Is McNair Elementary School a good school?

McNair Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.2% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend McNair Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 347 students attended McNair Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of McNair Elementary School?

Students at McNair Elementary School are 80% African American, 17% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of McNair Elementary School attend?

Students who attend McNair Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Orr Academy High School

McNair Elementary School

Summary:

McNair Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Chicago, Illinois, with 347 students enrolled. The school faces significant challenges, consistently performing well below the Chicago Public Schools District 299 and Illinois state averages on standardized tests.

McNair Elementary School's academic performance is particularly concerning, with only 9.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and math proficiency rates ranging from 0% to 16.7% across grade levels, compared to the district and state averages. The school also struggles with extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 31.3% to 44.9%, much higher than the district and state. These challenges are likely exacerbated by the fact that 96-97% of McNair's students come from low-income families, qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The issues at McNair Elementary are not unique, as nearby schools in the same district, such as Howe Elementary, Lewis Elementary, and Piccolo Elementary, also struggle with low academic performance and high chronic absenteeism. Despite the high per-student spending at McNair, ranging from $17,745 to $24,239 in recent years, the school has not shown significant improvement, ranking among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Illinois.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

4820 W Walton St
Chicago, IL 60651-3209

(773) 534-8980

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1795^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $28,046

Students who attend McNair Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Orr Academy High School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.6

Number of students: 347

Racial breakdown:

African American:

80.4%

Hispanic:

16.7%

Two or more races:

1.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 97.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details McNair Elementary School ranks worse than 86.8% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 306^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 16.24. (See more...)

Compare Details McNair Elementary School ranks worse than 97.9% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.77. (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 McNair 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 McNair Elementary School is $28,046, which is the 39^th highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

McNair Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks McNair Elementary School 1795^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See McNair Elementary 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 McNair Elementary School 1335^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See McNair 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.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for McNair Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at McNair Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	4.58	1896^th	2020	6.1%
2004	1.02	2010^th	2030	1.0%
2005	0.89	1996^th	2022	1.3%
2006	1.26	2066^th	2086	1.0%
2007	1.35	2071^st	2095	1.1%
2008	6.37	1980^th	2092	5.4%
2009	2.03	2098^th	2120	1.0%
2010	8.85	1994^th	2139	6.8%
2011	14.71	1913^th	2147	10.9%
2012	11.98	2000^th	2166	7.7%
2013	8.09	2061^st	2167	4.9%
2014	7.55	2012^th	2093	3.9%
2015	8.98	2019^th	2052	1.6%
2016	8.95	1998^th	2046	2.3%
2017	15.12	1822^nd	2044	10.9%
2018	16.42	1776^th	2037	12.8%
2019	18.91	1759^th	2086	15.7%
2021	12.25	1901^st	1948	2.4%
2022	13.61	1928^th	2082	7.4%
2023	10.62	2020^th	2077	2.7%
2024	16.24	1795^th	2067	13.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.95	1391^st	1765	21.2%
2019	30.26	1365^th	1816	24.8%
2021	17.68	1458^th	1514	3.7%
2022	20.42	1569^th	1763	11.0%
2023	15.18	1737^th	1808	3.9%
2024	22.79	1509^th	1793	15.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at McNair Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.87	1704^th	1964	13.2%
2019	18.63	1732^nd	2019	14.2%
2021	11.96	1613^th	1680	4.0%
2022	12.81	1867^th	1970	5.2%
2023	9.17	1947^th	1957	0.5%
2024	16.85	1687^th	1942	13.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at McNair Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.92	1709^th	1972	13.3%
2019	20.74	1657^th	2019	17.9%
2021	14.40	1590^th	1707	6.9%
2022	19.24	1627^th	1977	17.7%
2023	13.35	1854^th	1984	6.6%
2024	15.20	1751^st	1959	10.6%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.73	361^st	698	48.3%
2019	40.07	395^th	711	44.4%
2021	26.91	376^th	428	12.1%
2022	26.86	580^th	684	15.2%
2023	23.74	616^th	692	11.0%
2024	33.53	443^rd	655	32.4%

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 McNair Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at McNair Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2006	3.34	1233^rd	1272	3.1%
2007	4.80	1234^th	1287	4.1%
2008	3.81	1251^st	1293	3.2%
2009	1.46	1307^th	1318	0.8%
2010	6.42	1258^th	1327	5.2%
2011	10.61	1247^th	1344	7.2%
2012	4.52	1329^th	1365	2.6%
2013	8.47	1291^st	1367	5.6%
2014	12.90	1202^nd	1322	9.1%
2015	15.06	1163^rd	1302	10.7%
2016	15.74	1166^th	1294	9.9%
2017	12.99	1198^th	1293	7.3%
2018	12.03	1211^th	1293	6.3%
2019	11.99	1269^th	1356	6.4%
2021	18.80	1045^th	1241	15.8%
2022	12.21	1320^th	1369	3.6%
2023	13.49	1266^th	1367	7.4%
2024	9.77	1335^th	1363	2.1%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.61	1056^th	1161	9.0%
2019	16.89	1118^th	1217	8.1%
2021	29.68	743^rd	1019	27.1%
2022	16.32	1158^th	1221	5.2%
2023	19.42	1098^th	1234	11.0%
2024	12.44	1192^nd	1219	2.2%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at McNair Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.75	1063^rd	1226	13.3%
2019	12.07	1184^th	1276	7.2%
2022	10.57	1259^th	1286	2.1%
2023	11.37	1220^th	1275	4.3%
2024	8.39	1242^nd	1251	0.7%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at McNair Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.01	1158^th	1223	5.3%
2019	12.69	1216^th	1296	6.2%
2022	16.56	1142^nd	1286	11.2%
2023	17.17	1127^th	1292	12.8%
2024	13.26	1193^rd	1264	5.6%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.79	413^th	511	19.2%
2019	29.52	433^rd	565	23.4%
2021	43.75	178^th	385	53.8%
2022	23.97	525^th	573	8.4%
2023	26.36	473^rd	569	16.9%
2024	19.63	514^th	548	6.2%

