Is Belmont-Cragin Elementary School a good school?

Belmont-Cragin Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.2% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Belmont-Cragin Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 479 students attended Belmont-Cragin Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Belmont-Cragin Elementary School?

Students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School are 96% Hispanic, 2% African American.

Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Summary:

Belmont-Cragin Elementary School is a public school in Chicago, Illinois, serving 479 students in grades PK-8. It is part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299, which is ranked 688 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Belmont-Cragin Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on standardized tests across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, only 14.7% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 30.5% for the district and 41.2% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in mathematics, with only 8% of students proficient or better, compared to 18.3% for the district and 28.4% for the state. The school also has a high percentage of Hispanic students (over 90%) and English Language Learners, as well as a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with over 90% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Additionally, Belmont-Cragin Elementary School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 2.7% in 2019-2020 to 34% in 2022-2023.

While the nearby schools, such as Lloyd Elementary School, Schubert Elementary School, and CICS - West Belden Campus, also perform below the district and state averages in academic achievement, they generally outperform Belmont-Cragin Elementary School. These nearby schools have similar student demographics, but tend to have lower chronic absenteeism rates and slightly better academic outcomes. Despite the higher per-student spending at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School, the school's academic performance remains poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving student outcomes. Targeted interventions, attendance-focused initiatives, and collaboration with nearby schools and the district could be potential strategies to address the school's performance issues and support student success.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

5252 W Palmer St
Chicago, IL 60639

(773) 534-2900

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1919^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,155

Student/teacher ratio: 12.6

Number of students: 479

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.5%

African American:

1.7%

White:

0.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 90.8%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Belmont-Cragin Elementary School ranks worse than 92.8% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 368^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 13.48. (See more...)

Compare Details Belmont-Cragin Elementary School ranks worse than 78.4% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.72. (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 Belmont-Cragin 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 Belmont-Cragin Elementary School is $20,155. 261 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Belmont-Cragin Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Belmont-Cragin Elementary School 1919^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Belmont-Cragin Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks Belmont-Cragin Elementary School 1068^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Belmont-Cragin Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic 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 Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	14.61	1732^nd	2020	14.3%
2004	40.82	1391^st	2030	31.5%
2005	22.52	1703^rd	2022	15.8%
2006	36.01	1579^th	2086	24.3%
2007	25.82	1744^th	2095	16.8%
2008	26.60	1675^th	2092	19.9%
2009	11.18	1931^st	2120	8.9%
2010	12.69	1941^st	2139	9.3%
2011	21.81	1802^nd	2147	16.1%
2012	19.21	1873^rd	2166	13.5%
2013	20.02	1796^th	2167	17.1%
2014	13.36	1885^th	2093	9.9%
2015	16.65	1799^th	2052	12.3%
2016	17.59	1765^th	2046	13.7%
2017	21.07	1652^nd	2044	19.2%
2018	15.88	1795^th	2037	11.9%
2019	17.96	1792^nd	2086	14.1%
2021	12.56	1878^th	1948	3.6%
2022	13.51	1931^st	2082	7.3%
2023	13.66	1920^th	2077	7.6%
2024	13.48	1919^th	2067	7.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.18	478^th	718	33.4%
2019	31.74	585^th	743	21.3%
2021	24.65	525^th	537	2.2%
2022	25.79	694^th	768	9.6%
2023	24.59	718^th	788	8.9%
2024	28.01	679^th	826	17.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	35.99	707^th	1194	40.8%

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

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.40	1463^rd	1765	17.1%
2019	26.85	1457^th	1816	19.8%
2021	18.58	1426^th	1514	5.8%
2022	19.04	1616^th	1763	8.3%
2023	19.37	1646^th	1808	9.0%
2024	18.81	1640^th	1793	8.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.08	1697^th	1964	13.6%
2019	12.35	1885^th	2019	6.6%
2022	13.82	1817^th	1970	7.8%
2023	14.67	1798^th	1957	8.1%
2024	14.86	1760^th	1942	9.4%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.36	1744^th	1972	11.6%
2019	26.17	1495^th	2019	26.0%
2022	14.71	1816^th	1977	8.1%
2023	14.58	1813^th	1984	8.6%
2024	13.54	1820^th	1959	7.1%

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

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.50	850^th	938	9.4%
2019	22.64	833^rd	955	12.8%
2021	18.17	722^nd	742	2.7%
2022	15.34	935^th	954	2.0%
2023	16.89	919^th	970	5.3%
2024	17.68	895^th	959	6.7%

