Is Dirksen Elementary School a good school?

Dirksen Elementary School ranks 820 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Dirksen Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,069 students attended Dirksen Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Dirksen Elementary School?

Students at Dirksen Elementary School are 66% White, 16% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Dirksen Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dirksen Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Taft High School

Dirksen Elementary School

Summary:

Dirksen Elementary School is a public school in Chicago, Illinois, serving 1,069 students in grades PK-8 and part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Dirksen Elementary School consistently outperforms the district average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, with 34.6% of students proficient or better in ELA and 35% in Mathematics, compared to 30.5% and 18.3% for the district, respectively. The school also performs particularly well in certain student subgroups, ranking 211 out of 219 Illinois elementary schools for Asian students, 370 out of 959 for Hispanic students, and 275 out of 1,195 for special education students. However, the school's ranking for White students and English Language Learners has been consistently lower than other subgroups. Dirksen Elementary School's overall statewide ranking has declined in recent years, dropping from 326 out of 2,044 Illinois elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 820 out of 2,067 in the current 2023-2024 school year.

While Dirksen Elementary School outperforms the district average, it lags behind some of the higher-performing nearby schools, such as Oriole Park Elementary School and Norwood Park Elementary School. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 4.5% in 2019-2020 to 31.8% in the current 2023-2024 school year, which is notably higher than the district average of 30.5%. The school's spending per student has also steadily increased, from $10,527 in 2019-2020 to $14,285 in the current 2022-2023 school year.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

8601 W Foster Ave
Chicago, IL 60656-2721

(773) 534-1090

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,288

Students who attend Dirksen Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Taft High School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.5

Number of students: 1,069

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.6%

Asian:

15.8%

Hispanic:

14.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 58.6%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Dirksen Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Dirksen Elementary School ranks better than 60.3% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 69^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 55.03. (See more...)

Compare Details Dirksen Elementary School ranks better than 69% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 62.42. (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 Dirksen 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 Dirksen Elementary School is $14,288. 453 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Dirksen Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Dirksen Elementary School 820^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Dirksen 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:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Dirksen Elementary School 422^nd of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Dirksen 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:

Asian 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.)

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Rank History for Dirksen Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	53.55	1144^th	2020	43.4%
2004	62.81	902^nd	2030	55.6%
2005	59.04	1007^th	2022	50.2%
2006	73.90	549^th	2086	73.7%
2007	71.77	637^th	2095	69.6%
2008	63.64	938^th	2092	55.2%
2009	41.52	1441^st	2120	32.0%
2010	53.39	1213^th	2139	43.3%
2011	62.98	961^st	2147	55.2%
2012	64.20	930^th	2166	57.1%
2013	63.84	835^th	2167	61.5%
2014	69.38	643^rd	2093	69.3%
2015	75.98	420^th	2052	79.5%
2016	74.29	473^rd	2046	76.9%
2017	81.93	326^th	2044	84.1%
2018	78.74	401^st	2037	80.3%
2019	76.79	421^st	2086	79.8%
2021	59.59	657^th	1948	66.3%
2022	63.60	682^nd	2082	67.2%
2023	59.07	760^th	2077	63.4%
2024	55.03	820^th	2067	60.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	94.99	14^th	718	98.1%
2019	82.48	42^nd	743	94.3%
2021	75.28	45^th	537	91.6%
2022	82.16	44^th	768	94.3%
2023	70.75	119^th	788	84.9%
2024	59.86	200^th	826	75.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	56.33	218^th	763	71.4%
2019	54.46	405^th	1194	66.1%
2022	49.16	421^st	1113	62.2%
2023	66.22	279^th	1156	75.9%
2024	67.58	275^th	1195	77.0%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	94.29	26^th	1765	98.5%
2019	88.77	70^th	1816	96.1%
2021	85.89	81^st	1514	94.6%
2022	82.44	134^th	1763	92.4%
2023	74.87	269^th	1808	85.1%
2024	74.63	269^th	1793	85.0%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	78.60	359^th	1964	81.7%
2019	79.19	347^th	2019	82.8%
2021	53.46	687^th	1680	59.1%
2022	60.59	684^th	1970	65.3%
2023	60.02	688^th	1957	64.8%
2024	58.38	706^th	1942	63.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	61.90	235^th	907	74.1%
2024	50.88	331^st	886	62.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	77.48	386^th	1972	80.4%
2019	72.20	477^th	2019	76.4%
2021	58.21	587^th	1707	65.6%
2022	65.38	589^th	1977	70.2%
2023	57.08	741^st	1984	62.7%
2024	50.79	859^th	1959	56.2%