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, April 1, 2010

This school is filled with hard working teachers and spirted and gifted students. This a great school that deserves some stars Close Quote

Enrollment information for McNair 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	363	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	363
1990	n/a	371	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	372
1991	0	352	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	352
1992	0	354	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	354
1993	0	364	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	364
1994	0	385	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	385
1995	0	449	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	449
1996	0	449	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	449
1997	0	510	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	512
1998	0	480	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	480
1999	0	510	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	511
2000	0	518	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	518
2001	0	519	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
2002	0	364	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	366
2003	0	364	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	366
2004	3	515	1	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	530
2005	2	659	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	667
2006	1	666	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	678
2007	2	579	0	23	1	n/a	n/a	2	607
2008	2	545	0	25	1	n/a	n/a	8	581
2009	1	547	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	1	561
2010	3	501	1	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	516
2011	0	472	2	20	0	0	1	0	495
2012	0	385	1	30	1	0	2	0	419
2013	1	338	0	33	1	0	2	0	375
2014	1	349	0	23	1	0	2	0	376
2015	1	335	0	29	1	0	3	0	369
2016	1	374	0	36	1	0	2	0	414
2017	3	344	1	46	1	0	2	0	397
2018	1	324	1	63	1	0	5	0	395
2019	1	311	3	68	1	0	5	0	389
2020	1	300	3	61	1	0	3	0	369
2021	3	262	2	36	0	0	3	0	306
2022	2	280	2	35	0	0	3	0	322
2023	3	279	3	58	0	0	4	0	347

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 McNair Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	363	13.0	27.9	n/a
1990	372	15.0	24.8	n/a
1991	352	15.0	23.4	n/a
1992	354	18.0	19.6	n/a
1993	364	20.0	18.2	n/a
1994	385	18.0	21.4	n/a
1995	449	22.0	20.4	n/a
1996	449	22.0	20.4	n/a
1997	512	27.0	19.0	n/a
1998	480	25.0	19.2	n/a
1999	511	25.0	20.4	n/a
2000	518	26.0	19.9	n/a
2001	521	25.0	20.8	n/a
2002	366	22.0	16.6	85.5
2003	366	22.0	16.6	85.5
2004	530	25.5	20.8	83.2
2005	667	34.5	19.3	65.5
2006	678	44.9	15.1	73.7
2007	607	31.0	19.6	94.9
2008	581	31.0	18.7	100
2009	561	33.0	17.0	99.6
2010	516	33.0	15.6	99.4
2011	495	29.0	17.0	98.4
2012	419	26.0	16.1	97.6
2013	375	31.7	11.8	98.4
2014	376	26.0	14.4	97.3
2015	369	22.0	16.7	98.6
2016	414	24.0	17.2	99.3
2017	397	22.7	17.4	98.5
2018	395	25.9	15.2	99
2019	389	30.0	12.9	99
2020	369	29.0	12.7	97
2021	306	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	322	30.7	10.4	96.6
2023	347	32.5	10.6	97.4

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 McNair Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	363	13.0	27.9	n/a
1990	372	15.0	24.8	n/a
1991	352	15.0	23.4	n/a
1992	354	18.0	19.6	n/a
1993	364	20.0	18.2	n/a
1994	385	18.0	21.4	n/a
1995	449	22.0	20.4	n/a
1996	449	22.0	20.4	n/a
1997	512	27.0	19.0	n/a
1998	480	25.0	19.2	n/a
1999	511	25.0	20.4	n/a
2000	518	26.0	19.9	n/a
2001	521	25.0	20.8	n/a
2002	366	22.0	16.6	85.5
2003	366	22.0	16.6	85.5
2004	530	25.5	20.8	83.2
2005	667	34.5	19.3	65.5
2006	678	44.9	15.1	73.7
2007	607	31.0	19.6	94.9
2008	581	31.0	18.7	100
2009	561	33.0	17.0	99.6
2010	516	33.0	15.6	99.4
2011	495	29.0	17.0	98.4
2012	419	26.0	16.1	97.6
2013	375	31.7	11.8	98.4
2014	376	26.0	14.4	97.3
2015	369	22.0	16.7	98.6
2016	414	24.0	17.2	99.3
2017	397	22.7	17.4	98.5
2018	395	25.9	15.2	99
2019	389	30.0	12.9	99
2020	369	29.0	12.7	97
2021	306	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	322	30.7	10.4	96.6
2023	347	32.5	10.6	97.4

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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