Is Clay Elementary School a good school?

Clay Elementary School ranks in the bottom 23.1% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Clay Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 532 students attended Clay Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Clay Elementary School?

Students at Clay Elementary School are 73% Hispanic, 18% African American, 6% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Clay Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Clay Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Washington G High School

Clay Elementary School

Summary:

Clay Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 532 students. The school is 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. Unfortunately, Clay Elementary School has consistently been ranked in the bottom 25% of Illinois elementary schools over the past 10 years, also earning a 1-star rating.

One of the key challenges facing Clay Elementary School is its very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.5% in 2020-2021 to 46.6% in 2021-2022, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA), is well below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 26.2% of students were proficient in ELA and 12.4% were proficient in Math, compared to 30.5% and 18.3% for the district, and 41.2% and 28.4% for the state.

When comparing Clay Elementary School to other nearby schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299, such as Carver Primary School and Washington G Elementary School, Clay performs significantly worse on academic measures, despite having relatively high spending per student. This suggests that there may be significant challenges facing the school and its students, such as socioeconomic factors, resource allocation, or instructional quality, that need to be addressed to improve outcomes for the students at Clay Elementary School.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

13231 S Burley Ave
Chicago, IL 60633-1492

(773) 535-5600

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1589^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,196

Students who attend Clay Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Washington G High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.3

Number of students: 532

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.6%

African American:

18.4%

White:

6.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Clay Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Clay Elementary School ranks worse than 76.9% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 222^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 23.3. (See more...)

Compare Details Clay Elementary School ranks worse than 62.6% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.88. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a 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 Clay Elementary School 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 Clay Elementary School is $18,196. 349 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Clay Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Clay Elementary School 1589^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Clay Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks Clay Elementary School 853^rd of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Clay Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic 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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Your rating for Clay Elementary School?

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Rank History for Clay Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	33.30	1498^th	2020	25.8%
2004	24.36	1662^nd	2030	18.1%
2005	23.22	1692^nd	2022	16.3%
2006	30.13	1660^th	2086	20.4%
2007	28.77	1706^th	2095	18.6%
2008	29.46	1625^th	2092	22.3%
2009	27.27	1684^th	2120	20.6%
2010	23.12	1772^nd	2139	17.2%
2011	30.43	1636^th	2147	23.8%
2012	20.07	1854^th	2166	14.4%
2013	15.92	1892^nd	2167	12.7%
2014	35.18	1419^th	2093	32.2%
2015	26.06	1531^st	2052	25.4%
2016	23.23	1613^th	2046	21.2%
2017	20.01	1681^st	2044	17.8%
2018	18.81	1696^th	2037	16.7%
2019	22.19	1652^nd	2086	20.8%
2021	16.73	1689^th	1948	13.3%
2022	16.02	1818^th	2082	12.7%
2023	17.26	1783^rd	2077	14.2%
2024	23.30	1589^th	2067	23.1%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.25	392^nd	718	45.4%
2019	46.66	341^st	743	54.1%
2021	52.89	151^st	537	71.9%
2022	44.97	362^nd	768	52.9%
2023	34.95	540^th	788	31.5%
2024	38.44	499^th	826	39.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	29.54	863^rd	1194	27.7%
2023	23.23	971^st	1156	16.0%
2024	32.22	790^th	1195	33.9%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.67	1272^nd	1765	27.9%
2019	34.83	1246^th	1816	31.4%
2021	29.54	1122^nd	1514	25.9%
2022	24.39	1440^th	1763	18.3%
2023	24.99	1477^th	1808	18.3%
2024	33.09	1239^th	1793	30.9%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.14	1730^th	1964	11.9%
2019	21.34	1655^th	2019	18.0%
2021	21.77	1333^rd	1680	20.7%
2022	18.90	1635^th	1970	17.0%
2023	21.80	1541^st	1957	21.3%
2024	21.36	1552^nd	1942	20.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.57	1538^th	1972	22.0%
2019	23.98	1564^th	2019	22.5%
2021	10.13	1707^th	1707	0.0%
2022	14.77	1815^th	1977	8.2%
2023	14.80	1803^rd	1984	9.1%
2024	26.70	1399^th	1959	28.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.01	377^th	698	46.0%
2022	21.94	662^nd	684	3.2%
2023	33.33	474^th	692	31.5%
2024	46.62	298^th	655	54.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.02	718^th	938	23.5%
2019	30.38	706^th	955	26.1%
2021	28.13	575^th	742	22.5%
2022	23.53	810^th	954	15.1%
2023	26.37	780^th	970	19.6%
2024	35.85	617^th	959	35.7%

