Is McDade Elementary Classical School a good school?

Yes! McDade Elementary Classical School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 21 st of 2067 Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend McDade Elementary Classical School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 217 students attended McDade Elementary Classical School.

What is the racial makeup of McDade Elementary Classical School?

Students at McDade Elementary Classical School are 89% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

McDade Elementary Classical School

Summary:

McDade Elementary Classical School is a top-performing public elementary school in Chicago, Illinois that serves grades K-8 and has 210 students. The school consistently ranks among the best in the state, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, in contrast to the 1-star rating of the overall Chicago Public Schools District 299.

McDade Elementary Classical School significantly outperforms the district and state averages in academic proficiency across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 86.5% of all students at McDade were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to just 30.5% for the district and 41.2% for the state. In mathematics, 67.7% of McDade students were proficient or better, compared to 18.3% for the district and 28.4% for the state. The school also ranks exceptionally well for specific student subgroups, such as ranking 2nd out of 655 Illinois elementary schools for African American students and 4th out of 1,793 for low socioeconomic status students.

When comparing McDade Elementary Classical School to nearby schools in the same district, the differences in academic performance are stark. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, McDade had 86.5% proficiency in English Language Arts, while the nearby Pirie Elementary Fine Arts & Academic C had only 12% proficiency, and Burnside Elementary Scholastic Academy had 37.7% proficiency. The school's higher per-student spending, smaller student-teacher ratio, and focus on a classical curriculum may be contributing factors to its exceptional performance.

Detail:

Public K-8

8801 S Indiana Ave
Chicago, IL 60619-6692

(773) 535-3669

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
21^st of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,624

Student/teacher ratio: 19.2

Number of students: 217

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.4%

Two or more races:

4.1%

White:

2.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 37.8%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare McDade Elementary Classical School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details McDade Elementary Classical School ranks better than 99% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 7^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 98.44. (See more...)

Compare Details McDade Elementary Classical School ranks better than 94.4% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.61. (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 Racial makeup is: African American (89.4%), two or more races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 37.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at McDade Elementary Classical School is 19.2. 440 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare McDade Elementary Classical School employs 11.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at McDade Elementary Classical School is $19,624. 295 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

McDade Elementary Classical School:

SchoolDigger ranks McDade Elementary Classical School 21^st of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See McDade Elementary Classical 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 McDade Elementary Classical School 77^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See McDade Elementary Classical School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

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 Parent Rating:

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Rank History for McDade Elementary Classical School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at McDade Elementary Classical School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	91.25	13^th	2020	99.4%
2004	86.19	142^nd	2030	93.0%
2005	89.19	35^th	2022	98.3%
2006	87.27	44^th	2086	97.9%
2007	83.43	159^th	2095	92.4%
2008	87.25	64^th	2092	96.9%
2009	88.83	31^st	2120	98.5%
2010	89.47	17^th	2139	99.2%
2011	89.23	22^nd	2147	99.0%
2012	90.55	9^th	2166	99.6%
2013	95.90	10^th	2167	99.5%
2014	96.45	7^th	2093	99.7%
2015	99.84	4^th	2052	99.8%
2016	99.19	9^th	2046	99.6%
2017	99.23	8^th	2044	99.6%
2018	98.42	11^th	2037	99.5%
2019	94.59	77^th	2086	96.3%
2021	89.48	166^th	1948	91.5%
2022	94.92	82^nd	2082	96.1%
2023	96.71	51^st	2077	97.5%
2024	98.44	21^st	2067	99.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	99.64	5^th	1763	99.7%
2023	98.50	12^th	1808	99.3%
2024	99.98	4^th	1793	99.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at McDade Elementary Classical School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	97.24	19^th	1964	99.0%
2019	97.96	13^th	2019	99.4%
2022	91.94	120^th	1970	93.9%
2023	93.78	91^st	1957	95.4%
2024	98.38	14^th	1942	99.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at McDade Elementary Classical School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	99.07	10^th	1972	99.5%
2019	97.93	12^th	2019	99.4%
2022	93.65	88^th	1977	95.5%
2023	93.33	97^th	1984	95.1%
2024	97.07	36^th	1959	98.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at McDade Elementary Classical School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	100.00	3^rd	698	99.6%
2019	99.21	6^th	711	99.2%
2021	98.96	7^th	428	98.4%
2022	99.99	3^rd	684	99.6%
2023	99.99	3^rd	692	99.6%
2024	100.00	2^nd	655	99.7%

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

Rank History for McDade Elementary Classical School

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Rank History for all middle school students at McDade Elementary Classical School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	91.72	94^th	1367	93.1%
2024	93.61	77^th	1363	94.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school African American students at McDade Elementary Classical School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	99.64	5^th	569	99.1%
2024	99.76	5^th	548	99.1%

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

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 parent
Thursday, December 9, 2021