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

Rank History for elementary school Asian students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	54.80	117^th	242	51.7%
2019	14.96	223^rd	243	8.2%
2022	16.26	199^th	226	11.9%
2023	13.45	217^th	237	8.4%
2024	6.41	211^th	219	3.7%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	50.02	431^st	938	54.1%
2019	63.27	243^rd	955	74.6%
2022	68.46	199^th	954	79.1%
2023	36.76	602^nd	970	37.9%
2024	51.72	370^th	959	61.4%

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

Rank History for elementary school White students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	63.96	484^th	1463	66.9%
2019	63.75	481^st	1462	67.1%
2021	45.68	668^th	1308	48.9%
2022	47.92	732^nd	1425	48.6%
2023	41.15	849^th	1419	40.2%
2024	37.61	892^nd	1392	35.9%

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 Dirksen Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	72.41	346^th	1185	70.8%
2004	62.62	511^th	1204	57.6%
2005	67.78	452^nd	1209	62.6%
2006	75.15	301^st	1272	76.3%
2007	74.19	310^th	1287	75.9%
2008	65.04	519^th	1293	59.9%
2009	53.96	713^th	1318	45.9%
2010	50.47	779^th	1327	41.3%
2011	54.72	710^th	1344	47.2%
2012	49.45	808^th	1365	40.8%
2013	74.38	317^th	1367	76.8%
2014	76.14	280^th	1322	78.8%
2015	75.96	249^th	1302	80.9%
2016	73.83	274^th	1294	78.8%
2017	67.62	346^th	1293	73.2%
2018	73.01	286^th	1293	77.9%
2019	77.89	249^th	1356	81.6%
2021	65.65	335^th	1241	73.0%
2022	64.39	399^th	1369	70.9%
2023	54.25	526^th	1367	61.5%
2024	62.42	422^nd	1363	69.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	88.08	5^th	285	98.2%
2019	86.33	4^th	339	98.8%
2021	58.64	46^th	277	83.4%
2022	79.10	22^nd	454	95.2%
2023	65.76	67^th	480	86.0%
2024	74.67	44^th	486	90.9%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	64.43	150^th	792	81.1%
2022	59.85	150^th	781	80.8%
2023	48.91	291^st	805	63.9%
2024	67.09	190^th	802	76.3%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	87.00	67^th	1161	94.2%
2019	89.51	50^th	1217	95.9%
2021	87.85	51^st	1019	95.0%
2022	78.08	141^st	1221	88.5%
2023	65.71	296^th	1234	76.0%
2024	71.77	224^th	1219	81.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	71.61	288^th	1226	76.5%
2019	74.04	283^rd	1276	77.8%
2021	53.46	404^th	1017	60.3%
2022	62.61	386^th	1286	70.0%
2023	56.50	464^th	1275	63.6%
2024	57.64	453^rd	1251	63.8%

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

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	46.99	269^th	674	60.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	73.94	253^rd	1223	79.3%
2019	79.91	204^th	1296	84.3%
2021	71.29	226^th	1048	78.4%
2022	64.18	361^st	1286	71.9%
2023	49.86	562^nd	1292	56.5%
2024	65.41	353^rd	1264	72.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Asian students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	6.01	185^th	192	3.6%
2024	7.83	171^st	184	7.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.66	54^th	590	90.8%
2022	51.50	264^th	662	60.1%
2023	63.48	173^rd	661	73.8%

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

Rank History for middle school White students at Dirksen Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.59	322^nd	889	63.8%
2019	63.03	300^th	905	66.9%
2021	57.92	304^th	813	62.6%
2022	50.59	405^th	898	54.9%
2023	40.16	520^th	895	41.9%
2024	48.71	433^rd	875	50.5%

