Is Murray Elementary Language Academy a good school?

Murray Elementary Language Academy ranks 992 nd of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Murray Elementary Language Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 445 students attended Murray Elementary Language Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Murray Elementary Language Academy?

Students at Murray Elementary Language Academy are 89% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% White.

Murray Elementary Language Academy

Summary:

Murray Elementary Language Academy is a public elementary school serving 445 students in grades K-8 in Chicago, Illinois, which is part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

While Murray Elementary outperforms the district average in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, with 40.5% of students proficient or better compared to 30.5% district-wide, the school struggles in mathematics, with only 13.2% of students proficient or better, lagging behind the district's 18.3%. Murray's ELA performance is strongest in 4th grade, where 59.6% of students are proficient or better, compared to 26.1% for the district. However, 5th grade mathematics is a weak spot, with only 10.5% of students proficient or better, compared to 16.3% for the district. The school excels in serving its African American student population, ranking 62 out of 692 Illinois elementary schools in this category, but struggles with its special education and low socioeconomic status student populations.

Comparing Murray Elementary to nearby schools, Kozminski Elementary Community Academy has significantly lower academic performance, while Carnegie Elementary School outperforms Murray in both ELA and mathematics. The University of Chicago Charter-North Kenwood, a public charter school, has the strongest academic performance among the nearby schools. Additionally, Murray Elementary has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.0% in 2019-2020 to 33.4% in 2021-2022, well above the district average of 21.0% for that year.

Detail:

Public K-8

5335 S Kenwood Ave
Chicago, IL 60615-5393

(773) 535-0585

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
992^nd of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,009

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 445

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.0%

Two or more races:

4.9%

Hispanic:

2.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 60.2%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Murray Elementary Language Academy ranks better than 52% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 87^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 47.45. (See more...)

Compare Details Murray Elementary Language Academy ranks worse than 62.1% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 33.47. (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 Murray Elementary Language 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 Murray Elementary Language Academy is $17,009. 405 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Murray Elementary Language Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Murray Elementary Language Academy 992^nd of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Murray Elementary Language Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Murray Elementary Language Academy 847^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Murray Elementary Language Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

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.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Murray Elementary Language Academy

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	85.07	176^th	2020	91.3%
2004	86.30	138^th	2030	93.2%
2005	77.66	387^th	2022	80.9%
2006	76.11	463^rd	2086	77.8%
2007	76.37	442^nd	2095	78.9%
2008	76.75	467^th	2092	77.7%
2009	70.98	696^th	2120	67.2%
2010	76.58	495^th	2139	76.9%
2011	72.26	642^nd	2147	70.1%
2012	76.38	502^nd	2166	76.8%
2013	74.44	540^th	2167	75.1%
2014	73.62	543^rd	2093	74.1%
2015	73.17	471^st	2052	77.0%
2016	54.39	868^th	2046	57.6%
2017	48.86	969^th	2044	52.6%
2018	45.29	1047^th	2037	48.6%
2019	40.77	1178^th	2086	43.5%
2021	37.01	1126^th	1948	42.2%
2022	26.94	1464^th	2082	29.7%
2023	47.31	1009^th	2077	51.4%
2024	47.45	992^nd	2067	52.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	44.43	551^st	1194	53.9%
2022	33.37	689^th	1113	38.1%
2024	36.32	711^th	1195	40.5%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	50.99	778^th	1765	55.9%
2019	50.60	807^th	1816	55.6%
2021	32.35	1057^th	1514	30.2%
2022	36.21	1116^th	1763	36.7%
2023	63.69	481^st	1808	73.4%
2024	52.87	731^st	1793	59.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.31	959^th	1964	51.2%
2019	47.28	1012^th	2019	49.9%
2021	31.39	1119^th	1680	33.4%
2022	30.34	1312^th	1970	33.4%
2023	42.55	1042^nd	1957	46.8%
2024	42.89	1014^th	1942	47.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.73	1040^th	1972	47.3%
2019	34.85	1280^th	2019	36.6%
2021	35.17	1033^rd	1707	39.5%
2022	24.91	1436^th	1977	27.4%
2023	50.14	893^rd	1984	55.0%
2024	49.05	899^th	1959	54.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	81.26	67^th	698	90.4%
2019	72.82	102^nd	711	85.7%
2021	69.71	53^rd	428	87.6%
2022	56.62	204^th	684	70.2%
2023	80.25	62^nd	692	91.0%
2024	72.84	94^th	655	85.6%

