Is Hefferan Elementary School a good school?

Hefferan Elementary School ranks in the bottom 1.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Hefferan Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 239 students attended Hefferan Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Hefferan Elementary School?

Students at Hefferan Elementary School are 94% African American, 5% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Hefferan Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hefferan Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Marshall Metropolitan High School

Hefferan Elementary School

Summary:

Hefferan Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, with 239 students enrolled. Despite spending more per student than the district average, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hefferan Elementary faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, low academic performance with only 9% of students proficient in ELA and 5.3% proficient in Math, and a disproportionately high percentage of students from low-income families (92.89%). The school's performance has steadily declined over the past decade, with its statewide ranking dropping from 512 out of 2,052 schools in 2014-2015 to 2,037 out of 2,067 schools in 2023-2024. This is particularly concerning for male students, low-income students, and African American students, who all rank in the bottom 10-20% of their respective subgroups statewide.

In comparison, nearby schools like Melody Elementary School, Webster Elementary School, and Sumner Elementary Math & Sci Community Academy have higher academic proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism, suggesting that Hefferan's struggles are not solely due to its location or student demographics. To improve outcomes, the school and Chicago Public Schools District 299 may need to explore more targeted and evidence-based approaches, such as addressing attendance and engagement, providing more intensive academic support, and addressing the unique needs of the school's student population.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

4409 W Wilcox St
Chicago, IL 60624-2550

(773) 534-6192

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
2037^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $28,458

Students who attend Hefferan Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Marshall Metropolitan High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.2

Number of students: 239

Racial breakdown:

African American:

93.7%

Hispanic:

5.4%

White:

0.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Hefferan Elementary School ranks worse than 98.5% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 432^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 9.92. (See more...)

Compare Details Hefferan Elementary School ranks worse than 94.7% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12. (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 Hefferan 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 Hefferan Elementary School is $28,458, which is the 33^rd highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hefferan Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Hefferan Elementary School 2037^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Hefferan Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Male students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Hefferan Elementary School 1291^st of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Hefferan 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.)

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Rank History for Hefferan Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Hefferan Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	4.14	1905^th	2020	5.7%
2004	18.22	1731^st	2030	14.7%
2005	15.31	1777^th	2022	12.1%
2006	21.76	1766^th	2086	15.3%
2007	35.29	1590^th	2095	24.1%
2008	38.83	1478^th	2092	29.3%
2009	30.19	1638^th	2120	22.7%
2010	43.25	1425^th	2139	33.4%
2011	29.26	1672^nd	2147	22.1%
2012	36.97	1571^st	2166	27.5%
2013	60.53	931^st	2167	57.0%
2014	70.59	611^th	2093	70.8%
2015	71.15	512^th	2052	75.0%
2016	50.32	947^th	2046	53.7%
2017	47.43	1009^th	2044	50.6%
2018	36.48	1257^th	2037	38.3%
2019	28.86	1478^th	2086	29.1%
2022	14.48	1886^th	2082	9.4%
2023	13.39	1928^th	2077	7.2%
2024	9.92	2037^th	2067	1.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	50.23	795^th	1765	55.0%
2019	42.59	1020^th	1816	43.8%
2022	21.82	1522^nd	1763	13.7%
2023	20.42	1620^th	1808	10.4%
2024	13.93	1753^rd	1793	2.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Hefferan Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	43.15	1074^th	1964	45.3%
2019	30.64	1393^rd	2019	31.0%
2022	12.61	1871^st	1970	5.0%
2023	14.08	1808^th	1957	7.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Hefferan Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.86	1217^th	1972	38.3%
2019	29.33	1422^nd	2019	29.6%
2022	18.07	1685^th	1977	14.8%
2023	14.11	1828^th	1984	7.9%
2024	9.25	1942^nd	1959	0.9%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	61.64	169^th	698	75.8%
2019	57.52	222^nd	711	68.8%
2022	34.93	428^th	684	37.4%
2023	32.88	478^th	692	30.9%
2024	23.20	586^th	655	10.5%

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 Hefferan Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Hefferan Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	13.76	1005^th	1185	15.2%
2004	6.59	1117^th	1204	7.2%
2005	19.79	977^th	1209	19.2%
2006	19.87	1058^th	1272	16.8%
2007	19.22	1081^st	1287	16.0%
2008	33.09	959^th	1293	25.8%
2009	42.09	891^st	1318	32.4%
2010	55.29	706^th	1327	46.8%
2011	61.86	587^th	1344	56.3%
2012	62.75	561^st	1365	58.9%
2013	61.41	524^th	1367	61.7%
2014	63.92	464^th	1322	64.9%
2015	32.07	856^th	1302	34.3%
2016	41.61	715^th	1294	44.7%
2017	47.35	629^th	1293	51.4%
2018	32.85	843^rd	1293	34.8%
2019	23.82	1046^th	1356	22.9%
2021	23.27	962^nd	1241	22.5%
2022	17.91	1158^th	1369	15.4%
2023	22.52	1061^st	1367	22.4%
2024	12.00	1291^st	1363	5.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.21	649^th	1161	44.1%
2019	36.28	783^rd	1217	35.7%
2021	34.85	663^rd	1019	34.9%
2022	25.47	976^th	1221	20.1%
2023	32.36	858^th	1234	30.5%
2024	16.34	1121^st	1219	8.0%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Hefferan Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.54	763^rd	1226	37.8%
2019	22.19	1008^th	1276	21.0%
2022	23.23	994^th	1286	22.7%
2023	24.22	962^nd	1275	24.5%
2024	14.88	1127^th	1251	9.9%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Hefferan Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.79	723^rd	1223	40.9%
2019	27.05	930^th	1296	28.2%
2022	16.98	1129^th	1286	12.2%
2023	21.84	1031^st	1292	20.2%
2024	13.88	1176^th	1264	7.0%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	58.42	149^th	511	70.8%
2019	53.24	192^nd	565	66.0%
2021	43.77	177^th	385	54.0%
2022	37.81	326^th	573	43.1%
2023	44.02	273^rd	569	52.0%
2024	25.84	440^th	548	19.7%