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

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

Rank History for Clay Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	34.62	831^st	1185	29.9%
2004	34.30	848^th	1204	29.6%
2005	57.92	611^th	1209	49.5%
2006	46.59	791^st	1272	37.8%
2007	40.22	886^th	1287	31.2%
2008	34.40	945^th	1293	26.9%
2009	48.12	805^th	1318	38.9%
2010	34.33	986^th	1327	25.7%
2011	30.39	1052^nd	1344	21.7%
2012	21.01	1159^th	1365	15.1%
2013	32.08	992^nd	1367	27.4%
2014	48.82	708^th	1322	46.4%
2015	36.29	780^th	1302	40.1%
2016	29.35	910^th	1294	29.7%
2017	27.27	942^nd	1293	27.1%
2018	18.37	1079^th	1293	16.6%
2019	18.99	1131^st	1356	16.6%
2021	23.61	954^th	1241	23.1%
2022	18.62	1140^th	1369	16.7%
2023	23.60	1033^rd	1367	24.4%
2024	32.88	853^rd	1363	37.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	43.94	207^th	454	54.4%
2023	56.40	115^th	480	76.0%
2024	47.25	188^th	486	61.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	29.01	609^th	792	23.1%
2022	32.12	546^th	781	30.1%
2023	22.85	704^th	805	12.5%
2024	19.10	755^th	802	5.9%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.16	965^th	1161	16.9%
2019	27.92	942^nd	1217	22.6%
2021	42.90	534^th	1019	47.6%
2022	29.07	907^th	1221	25.7%
2023	36.93	779^th	1234	36.9%
2024	48.44	542^nd	1219	55.5%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.53	1042^nd	1226	15.0%
2019	18.09	1071^st	1276	16.1%
2022	18.06	1091^st	1286	15.2%
2023	21.03	1014^th	1275	20.5%
2024	39.75	704^th	1251	43.7%

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

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	42.83	317^th	674	53.0%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.86	1033^rd	1223	15.5%
2019	20.34	1056^th	1296	18.5%
2022	20.29	1033^rd	1286	19.7%
2023	26.51	932^nd	1292	27.9%
2024	26.12	903^rd	1264	28.6%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	26.16	473^rd	565	16.3%
2024	45.14	246^th	548	55.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.02	502^nd	590	14.9%
2019	24.62	537^th	639	16.0%
2021	35.03	340^th	517	34.2%
2022	21.95	570^th	662	13.9%
2023	35.40	425^th	661	35.7%
2024	46.99	289^th	643	55.1%

