Is Murphy Elementary School a good school?

Murphy Elementary School ranks 887 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Murphy Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 497 students attended Murphy Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Murphy Elementary School?

Students at Murphy Elementary School are 58% Hispanic, 32% White, 5% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Murphy Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Murphy Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Schurz High School

Murphy Elementary School

Summary:

Murphy Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 497 students in grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, which is part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Murphy Elementary School consistently outperforms the district average in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency, with 35.5% of students proficient or better in ELA and 24.5% in Mathematics, compared to 30.5% and 18.3% for the district, respectively. The school's performance is particularly strong in 4th and 8th grade ELA. While the school has a diverse student population, its White and Hispanic students perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 25% of Illinois elementary schools in ELA and Mathematics. However, the school's English Language Learner (ELL) and Special Education students have struggled, with lower proficiency rates compared to the district and state.

Compared to nearby schools, Disney II Elementary School and Linne Elementary School have stronger overall academic results, especially in Mathematics. Additionally, Murphy Elementary School has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 8.2% in 2019-2020 to 30.8% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district average of 30.5%. Despite these challenges, the school's performance, particularly for its White and Hispanic student subgroups, suggests that socioeconomic factors may not be the sole driver of academic outcomes at Murphy.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

3539 W Grace St
Chicago, IL 60618-4237

(773) 534-5223

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,691

Students who attend Murphy Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Schurz High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.5

Number of students: 497

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.4%

White:

31.6%

African American:

4.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 55.5%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Murphy Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Murphy Elementary School ranks better than 57.1% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 75^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 51.98. (See more...)

Compare Details Murphy Elementary School ranks worse than 55.9% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.95. (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 Murphy 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 Murphy Elementary School is $19,691. 281 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Murphy Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Murphy Elementary School 887^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Murphy 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Murphy Elementary School 762^nd of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Murphy 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:

Hispanic students:

White 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 Murphy Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	32.94	1504^th	2020	25.5%
2004	34.17	1511^th	2030	25.6%
2005	38.09	1445^th	2022	28.5%
2006	52.84	1248^th	2086	40.2%
2007	52.92	1262^nd	2095	39.8%
2008	48.08	1302^nd	2092	37.8%
2009	46.48	1346^th	2120	36.5%
2010	50.68	1273^rd	2139	40.5%
2011	38.53	1505^th	2147	29.9%
2012	52.08	1244^th	2166	42.6%
2013	40.50	1391^st	2167	35.8%
2014	45.82	1186^th	2093	43.3%
2015	58.60	736^th	2052	64.1%
2016	46.62	1015^th	2046	50.4%
2017	28.89	1446^th	2044	29.3%
2018	33.75	1332^nd	2037	34.6%
2019	41.54	1163^rd	2086	44.2%
2021	38.81	1077^th	1948	44.7%
2022	34.73	1279^th	2082	38.6%
2023	52.31	892^nd	2077	57.1%
2024	51.98	887^th	2067	57.1%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.63	417^th	718	41.9%
2019	40.77	438^th	743	41.0%
2022	21.69	745^th	768	3.0%
2023	46.47	337^th	788	57.2%
2024	31.45	628^th	826	24.0%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.07	508^th	763	33.4%
2019	30.67	823^rd	1194	31.1%
2021	59.01	191^st	640	70.2%
2022	53.27	379^th	1113	65.9%
2023	76.69	175^th	1156	84.9%
2024	44.78	558^th	1195	53.3%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	43.59	965^th	1765	45.3%
2019	49.23	851^st	1816	53.1%
2021	39.63	864^th	1514	42.9%
2022	22.37	1502^nd	1763	14.8%
2023	42.76	987^th	1808	45.4%
2024	39.87	1065^th	1793	40.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.21	1301^st	1964	33.8%
2019	47.23	1014^th	2019	49.8%
2021	50.85	742^nd	1680	55.8%
2022	40.92	1066^th	1970	45.9%
2023	56.88	745^th	1957	61.9%
2024	56.49	737^th	1942	62.0%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.35	1236^th	1972	37.3%
2019	35.86	1249^th	2019	38.1%
2021	12.38	1656^th	1707	3.0%
2022	27.63	1368^th	1977	30.8%
2023	45.64	980^th	1984	50.6%
2024	46.43	954^th	1959	51.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.74	594^th	938	36.7%
2019	41.72	536^th	955	43.9%
2021	23.86	643^rd	742	13.3%
2022	26.38	761^st	954	20.2%
2023	47.07	463^rd	970	52.3%
2024	42.29	515^th	959	46.3%

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

Rank History for elementary school White students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2021	68.23	352^nd	1308	73.1%
2022	69.48	370^th	1425	74.0%
2023	72.71	305^th	1419	78.5%
2024	78.26	229^th	1392	83.5%