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 Hefferan Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	654	n/a	2	2	n/a	n/a	0	658
1990	1	615	n/a	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	618
1991	0	652	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	652
1992	1	647	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	648
1993	1	654	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	655
1994	0	612	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	612
1995	0	601	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1996	0	601	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1997	0	568	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	570
1998	0	564	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	564
1999	0	550	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	550
2000	1	555	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	556
2001	1	561	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	563
2002	1	557	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	558
2003	1	557	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	558
2004	0	558	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	558
2005	1	478	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	483
2006	0	468	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	471
2007	0	441	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	444
2008	0	446	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	2	451
2009	1	417	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	423
2010	0	328	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	330
2011	0	285	1	0	0	0	0	0	286
2012	0	255	1	1	0	0	0	0	257
2013	0	234	1	2	2	0	0	0	239
2014	0	408	0	4	1	0	1	0	414
2015	0	418	0	0	0	0	2	0	420
2016	1	413	0	4	0	0	2	0	420
2017	2	344	0	3	0	0	1	0	350
2018	2	338	0	5	0	0	0	0	345
2019	1	344	0	10	0	0	0	0	355
2020	1	252	0	13	0	0	0	0	266
2021	2	248	0	12	0	0	0	0	262
2022	1	226	0	10	0	0	0	0	237
2023	1	224	0	13	0	0	0	1	239

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 Hefferan Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	658	30.0	21.9	n/a
1990	618	30.0	20.6	n/a
1991	652	31.0	21.0	n/a
1992	648	34.0	19.0	n/a
1993	655	34.0	19.3	n/a
1994	612	34.0	18.0	n/a
1995	601	33.0	18.2	n/a
1996	601	33.0	18.2	n/a
1997	570	33.0	17.3	n/a
1998	564	32.0	17.6	n/a
1999	550	31.0	17.7	n/a
2000	556	32.0	17.4	n/a
2001	563	31.0	18.2	n/a
2002	558	29.0	19.2	93.5
2003	558	29.0	19.2	93.5
2004	558	27.3	20.4	92.1
2005	483	28.9	16.7	94.4
2006	471	28.9	16.3	93
2007	444	18.0	24.7	85.1
2008	451	20.0	22.6	89.8
2009	423	23.0	18.4	88.4
2010	330	22.0	15.0	97
2011	286	14.0	20.4	93.7
2012	257	10.0	25.7	94.9
2013	239	15.2	15.6	94.1
2014	414	23.0	18.0	98.1
2015	420	19.0	22.1	97.6
2016	420	19.0	22.1	98.8
2017	350	17.0	20.5	98.3
2018	345	16.3	21.1	98
2019	355	17.0	20.8	97.5
2020	266	15.0	17.7	97.4
2021	262	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	237	19.0	12.4	93.2
2023	239	18.0	13.2	92.9

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 Hefferan Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	658	30.0	21.9	n/a
1990	618	30.0	20.6	n/a
1991	652	31.0	21.0	n/a
1992	648	34.0	19.0	n/a
1993	655	34.0	19.3	n/a
1994	612	34.0	18.0	n/a
1995	601	33.0	18.2	n/a
1996	601	33.0	18.2	n/a
1997	570	33.0	17.3	n/a
1998	564	32.0	17.6	n/a
1999	550	31.0	17.7	n/a
2000	556	32.0	17.4	n/a
2001	563	31.0	18.2	n/a
2002	558	29.0	19.2	93.5
2003	558	29.0	19.2	93.5
2004	558	27.3	20.4	92.1
2005	483	28.9	16.7	94.4
2006	471	28.9	16.3	93
2007	444	18.0	24.7	85.1
2008	451	20.0	22.6	89.8
2009	423	23.0	18.4	88.4
2010	330	22.0	15.0	97
2011	286	14.0	20.4	93.7
2012	257	10.0	25.7	94.9
2013	239	15.2	15.6	94.1
2014	414	23.0	18.0	98.1
2015	420	19.0	22.1	97.6
2016	420	19.0	22.1	98.8
2017	350	17.0	20.5	98.3
2018	345	16.3	21.1	98
2019	355	17.0	20.8	97.5
2020	266	15.0	17.7	97.4
2021	262	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	237	19.0	12.4	93.2
2023	239	18.0	13.2	92.9

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.

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