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 Murray Elementary Language Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2011	67.68	481^st	1344	64.2%
2012	69.63	422^nd	1365	69.1%
2013	57.87	577^th	1367	57.8%
2014	36.19	890^th	1322	32.7%
2015	28.11	927^th	1302	28.8%
2016	39.00	750^th	1294	42.0%
2017	33.07	850^th	1293	34.3%
2018	31.55	870^th	1293	32.7%
2019	39.24	775^th	1356	42.8%
2021	33.48	763^rd	1241	38.5%
2022	24.62	1011^th	1369	26.2%
2023	36.02	835^th	1367	38.9%
2024	33.47	847^th	1363	37.9%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	41.54	357^th	781	54.3%
2024	45.19	342^nd	802	57.4%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.04	655^th	1161	43.6%
2019	49.44	565^th	1217	53.6%
2021	45.08	501^st	1019	50.8%
2022	33.35	811^th	1221	33.6%
2023	52.43	497^th	1234	59.7%
2024	39.12	708^th	1219	41.9%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.44	820^th	1226	33.1%
2019	41.39	722^nd	1276	43.4%
2022	27.80	899^th	1286	30.1%
2023	31.12	848^th	1275	33.5%
2024	21.13	996^th	1251	20.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.30	813^th	1223	33.5%
2019	36.02	784^th	1296	39.5%
2021	24.41	814^th	1048	22.3%
2022	25.83	940^th	1286	26.9%
2023	40.83	704^th	1292	45.5%
2024	46.05	603^rd	1264	52.3%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Murray Elementary Language Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.92	127^th	511	75.1%
2019	74.67	82^nd	565	85.5%
2021	67.82	58^th	385	84.9%
2022	55.13	182^nd	573	68.2%
2023	67.73	110^th	569	80.7%
2024	62.52	133^rd	548	75.7%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, September 18, 2018

From K-3 our experience at this school was Great! The teachers truly cared about the students and their development and they kept the parents informed. However something happens when a child enters the 4th grade, the 2 teachers they have on staff are emotionally abusive to the children and dismissive to concerned parents. Especially the older teacher who constantly promotes her 25+ years of experience. These teachers seem to have a problem with minority kids that are highly intelligent and strong minded. They consistently tell these kids they are bad and separate these kids from the class and if they utter one word they do not like, each class they move their seat closer and closer to the door. These same children will consistently ask the teachers what they can do to rejoin the class and they disregard them and will keep them separated from the other students the whole school year, driving them to act out because they humiliate them and make them outcasts. These same 4th grades teachers lie on the children and claim they have done certain things in the classroom and will exaggerate things that happen to support their position. This has been going on for years and because of this the school has a revolving door of students. There have been complaints made to the Principal and the Network Chief and they have not investigated the Children's or the Parents concerns. As a Local School Council member I had the privilege of receiving emails and complaints from Parents that did not even know each other complain about these teachers and crying and upset that they had no where to turn. I ended up taking my child out of the school mid year and put him in Private School, but these Parents again had no where to turn and feared the damage this would do to their children. After I took my child out of this school I had to put my child in therapy because he thought he was a bad person and his self esteem was low, but now he is thriving and is in an environment that supports him and believes in him. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Murray Elementary Language Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	73	265	4	2	3	n/a	n/a	0	347
1989	67	249	8	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	329
1990	70	248	5	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	328
1991	72	246	5	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	326
1992	68	265	6	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	342
1993	66	266	5	9	1	n/a	n/a	0	347
1994	56	279	4	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	350
1995	65	261	9	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	351
1996	65	261	9	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	351
1997	74	251	8	12	2	n/a	n/a	0	347
1998	84	233	13	14	5	n/a	n/a	0	349
1999	79	240	12	11	4	n/a	n/a	0	346
2000	79	241	13	9	3	n/a	n/a	0	345
2001	80	240	13	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	343
2002	79	207	13	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	308
2003	79	207	13	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	308
2004	66	221	13	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	309
2005	78	261	9	18	1	n/a	n/a	0	367
2006	57	281	14	11	1	n/a	n/a	31	395
2007	69	281	16	20	1	n/a	n/a	31	418
2008	72	321	20	7	1	n/a	n/a	52	473
2009	91	346	22	13	2	n/a	n/a	2	476
2010	95	319	29	12	1	n/a	n/a	2	458
2011	63	360	26	27	2	0	40	0	518
2012	59	398	14	21	2	0	38	0	532
2013	37	415	13	20	2	0	35	0	522
2014	32	434	16	27	1	0	26	0	536
2015	23	444	11	32	0	0	20	0	530
2016	13	451	12	29	0	0	19	0	524
2017	7	459	7	26	0	0	21	0	520
2018	8	465	6	16	1	1	16	0	513
2019	7	447	5	12	2	1	18	0	492
2020	7	420	3	17	1	1	13	0	462
2021	9	438	1	17	1	1	17	0	484
2022	10	429	3	18	1	0	20	0	481
2023	11	396	2	13	1	0	22	0	445