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

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

Rank History for Murphy Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2011	70.79	413^th	1344	69.3%
2012	67.71	462^nd	1365	66.2%
2013	56.56	599^th	1367	56.2%
2014	49.93	685^th	1322	48.2%
2015	53.98	502^nd	1302	61.4%
2016	61.22	421^st	1294	67.5%
2017	49.98	591^st	1293	54.3%
2018	46.99	645^th	1293	50.1%
2019	37.65	797^th	1356	41.2%
2021	24.09	941^st	1241	24.2%
2022	33.72	846^th	1369	38.2%
2023	45.83	667^th	1367	51.2%
2024	38.95	762^nd	1363	44.1%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	52.37	101^st	339	70.2%
2022	33.09	350^th	454	22.9%
2023	35.45	318^th	480	33.8%
2024	44.33	215^th	486	55.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.74	551^st	602	8.5%
2019	39.74	394^th	792	50.3%
2021	53.68	151^st	548	72.4%
2022	26.86	654^th	781	16.3%
2023	72.57	140^th	805	82.6%
2024	59.82	223^rd	802	72.2%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.85	365^th	1161	68.6%
2019	57.21	427^th	1217	64.9%
2021	26.60	795^th	1019	22.0%
2022	30.27	878^th	1221	28.1%
2023	46.04	608^th	1234	50.7%
2024	33.91	804^th	1219	34.0%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.29	831^st	1226	32.2%
2019	38.94	763^rd	1276	40.2%
2021	32.92	649^th	1017	36.2%
2022	43.19	657^th	1286	48.9%
2023	51.42	537^th	1275	57.9%
2024	37.81	733^rd	1251	41.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	49.64	238^th	674	64.7%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	56.40	472^nd	1223	61.4%
2019	37.67	761^st	1296	41.3%
2021	12.84	1007^th	1048	3.9%
2022	23.56	980^th	1286	23.8%
2023	36.92	768^th	1292	40.6%
2024	39.70	684^th	1264	45.9%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	52.52	245^th	590	58.5%
2019	41.78	351^st	639	45.1%
2021	11.94	512^th	517	1.0%
2022	24.78	539^th	662	18.6%
2023	33.39	444^th	661	32.8%
2024	31.66	440^th	643	31.6%

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

Rank History for middle school White students at Murphy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	67.20	245^th	875	72.0%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

60%

20%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, August 30, 2016

This school fulfills it's mission statement of creating a caring community. The teachers are excellent at imparting knowledge and developing respectful, considerate children. They foster an appreciation of reading and the arts, and have high-quality partnerships with organizations like Ravinia Festival, Old Town School of Folk Music, Girls In The Game, the YMCA, and more. As an educator myself, I would not have my child in Murphy if I was displeased with care and quality of the environment. The websites that show less-than-strong ratings make me sad because they are such misrepresentations of this wonderful school. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Murphy is such a gem in our community! We chose to send our children here over other offers to magnet and selective enrollment schools and are so happy with our decision. They are both thriving at Murphy due to the strong classroom instruction, myriad field trips, individualized and differentiated teaching methods and a "can-do" attitude. Being a Fine and Performing Arts Magnet Cluster school, the arts are effortlessly integrated into their daily instruction and they also have specials such as dance, drama, visual arts, and music that build on and circle back to their daily experiences. But core subjects like math, reading, social studies and science are still doing amazing things too! There are also after school programs, School Band, Choir, Sports, etc. This year I have been so impressed by my children's teachers. My kindergartener loves school and her class even raised money to have a Skype event with a famous children's book author/illustrator. My 2nd grader's class put on a Whale Museum and a Wax Museum, both of which blew me away. The depth and breadth of subjects that they have been studying is amazing and I can't wait to see what's next. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, November 6, 2014