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

Rank History for middle school White students at Clay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	4.65	882^nd	889	0.8%
2019	3.48	903^rd	905	0.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for White 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 Clay Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	267	178	1	78	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	524
1989	244	169	n/a	82	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	495
1990	231	187	1	77	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	496
1991	231	216	0	79	1	n/a	n/a	0	527
1992	250	188	1	84	1	n/a	n/a	0	524
1993	258	155	0	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	508
1994	277	143	0	94	0	n/a	n/a	0	514
1995	254	130	9	132	2	n/a	n/a	0	527
1996	254	130	9	132	2	n/a	n/a	0	527
1997	263	109	2	198	4	n/a	n/a	0	576
1998	258	69	0	185	0	n/a	n/a	0	512
1999	311	65	11	181	9	n/a	n/a	0	577
2000	332	47	5	247	2	n/a	n/a	0	633
2001	342	34	1	275	4	n/a	n/a	0	656
2002	302	86	1	401	1	n/a	n/a	0	791
2003	302	86	1	401	1	n/a	n/a	0	791
2004	250	70	3	408	1	n/a	n/a	0	732
2005	229	89	5	444	3	n/a	n/a	0	770
2006	212	98	3	428	3	n/a	n/a	56	800
2007	186	96	1	453	2	n/a	n/a	40	778
2008	151	79	2	467	2	n/a	n/a	55	756
2009	146	72	4	464	3	n/a	n/a	0	689
2010	126	77	2	487	3	n/a	n/a	0	695
2011	92	64	1	499	3	0	10	0	669
2012	90	53	1	465	4	0	14	0	627
2013	73	55	4	453	3	0	15	0	603
2014	64	47	4	429	3	0	12	0	559
2015	61	54	3	449	1	0	14	0	582
2016	56	70	2	444	1	0	8	0	581
2017	48	80	1	455	8	0	16	0	608
2018	59	71	1	482	6	0	13	0	632
2019	42	74	2	453	7	0	11	0	589
2020	27	68	1	433	6	0	12	0	547
2021	32	79	2	426	4	0	14	0	557
2022	34	92	2	437	3	0	16	0	584
2023	33	98	1	386	0	0	14	0	532

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 Clay Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	524	27.0	19.4	n/a
1989	495	26.0	19.0	n/a
1990	496	31.0	16.0	n/a
1991	527	32.0	16.4	n/a
1992	524	30.0	17.4	n/a
1993	508	28.0	18.1	n/a
1994	514	27.0	19.0	n/a
1995	527	25.0	21.1	n/a
1996	527	25.0	21.1	n/a
1997	576	28.0	20.6	n/a
1998	512	26.0	19.7	n/a
1999	577	26.0	22.2	n/a
2000	633	30.0	21.1	n/a
2001	656	36.0	18.2	n/a
2002	791	41.0	19.3	82.8
2003	791	41.0	19.3	82.8
2004	732	37.0	19.8	82
2005	770	42.8	18.0	85.2
2006	800	42.8	18.7	83.5
2007	778	33.0	23.6	92.7
2008	756	41.0	18.4	99
2009	689	39.0	17.7	93.5
2010	695	36.0	19.3	93.4
2011	669	33.0	20.2	91.9
2012	627	32.0	19.5	93
2013	603	39.0	15.4	94
2014	559	33.4	16.7	95.3
2015	582	32.0	18.1	96.7
2016	581	35.0	16.6	93.6
2017	608	33.0	18.4	92.8
2018	632	35.3	17.8	92.6
2019	589	35.0	16.8	92
2020	547	38.0	14.3	90.9
2021	557	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	584	40.0	14.6	90.8
2023	532	40.0	13.3	91.9

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 Clay Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	524	27.0	19.4	n/a
1989	495	26.0	19.0	n/a
1990	496	31.0	16.0	n/a
1991	527	32.0	16.4	n/a
1992	524	30.0	17.4	n/a
1993	508	28.0	18.1	n/a
1994	514	27.0	19.0	n/a
1995	527	25.0	21.1	n/a
1996	527	25.0	21.1	n/a
1997	576	28.0	20.6	n/a
1998	512	26.0	19.7	n/a
1999	577	26.0	22.2	n/a
2000	633	30.0	21.1	n/a
2001	656	36.0	18.2	n/a
2002	791	41.0	19.3	82.8
2003	791	41.0	19.3	82.8
2004	732	37.0	19.8	82
2005	770	42.8	18.0	85.2
2006	800	42.8	18.7	83.5
2007	778	33.0	23.6	92.7
2008	756	41.0	18.4	99
2009	689	39.0	17.7	93.5
2010	695	36.0	19.3	93.4
2011	669	33.0	20.2	91.9
2012	627	32.0	19.5	93
2013	603	39.0	15.4	94
2014	559	33.4	16.7	95.3
2015	582	32.0	18.1	96.7
2016	581	35.0	16.6	93.6
2017	608	33.0	18.4	92.8
2018	632	35.3	17.8	92.6
2019	589	35.0	16.8	92
2020	547	38.0	14.3	90.9
2021	557	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	584	40.0	14.6	90.8
2023	532	40.0	13.3	91.9

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