Very supportive atmosphere! Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, December 20, 2015

Great school with wonderful teachers. If you want a small school filled with caring adults, McDade should be your first choice for a high quality educational experience. Close Quote

Enrollment information for McDade Elementary Classical School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	40	120	1	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	162
1989	33	131	2	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	168
1990	30	141	2	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	175
1991	27	145	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	176
1992	22	145	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	170
1993	20	157	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	179
1994	15	161	2	0	2	n/a	n/a	0	180
1995	12	172	1	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	188
1996	12	172	1	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	188
1997	6	175	0	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	187
1998	2	183	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	188
1999	1	191	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	195
2000	2	182	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	187
2001	3	186	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	191
2002	1	182	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	185
2003	1	182	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	185
2004	1	180	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	183
2005	1	183	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	186
2006	0	180	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	182
2007	0	196	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	1	199
2008	1	189	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	3	193
2009	3	189	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	192
2010	2	185	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	188
2011	3	190	2	1	0	0	0	0	196
2012	2	193	1	2	0	1	0	0	199
2013	2	185	4	2	0	1	0	0	194
2014	3	179	2	3	0	1	1	0	189
2015	4	168	1	5	0	1	3	0	182
2016	2	174	2	5	0	2	5	0	190
2017	2	179	5	3	0	1	6	0	196
2018	4	174	6	2	0	0	9	0	195
2019	2	176	4	1	0	0	9	0	192
2020	2	162	4	1	0	0	7	0	176
2021	2	164	4	2	1	0	8	0	181
2022	2	175	4	2	1	0	8	0	192
2023	5	191	4	2	0	0	8	0	210
2024	5	194	3	5	1	0	9	0	217

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 McDade Elementary Classical School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	162	11.0	14.7	n/a
1989	168	10.0	16.8	n/a
1990	175	11.0	15.9	n/a
1991	176	12.0	14.6	n/a
1992	170	12.0	14.1	n/a
1993	179	12.0	14.9	n/a
1994	180	11.0	16.4	n/a
1995	188	12.0	15.7	n/a
1996	188	12.0	15.7	n/a
1997	187	9.0	20.8	n/a
1998	188	12.0	15.7	n/a
1999	195	11.0	17.7	n/a
2000	187	10.0	18.7	n/a
2001	191	11.0	17.4	n/a
2002	185	12.0	15.4	16.2
2003	185	12.0	15.4	16.2
2004	183	9.7	18.9	18
2005	186	10.0	18.6	21.5
2006	182	12.0	15.2	26.9
2007	199	14.0	14.2	25.3
2008	193	13.0	14.8	25.3
2009	192	13.0	14.8	25
2010	188	13.0	14.4	30.3
2011	196	12.0	16.3	31.6
2012	199	11.0	18.0	36.2
2013	194	12.8	15.1	42.3
2014	189	13.0	14.5	40.7
2015	182	12.0	15.1	46.7
2016	190	11.0	17.2	33.7
2017	196	8.7	22.5	35.7
2018	195	10.3	18.8	32.3
2019	192	9.0	21.3	27.1
2020	176	10.0	17.6	26.7
2021	181	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	192	13.2	14.4	37.5
2023	210	13.5	15.5	38.1
2024	217	11.2	19.2	37.8

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 McDade Elementary Classical School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	162	11.0	14.7	n/a
1989	168	10.0	16.8	n/a
1990	175	11.0	15.9	n/a
1991	176	12.0	14.6	n/a
1992	170	12.0	14.1	n/a
1993	179	12.0	14.9	n/a
1994	180	11.0	16.4	n/a
1995	188	12.0	15.7	n/a
1996	188	12.0	15.7	n/a
1997	187	9.0	20.8	n/a
1998	188	12.0	15.7	n/a
1999	195	11.0	17.7	n/a
2000	187	10.0	18.7	n/a
2001	191	11.0	17.4	n/a
2002	185	12.0	15.4	16.2
2003	185	12.0	15.4	16.2
2004	183	9.7	18.9	18
2005	186	10.0	18.6	21.5
2006	182	12.0	15.2	26.9
2007	199	14.0	14.2	25.3
2008	193	13.0	14.8	25.3
2009	192	13.0	14.8	25
2010	188	13.0	14.4	30.3
2011	196	12.0	16.3	31.6
2012	199	11.0	18.0	36.2
2013	194	12.8	15.1	42.3
2014	189	13.0	14.5	40.7
2015	182	12.0	15.1	46.7
2016	190	11.0	17.2	33.7
2017	196	8.7	22.5	35.7
2018	195	10.3	18.8	32.3
2019	192	9.0	21.3	27.1
2020	176	10.0	17.6	26.7
2021	181	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	192	13.2	14.4	37.5
2023	210	13.5	15.5	38.1
2024	217	11.2	19.2	37.8

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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