The teachers and staff at Murphy are involved, caring, and committed to creating a wonderful learning environment and helping their students achieve their best! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Lovely, clean school with lots of free afterschool programs for 3-6 grades. Great teachers. In the early grades (Pre-K -2) there is an emphasis on the Reggio classroom method. Excellent principal and assistanct principal. Choir, band, dance and drama, music and visual arts round out the art curriculum. Active parent community. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Murphy Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	184	22	52	157	4	n/a	n/a	0	419
1989	177	24	65	161	3	n/a	n/a	0	430
1990	179	26	64	203	3	n/a	n/a	0	475
1991	205	39	62	222	11	n/a	n/a	0	539
1992	189	18	45	205	3	n/a	n/a	0	460
1993	173	19	42	243	3	n/a	n/a	0	480
1994	172	16	53	253	2	n/a	n/a	0	496
1995	155	21	53	320	7	n/a	n/a	0	556
1996	155	21	53	320	7	n/a	n/a	0	556
1997	147	17	44	353	1	n/a	n/a	0	562
1998	146	20	28	390	1	n/a	n/a	0	585
1999	126	17	21	424	1	n/a	n/a	0	589
2000	134	25	27	423	5	n/a	n/a	0	614
2001	114	15	33	389	3	n/a	n/a	0	554
2002	108	26	28	417	2	n/a	n/a	0	581
2003	108	26	28	417	2	n/a	n/a	0	581
2004	111	24	18	424	2	n/a	n/a	0	579
2005	83	25	26	454	1	n/a	n/a	0	589
2006	82	22	24	420	2	n/a	n/a	31	581
2007	95	18	19	403	1	n/a	n/a	25	561
2008	97	20	19	411	0	n/a	n/a	18	565
2009	108	19	22	409	0	n/a	n/a	0	558
2010	108	16	20	377	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
2011	77	8	10	457	1	3	17	0	573
2012	87	14	13	511	1	1	11	0	638
2013	69	15	13	484	2	1	11	0	595
2014	63	9	10	484	1	1	27	0	595
2015	77	10	13	456	2	1	19	0	578
2016	84	17	11	447	0	2	17	0	578
2017	76	15	12	428	0	2	20	0	553
2018	77	14	15	394	2	1	18	0	521
2019	94	17	15	397	2	1	17	0	543
2020	112	16	33	376	1	1	16	0	555
2021	125	13	37	363	1	1	11	0	551
2022	144	14	10	307	2	1	11	0	489
2023	157	23	11	290	2	1	13	0	497

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 Murphy Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	419	21.0	19.9	n/a
1989	430	23.0	18.6	n/a
1990	475	25.0	19.0	n/a
1991	539	24.0	22.4	n/a
1992	460	25.5	18.0	n/a
1993	480	27.0	17.8	n/a
1994	496	27.0	18.4	n/a
1995	556	27.0	20.6	n/a
1996	556	27.0	20.6	n/a
1997	562	31.0	18.1	n/a
1998	585	31.0	18.9	n/a
1999	589	33.0	17.8	n/a
2000	614	32.2	19.1	n/a
2001	554	31.2	17.8	n/a
2002	581	31.0	18.7	81.2
2003	581	31.0	18.7	81.2
2004	579	27.9	20.8	83.6
2005	589	32.0	18.4	83.5
2006	581	34.0	17.1	87.6
2007	561	29.0	19.3	86.6
2008	565	30.0	18.8	86.8
2009	558	29.5	18.9	82.4
2010	521	28.0	18.6	84.3
2011	573	28.0	20.4	82.9
2012	638	31.0	20.5	84.5
2013	595	46.9	12.6	83.4
2014	595	35.5	16.7	81.8
2015	578	34.0	17.0	86.7
2016	578	31.0	18.6	84.1
2017	553	29.3	18.8	79.2
2018	521	31.6	16.4	78.1
2019	543	36.5	14.8	70.9
2020	555	36.5	15.2	70.1
2021	551	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	489	39.5	12.3	60.5
2023	497	43.0	11.5	55.5

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 Murphy Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	419	21.0	19.9	n/a
1989	430	23.0	18.6	n/a
1990	475	25.0	19.0	n/a
1991	539	24.0	22.4	n/a
1992	460	25.5	18.0	n/a
1993	480	27.0	17.8	n/a
1994	496	27.0	18.4	n/a
1995	556	27.0	20.6	n/a
1996	556	27.0	20.6	n/a
1997	562	31.0	18.1	n/a
1998	585	31.0	18.9	n/a
1999	589	33.0	17.8	n/a
2000	614	32.2	19.1	n/a
2001	554	31.2	17.8	n/a
2002	581	31.0	18.7	81.2
2003	581	31.0	18.7	81.2
2004	579	27.9	20.8	83.6
2005	589	32.0	18.4	83.5
2006	581	34.0	17.1	87.6
2007	561	29.0	19.3	86.6
2008	565	30.0	18.8	86.8
2009	558	29.5	18.9	82.4
2010	521	28.0	18.6	84.3
2011	573	28.0	20.4	82.9
2012	638	31.0	20.5	84.5
2013	595	46.9	12.6	83.4
2014	595	35.5	16.7	81.8
2015	578	34.0	17.0	86.7
2016	578	31.0	18.6	84.1
2017	553	29.3	18.8	79.2
2018	521	31.6	16.4	78.1
2019	543	36.5	14.8	70.9
2020	555	36.5	15.2	70.1
2021	551	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	489	39.5	12.3	60.5
2023	497	43.0	11.5	55.5

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