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

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

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 Dirksen Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	261	163	42	63	1	n/a	n/a	0	530
1989	293	146	48	85	1	n/a	n/a	0	573
1990	322	120	50	95	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	587
1991	309	112	51	96	0	n/a	n/a	0	568
1992	309	117	51	87	2	n/a	n/a	0	566
1993	283	111	46	109	11	n/a	n/a	0	560
1994	259	116	42	108	3	n/a	n/a	0	528
1995	272	103	47	120	2	n/a	n/a	0	544
1996	272	103	47	120	2	n/a	n/a	0	544
1997	291	90	32	123	2	n/a	n/a	0	538
1998	327	70	32	116	2	n/a	n/a	0	547
1999	375	46	41	97	3	n/a	n/a	0	562
2000	394	38	38	88	2	n/a	n/a	0	560
2001	413	43	33	84	8	n/a	n/a	0	581
2002	507	31	38	70	3	n/a	n/a	0	649
2003	507	31	38	70	3	n/a	n/a	0	649
2004	486	29	37	84	6	n/a	n/a	0	642
2005	481	28	34	87	3	n/a	n/a	0	633
2006	471	39	39	76	0	n/a	n/a	20	645
2007	494	28	49	57	1	n/a	n/a	15	644
2008	465	33	53	75	0	n/a	n/a	22	648
2009	532	30	57	90	0	n/a	n/a	1	710
2010	536	37	61	89	0	n/a	n/a	1	724
2011	528	31	53	118	2	1	11	0	744
2012	541	32	52	108	3	1	41	0	778
2013	539	24	59	97	3	0	52	0	774
2014	536	26	60	97	3	1	85	0	808
2015	593	29	72	129	2	2	6	0	833
2016	596	30	72	147	2	4	5	0	856
2017	604	27	92	133	2	5	9	0	872
2018	695	22	119	99	1	4	4	0	944
2019	663	22	134	99	2	3	6	0	929
2020	633	18	131	106	1	3	24	0	916
2021	632	22	154	95	1	2	19	0	925
2022	632	34	132	110	0	1	10	0	919
2023	701	31	169	154	1	1	12	0	1069

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 Dirksen Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	530	24.0	22.0	n/a
1989	573	23.0	24.9	n/a
1990	587	25.0	23.4	n/a
1991	568	29.0	19.5	n/a
1992	566	30.0	18.8	n/a
1993	560	28.0	20.0	n/a
1994	528	25.0	21.1	n/a
1995	544	32.0	17.0	n/a
1996	544	32.0	17.0	n/a
1997	538	33.0	16.3	n/a
1998	547	30.0	18.2	n/a
1999	562	32.0	17.6	n/a
2000	560	30.0	18.7	n/a
2001	581	34.0	17.1	n/a
2002	649	33.0	19.7	51.6
2003	649	33.0	19.7	51.6
2004	642	31.8	20.2	59.5
2005	633	38.9	16.3	60
2006	645	40.9	15.8	60.6
2007	644	32.0	20.1	59.8
2008	648	37.0	17.5	56.1
2009	710	39.5	18.0	56.8
2010	724	39.0	18.5	70.1
2011	744	38.0	19.5	71.6
2012	778	37.0	21.0	76.5
2013	774	43.2	17.8	75.8
2014	808	42.5	19.0	76.4
2015	833	45.0	18.5	79.8
2016	856	42.0	20.3	76.6
2017	872	38.3	22.7	79.5
2018	944	37.7	24.9	77.9
2019	929	48.5	19.1	69.9
2020	916	49.5	18.5	70.6
2021	925	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	919	58.0	15.8	78.2
2023	1069	61.0	17.5	58.6

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 Dirksen Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	530	24.0	22.0	n/a
1989	573	23.0	24.9	n/a
1990	587	25.0	23.4	n/a
1991	568	29.0	19.5	n/a
1992	566	30.0	18.8	n/a
1993	560	28.0	20.0	n/a
1994	528	25.0	21.1	n/a
1995	544	32.0	17.0	n/a
1996	544	32.0	17.0	n/a
1997	538	33.0	16.3	n/a
1998	547	30.0	18.2	n/a
1999	562	32.0	17.6	n/a
2000	560	30.0	18.7	n/a
2001	581	34.0	17.1	n/a
2002	649	33.0	19.7	51.6
2003	649	33.0	19.7	51.6
2004	642	31.8	20.2	59.5
2005	633	38.9	16.3	60
2006	645	40.9	15.8	60.6
2007	644	32.0	20.1	59.8
2008	648	37.0	17.5	56.1
2009	710	39.5	18.0	56.8
2010	724	39.0	18.5	70.1
2011	744	38.0	19.5	71.6
2012	778	37.0	21.0	76.5
2013	774	43.2	17.8	75.8
2014	808	42.5	19.0	76.4
2015	833	45.0	18.5	79.8
2016	856	42.0	20.3	76.6
2017	872	38.3	22.7	79.5
2018	944	37.7	24.9	77.9
2019	929	48.5	19.1	69.9
2020	916	49.5	18.5	70.6
2021	925	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	919	58.0	15.8	78.2
2023	1069	61.0	17.5	58.6

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