Is Bowen High School a good school?

Bowen High School ranks in the bottom 2.4% of Illinois high schools.

How many students attend Bowen High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 234 students attended Bowen High School.

What is the racial makeup of Bowen High School?

Students at Bowen High School are 76% African American, 21% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Bowen High School?

Bowen High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Burnham Elementary Inclusive Academy Elementary : Coles Elementary Language Academy Elementary : Earhart Elementary Opt for Knowl School Elementary : Hoyne Elementary School Elementary : Marsh Elementary School Elementary : McDowell Elementary School Elementary : Mireles Elementary Academy Elementary : Ninos Heroes Elementary Academic Center Elementary : Sullivan Elementary School Elementary : Thorp J N Elementary School Elementary : Warren Elementary School

Bowen High School

Summary:

Bowen High School is a public high school in Chicago, Illinois, serving 234 students in grades 9-12. The school 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. Bowen High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Illinois high schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bowen High School faces significant challenges in academic performance, student engagement, and educational outcomes. In the 2023-2024 school year, 0% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in SAT Mathematics and English Language Arts, compared to 26.1% and 31.1% statewide, respectively. The school's 4-year graduation rate is only 59.3%, significantly lower than the state average, and its dropout rate of 8.6% is more than double the state average. Additionally, Bowen High School has an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 74.1%, nearly double the state average.

While Bowen High School serves a predominantly low-income student population, with 92.31% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school's performance is significantly worse than nearby schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299, such as South Shore International College Prep High School, Art in Motion Charter School, and Noble Street Charter-Baker Campus. These schools, while still facing challenges, have higher academic performance, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to Bowen High School.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2710 E 89th St
Chicago, IL 60617-3192

(773) 535-7650

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
680^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $35,764

Feeder schools for Bowen High School:

Elementary:	Burnham Elementary Inclusive Academy
	Coles Elementary Language Academy
	Earhart Elementary Opt for Knowl School
	Hoyne Elementary School
	More...
	Marsh Elementary School
	McDowell Elementary School
	Mireles Elementary Academy
	Ninos Heroes Elementary Academic Center
	Sullivan Elementary School
	Thorp J N Elementary School
	Warren Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.8

Number of students: 234

Racial breakdown:

African American:

75.6%

Hispanic:

20.5%

White:

2.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.3%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Bowen High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Bowen High School ranks worse than 97.6% of high schools in Illinois. It also ranks 129^th among 145 ranked high schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.68. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Bowen High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

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 Bowen High School has the largest high school student body size in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details

Compare

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bowen High School is $35,764, which is the 12^th highest among 145 high schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bowen High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Bowen High School 680^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Bowen High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless 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.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Bowen High School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Bowen High School