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

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

Rank History for Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	8.50	1071^st	1185	9.6%
2004	34.02	855^th	1204	29.0%
2005	45.70	750^th	1209	38.0%
2006	30.51	971^st	1272	23.7%
2007	47.93	798^th	1287	38.0%
2008	38.08	901^st	1293	30.3%
2009	43.84	867^th	1318	34.2%
2010	34.36	985^th	1327	25.8%
2011	29.37	1065^th	1344	20.8%
2012	16.68	1205^th	1365	11.7%
2013	27.64	1050^th	1367	23.2%
2014	22.86	1079^th	1322	18.4%
2015	22.72	1027^th	1302	21.1%
2016	23.02	1045^th	1294	19.2%
2017	21.68	1032^nd	1293	20.2%
2018	29.63	902^nd	1293	30.2%
2019	22.87	1061^st	1356	21.8%
2022	22.76	1046^th	1369	23.6%
2023	18.10	1160^th	1367	15.1%
2024	21.72	1068^th	1363	21.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.51	237^th	285	16.8%
2019	44.48	154^th	339	54.6%
2022	42.16	224^th	454	50.7%
2023	41.50	248^th	480	48.3%
2024	33.53	340^th	486	30.0%

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

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.13	712^th	1161	38.7%
2019	31.42	880^th	1217	27.7%
2022	34.19	791^st	1221	35.2%
2023	23.02	1027^th	1234	16.8%
2024	28.92	883^rd	1219	27.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.89	949^th	1226	22.6%
2019	21.34	1020^th	1276	20.1%
2022	25.33	946^th	1286	26.4%
2023	19.50	1042^nd	1275	18.3%
2024	30.66	845^th	1251	32.5%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.05	790^th	1223	35.4%
2019	25.87	957^th	1296	26.2%
2022	21.85	1006^th	1286	21.8%
2023	18.43	1101^st	1292	14.8%
2024	18.96	1060^th	1264	16.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.20	401^st	590	32.0%
2019	26.61	515^th	639	19.4%
2022	24.85	537^th	662	18.9%
2023	19.90	583^rd	661	11.8%
2024	24.79	522^nd	643	18.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2002	25	4	1	222	0	n/a	n/a	0	252
2003	25	4	1	222	0	n/a	n/a	0	252
2004	15	4	0	249	0	n/a	n/a	0	268
2005	31	6	3	433	0	n/a	n/a	0	473
2006	34	8	7	526	0	n/a	n/a	17	592
2007	26	10	11	568	0	n/a	n/a	13	628
2008	39	9	9	532	0	n/a	n/a	15	604
2009	35	12	9	573	0	n/a	n/a	0	629
2010	30	15	6	570	0	n/a	n/a	0	621
2011	24	5	5	594	4	0	2	0	634
2012	22	11	2	587	6	1	4	0	633
2013	22	11	2	540	4	1	4	0	584
2014	15	23	2	528	4	2	3	0	577
2015	16	17	1	536	3	1	4	0	578
2016	19	25	0	535	3	1	2	0	585
2017	17	20	0	509	2	0	4	0	552
2018	13	19	4	518	2	0	3	0	559
2019	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	0
2020	5	14	2	406	2	0	1	0	430
2021	6	13	1	386	2	0	0	0	408
2022	5	14	0	414	2	0	1	0	436
2023	4	8	1	462	2	0	2	0	479

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 Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	252	0.0	n/a	81
2003	252	0.0	n/a	81
2004	268	13.1	20.5	84.3
2005	473	16.7	28.3	87.1
2006	592	25.7	23.0	87.7
2007	628	23.0	27.3	39.7
2008	604	25.0	24.2	92.4
2009	629	27.5	22.9	86.5
2010	621	26.0	23.8	92.9
2011	634	23.0	27.5	93.2
2012	633	22.0	28.7	91.8
2013	584	15.2	38.3	89.6
2014	577	16.5	34.9	95
2015	578	25.0	23.1	96.9
2016	585	28.0	20.8	92.1
2017	552	22.1	24.8	92.6
2018	559	24.0	23.2	92.5
2019	0	31.0	0.0	n/a
2020	430	30.0	14.3	91.9
2021	408	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	436	40.0	10.9	92.4
2023	479	38.0	12.6	90.8

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 Belmont-Cragin Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	252	0.0	n/a	81
2003	252	0.0	n/a	81
2004	268	13.1	20.5	84.3
2005	473	16.7	28.3	87.1
2006	592	25.7	23.0	87.7
2007	628	23.0	27.3	39.7
2008	604	25.0	24.2	92.4
2009	629	27.5	22.9	86.5
2010	621	26.0	23.8	92.9
2011	634	23.0	27.5	93.2
2012	633	22.0	28.7	91.8
2013	584	15.2	38.3	89.6
2014	577	16.5	34.9	95
2015	578	25.0	23.1	96.9
2016	585	28.0	20.8	92.1
2017	552	22.1	24.8	92.6
2018	559	24.0	23.2	92.5
2019	0	31.0	0.0	n/a
2020	430	30.0	14.3	91.9
2021	408	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	436	40.0	10.9	92.4
2023	479	38.0	12.6	90.8

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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