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 Murray Elementary Language Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	347	15.0	23.1	n/a
1989	329	16.0	20.5	n/a
1990	328	16.0	20.5	n/a
1991	326	18.0	18.1	n/a
1992	342	18.0	19.0	n/a
1993	347	18.0	19.3	n/a
1994	350	19.0	18.4	n/a
1995	351	21.0	16.7	n/a
1996	351	21.0	16.7	n/a
1997	347	21.0	16.5	n/a
1998	349	22.0	15.9	n/a
1999	346	21.0	16.5	n/a
2000	345	20.0	17.3	n/a
2001	343	20.0	17.2	n/a
2002	308	19.0	16.2	15.3
2003	308	19.0	16.2	15.3
2004	309	19.8	15.6	23.3
2005	367	21.8	16.8	30
2006	395	27.8	14.2	38.7
2007	418	20.0	20.9	38.8
2008	473	23.0	20.6	39
2009	476	27.0	17.6	36.7
2010	458	25.0	18.3	40.4
2011	518	27.0	19.1	46.1
2012	532	28.0	19.0	53
2013	522	33.5	15.5	51.5
2014	536	29.0	18.4	58.2
2015	530	29.0	18.2	59.6
2016	524	27.0	19.4	52.3
2017	520	25.4	20.4	56.7
2018	513	28.9	17.7	62.2
2019	492	33.5	14.6	62.2
2020	462	27.0	17.1	64.1
2021	484	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	481	28.5	16.8	59.5
2023	445	30.0	14.8	60.2

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 Murray Elementary Language Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	347	15.0	23.1	n/a
1989	329	16.0	20.5	n/a
1990	328	16.0	20.5	n/a
1991	326	18.0	18.1	n/a
1992	342	18.0	19.0	n/a
1993	347	18.0	19.3	n/a
1994	350	19.0	18.4	n/a
1995	351	21.0	16.7	n/a
1996	351	21.0	16.7	n/a
1997	347	21.0	16.5	n/a
1998	349	22.0	15.9	n/a
1999	346	21.0	16.5	n/a
2000	345	20.0	17.3	n/a
2001	343	20.0	17.2	n/a
2002	308	19.0	16.2	15.3
2003	308	19.0	16.2	15.3
2004	309	19.8	15.6	23.3
2005	367	21.8	16.8	30
2006	395	27.8	14.2	38.7
2007	418	20.0	20.9	38.8
2008	473	23.0	20.6	39
2009	476	27.0	17.6	36.7
2010	458	25.0	18.3	40.4
2011	518	27.0	19.1	46.1
2012	532	28.0	19.0	53
2013	522	33.5	15.5	51.5
2014	536	29.0	18.4	58.2
2015	530	29.0	18.2	59.6
2016	524	27.0	19.4	52.3
2017	520	25.4	20.4	56.7
2018	513	28.9	17.7	62.2
2019	492	33.5	14.6	62.2
2020	462	27.0	17.1	64.1
2021	484	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	481	28.5	16.8	59.5
2023	445	30.0	14.8	60.2

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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