	27.53	563^rd	684	17.7%
2023	24.06	611^th	692	11.7%
2024	22.14	602^nd	655	8.1%

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 Mays Elementary Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2006	38.14	895^th	1272	29.6%
2007	35.99	930^th	1287	27.7%
2008	59.70	627^th	1293	51.5%
2009	50.36	774^th	1318	41.3%
2010	30.95	1014^th	1327	23.6%
2011	41.00	913^th	1344	32.1%
2012	47.32	836^th	1365	38.8%
2013	34.93	946^th	1367	30.8%
2014	11.85	1214^th	1322	8.2%
2015	19.60	1086^th	1302	16.6%
2016	16.75	1152^nd	1294	11.0%
2017	17.50	1097^th	1293	15.2%
2018	17.52	1098^th	1293	15.1%
2019	15.42	1186^th	1356	12.5%
2021	12.83	1173^rd	1241	5.5%
2022	16.49	1194^th	1369	12.8%
2023	10.43	1331^st	1367	2.6%
2024	11.27	1306^th	1363	4.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.61	911^th	1161	21.5%
2019	24.29	995^th	1217	18.2%
2021	18.34	942^nd	1019	7.6%
2022	24.35	1005^th	1221	17.7%
2023	13.83	1188^th	1234	3.7%
2024	16.55	1118^th	1219	8.3%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.48	1025^th	1226	16.4%
2019	23.61	990^th	1276	22.4%
2022	21.23	1029^th	1286	20.0%
2023	10.57	1235^th	1275	3.1%
2024	8.28	1243^rd	1251	0.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.91	1079^th	1223	11.8%
2019	10.31	1267^th	1296	2.2%
2022	15.57	1173^rd	1286	8.8%
2023	12.09	1242^nd	1292	3.9%
2024	15.88	1133^rd	1264	10.4%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Mays Elementary Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.40	264^th	511	48.3%
2019	38.45	328^th	565	41.9%
2021	29.33	301^st	385	21.8%
2022	36.09	354^th	573	38.2%
2023	23.67	503^rd	569	11.6%
2024	24.26	458^th	548	16.4%

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

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Enrollment information for Mays Elementary Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	1	247	n/a	11	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	259
1990	1	233	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	235
1991	2	212	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	217
1992	5	225	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	231
1993	2	241	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	244
1994	7	295	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	305
1995	0	237	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	241
1996	0	237	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	241
1997	0	250	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	252
1998	0	259	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	261
1999	0	238	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	240
2000	0	261	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	266
2001	0	281	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	285
2002	0	368	0	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	376
2003	0	368	0	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	376
2004	0	367	0	10	25	n/a	n/a	0	402
2005	0	412	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	424
2006	1	417	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	429
2007	1	383	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	1	395
2008	1	319	1	9	0	n/a	n/a	3	333
2009	0	340	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	351
2010	1	335	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	343
2011	0	300	0	5	0	0	2	0	307
2012	0	287	0	3	0	0	1	0	291
2013	0	294	0	4	0	0	2	0	300
2014	0	578	2	10	1	0	2	0	593
2015	0	467	0	8	0	1	1	0	477
2016	0	461	0	9	0	0	1	0	471
2017	1	405	1	3	0	0	0	0	410
2018	0	366	0	3	0	0	1	0	370
2019	0	391	0	3	1	0	2	0	397
2020	1	321	0	5	0	0	1	0	328
2021	0	308	0	7	0	0	1	0	316
2022	0	266	0	7	0	0	1	0	274
2023	0	227	0	10	0	0	1	0	238

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 Mays Elementary Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	259	15.0	17.2	n/a
1990	235	16.0	14.6	n/a
1991	217	10.0	21.7	n/a
1992	231	10.0	23.1	n/a
1993	244	13.0	18.8	n/a
1994	305	13.0	23.5	n/a
1995	241	13.0	18.5	n/a
1996	241	13.0	18.5	n/a
1997	252	14.0	18.0	n/a
1998	261	14.0	18.6	n/a
1999	240	12.0	20.0	n/a
2000	266	12.0	22.2	n/a
2001	285	13.2	21.6	n/a
2002	376	13.0	28.9	68.1
2003	376	13.0	28.9	68.1
2004	402	20.4	19.7	78.6
2005	424	20.7	20.5	82.8
2006	429	30.7	14.0	95.1
2007	395	21.0	18.8	97.5
2008	333	20.0	16.7	100
2009	351	18.0	19.5	98.3
2010	343	18.0	19.0	99.1
2011	307	18.0	17.0	99
2012	291	16.0	18.1	96.9
2013	300	18.2	16.4	96.7
2014	593	34.0	17.4	97.6
2015	477	31.0	15.3	99
2016	471	27.0	17.4	98.1
2017	410	25.5	16.0	96.8
2018	370	21.6	17.1	98.1
2019	397	22.0	18.0	73.6
2020	328	22.0	14.9	99.1
2021	316	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	274	21.5	12.7	97.8
2023	238	19.0	12.5	77.7

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 Mays Elementary Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	259	15.0	17.2	n/a
1990	235	16.0	14.6	n/a
1991	217	10.0	21.7	n/a
1992	231	10.0	23.1	n/a
1993	244	13.0	18.8	n/a
1994	305	13.0	23.5	n/a
1995	241	13.0	18.5	n/a
1996	241	13.0	18.5	n/a
1997	252	14.0	18.0	n/a
1998	261	14.0	18.6	n/a
1999	240	12.0	20.0	n/a
2000	266	12.0	22.2	n/a
2001	285	13.2	21.6	n/a
2002	376	13.0	28.9	68.1
2003	376	13.0	28.9	68.1
2004	402	20.4	19.7	78.6
2005	424	20.7	20.5	82.8
2006	429	30.7	14.0	95.1
2007	395	21.0	18.8	97.5
2008	333	20.0	16.7	100
2009	351	18.0	19.5	98.3
2010	343	18.0	19.0	99.1
2011	307	18.0	17.0	99
2012	291	16.0	18.1	96.9
2013	300	18.2	16.4	96.7
2014	593	34.0	17.4	97.6
2015	477	31.0	15.3	99
2016	471	27.0	17.4	98.1
2017	410	25.5	16.0	96.8
2018	370	21.6	17.1	98.1
2019	397	22.0	18.0	73.6
2020	328	22.0	14.9	99.1
2021	316	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	274	21.5	12.7	97.8
2023	238	19.0	12.5	77.7

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.

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