Compare

Rank History for all students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2007	1.84	593^rd	612	3.1%
2008	0.81	621^st	624	0.5%
2009	2.61	600^th	632	5.1%
2010	3.63	596^th	643	7.3%
2011	1.78	644^th	655	1.7%
2012	1.66	647^th	665	2.7%
2013	1.65	656^th	670	2.1%
2014	1.92	651^st	670	2.8%
2015	10.61	594^th	614	3.3%
2016	10.89	610^th	643	5.1%
2017	3.62	637^th	642	0.8%
2018	5.86	635^th	647	1.9%
2019	8.30	645^th	701	8.0%
2021	10.35	637^th	688	7.4%
2022	7.49	681^st	699	2.6%
2023	7.26	692^nd	699	1.0%
2024	9.68	680^th	697	2.4%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	27.23	248^th	374	33.7%
2019	29.55	306^th	473	35.3%
2021	29.28	270^th	453	40.4%
2022	31.21	286^th	493	42.0%
2023	21.07	375^th	476	21.2%
2024	20.75	377^th	482	21.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	9.94	569^th	585	2.7%
2019	11.92	597^th	639	6.6%
2021	16.39	541^st	611	11.5%
2022	11.70	602^nd	626	3.8%
2023	9.61	637^th	644	1.1%
2024	12.16	609^th	639	4.7%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	24.69	57^th	91	37.4%
2022	41.80	39^th	98	60.2%
2023	28.07	55^th	104	47.1%
2024	25.74	68^th	125	45.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	6.40	598^th	620	3.5%
2019	9.66	594^th	665	10.7%
2021	10.10	598^th	639	6.4%
2022	8.88	621^st	658	5.6%
2023	7.50	646^th	656	1.5%
2024	10.08	632^nd	664	4.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.38	382^nd	428	10.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	5.80	608^th	619	1.8%
2019	7.66	645^th	675	4.4%
2021	10.92	604^th	653	7.5%
2022	7.27	653^rd	664	1.7%
2023	7.38	663^rd	668	0.7%
2024	10.02	632^nd	668	5.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	22.61	222^nd	253	12.3%
2019	26.34	225^th	299	24.7%
2021	26.16	223^rd	281	20.6%
2022	21.25	271^st	294	7.8%
2023	18.59	293^rd	301	2.7%
2024	22.06	274^th	299	8.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bowen High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	7.05	289^th	291	0.7%
2019	8.87	313^th	317	1.3%
2021	18.42	280^th	317	11.7%
2022	9.35	330^th	335	1.5%
2023	13.45	312^th	333	6.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High 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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Bowen High School.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Bowen High School, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Bowen High School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2005	0	104	0	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	112
2006	0	232	0	18	0	n/a	n/a	4	254
2007	1	298	3	29	0	n/a	n/a	11	342
2008	0	331	0	29	0	n/a	n/a	7	367
2009	1	293	0	23	1	n/a	n/a	0	318
2010	2	211	0	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	227
2011	1	177	0	6	0	0	1	0	185
2012	3	569	0	127	0	0	3	0	702
2013	2	402	0	92	1	0	2	0	499
2014	2	334	0	88	2	0	4	0	430
2015	2	277	0	84	0	0	5	0	368
2016	1	256	0	77	1	0	2	0	337
2017	0	230	0	81	1	0	1	0	313
2018	2	230	0	62	0	0	0	0	294
2019	1	200	0	46	0	2	1	0	250
2020	1	198	0	37	0	2	2	0	240
2021	4	273	0	63	1	1	3	0	345
2022	4	243	0	64	1	0	2	0	314
2023	5	177	0	48	0	0	4	0	234

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 Bowen High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	112	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	254	n/a	n/a	n/a
2007	342	20.0	17.1	n/a
2008	367	25.0	14.7	n/a
2009	318	24.5	13.0	n/a
2010	227	21.0	10.8	n/a
2011	185	12.0	15.4	n/a
2012	702	52.0	13.5	95.7
2013	499	42.0	11.8	87
2014	430	43.0	10.0	95.6
2015	368	31.0	11.8	97.6
2016	337	22.0	15.3	97.6
2017	313	19.8	15.7	97.1
2018	294	19.1	15.3	93.5
2019	250	20.0	12.5	86
2020	240	23.0	10.4	93.8
2021	345	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	314	23.2	13.5	84.1
2023	234	21.5	10.8	92.3

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 Bowen High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	112	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	254	n/a	n/a	n/a
2007	342	20.0	17.1	n/a
2008	367	25.0	14.7	n/a
2009	318	24.5	13.0	n/a
2010	227	21.0	10.8	n/a
2011	185	12.0	15.4	n/a
2012	702	52.0	13.5	95.7
2013	499	42.0	11.8	87
2014	430	43.0	10.0	95.6
2015	368	31.0	11.8	97.6
2016	337	22.0	15.3	97.6
2017	313	19.8	15.7	97.1
2018	294	19.1	15.3	93.5
2019	250	20.0	12.5	86
2020	240	23.0	10.4	93.8
2021	345	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	314	23.2	13.5	84.1
2023	234	21.5	10.8	92.3

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