Is Plato Learning Academy Elementary School a good school?

Plato Learning Academy Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.3% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Plato Learning Academy Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 176 students attended Plato Learning Academy Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Plato Learning Academy Elementary School?

Students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School are 99% African American, 1% Hispanic.

Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Summary:

Plato Learning Academy Elementary School is a public K-8 school in Chicago, Illinois, serving 176 students, the majority of whom are African American and from low-income backgrounds. Unfortunately, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 5-10% of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with extremely low academic performance and high chronic absenteeism rates.

Plato Learning Academy's challenges are evident in its key metrics. The school has had chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 32.1% to 44.6% in recent years, far exceeding the district and state averages. Its students' proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are also strikingly low, with only 0-8.3% of students meeting standards in 2023-2024, compared to 21.3-49.9% for the Chicago Public Schools District 299 and 30.6-49.9% for the state. Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $17,000-$22,000, these additional resources have not translated into improved academic outcomes.

Interestingly, nearby schools in the same district, such as Catalyst Charter-Circle Rock Elementary and Leland Elementary, perform significantly better than Plato Learning Academy on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism, even though they serve similar student populations. This suggests that the challenges faced by Plato Learning Academy may be more complex than just demographics and funding, and that there is potential for improvement with the right educational model and resources.

Detail:

Public K-8

5545 W Harrison St
Chicago, IL 60644-5367

(773) 413-3090

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
2060^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $22,856

Student/teacher ratio: 22.0

Number of students: 176

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.9%

Hispanic:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 98.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Plato Learning Academy Elementary School ranks worse than 99.7% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 448^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 8.39. (See more...)

Compare Details Plato Learning Academy Elementary School ranks worse than 99.8% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.93. (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 Plato Learning Academy 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 Plato Learning Academy Elementary School is $22,856, which is the 163^rd highest among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Plato Learning Academy Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Plato Learning Academy Elementary School 2060^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Plato Learning Academy Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Plato Learning Academy Elementary School 1360^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Plato Learning Academy 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.)

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Rank History for Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2010	16.88	1865^th	2139	12.8%
2011	20.07	1835^th	2147	14.5%
2012	22.14	1817^th	2166	16.1%
2013	12.34	1973^rd	2167	9.0%
2014	11.96	1911^th	2093	8.7%
2015	12.90	1908^th	2052	7.0%
2016	9.67	1981^st	2046	3.2%
2017	9.87	1968^th	2044	3.7%
2018	11.86	1918^th	2037	5.8%
2019	7.56	2064^th	2086	1.1%
2021	13.27	1851^st	1948	5.0%
2022	12.62	1971^st	2082	5.3%
2023	10.31	2033^rd	2077	2.1%
2024	8.39	2060^th	2067	0.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.75	1636^th	1765	7.3%
2019	10.45	1798^th	1816	1.0%
2021	20.22	1386^th	1514	8.5%
2022	18.49	1635^th	1763	7.3%
2023	14.14	1763^rd	1808	2.5%
2024	11.25	1784^th	1793	0.5%

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

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.63	1770^th	1964	9.9%
2019	7.66	1997^th	2019	1.1%
2022	10.53	1948^th	1970	1.1%
2023	9.45	1940^th	1957	0.9%

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

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.93	1899^th	1972	3.7%
2019	8.98	1991^st	2019	1.4%
2022	13.63	1859^th	1977	6.0%
2023	10.22	1952^nd	1984	1.6%

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

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.02	483^rd	698	30.8%
2019	19.68	671^st	711	5.6%
2021	32.08	302^nd	428	29.4%
2022	31.22	486^th	684	28.9%
2023	23.90	613^th	692	11.4%
2024	18.46	638^th	655	2.6%

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 Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2011	44.74	848^th	1344	36.9%
2012	47.48	835^th	1365	38.8%
2013	14.06	1219^th	1367	10.8%
2014	25.21	1036^th	1322	21.6%
2015	10.70	1246^th	1302	4.3%
2016	14.31	1189^th	1294	8.1%
2017	11.22	1230^th	1293	4.9%
2018	12.75	1195^th	1293	7.6%
2019	7.87	1342^nd	1356	1.0%
2021	10.58	1224^th	1241	1.4%
2022	14.14	1266^th	1369	7.5%
2023	13.00	1283^rd	1367	6.1%
2024	7.93	1360^th	1363	0.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.15	1074^th	1161	7.5%
2019	10.26	1196^th	1217	1.7%
2021	14.12	1001^st	1019	1.8%
2022	20.04	1090^th	1221	10.7%
2023	18.43	1122^nd	1234	9.1%
2024	9.80	1214^th	1219	0.4%

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

Rank History for middle school Female students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.25	1049^th	1226	14.4%
2019	9.94	1218^th	1276	4.5%
2022	14.66	1170^th	1286	9.0%
2023	14.49	1156^th	1275	9.3%
2024	8.03	1244^th	1251	0.6%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.02	1186^th	1223	3.0%
2019	8.14	1296^th	1296	0.0%
2022	12.95	1226^th	1286	4.7%
2023	9.77	1280^th	1292	0.9%
2024	8.69	1259^th	1264	0.4%

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

Rank History for middle school African American students at Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.95	364^th	511	28.8%
2019	18.41	546^th	565	3.4%
2021	23.27	362^nd	385	6.0%
2022	31.40	410^th	573	28.4%
2023	29.39	429^th	569	24.6%
2024	15.94	542^nd	548	1.1%

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

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Enrollment information for Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2009	1	277	0	0	n/a	n/a	278
2010	1	316	0	2	n/a	n/a	319
2011	1	313	0	2	0	0	316
2012	1	411	0	1	0	0	413
2013	0	464	0	1	0	0	465
2014	0	470	0	3	0	0	473
2015	0	481	1	5	0	0	487
2016	0	488	1	4	0	0	493
2017	1	438	0	7	0	0	446
2018	0	382	0	5	0	0	387
2019	0	44	0	0	0	1	45
2020	0	225	0	2	0	0	227
2021	0	199	0	2	0	0	201
2022	0	189	0	4	0	1	194
2023	0	174	0	2	0	0	176

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 Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2009	278	n/a	n/a	n/a
2010	319	16.0	19.9	n/a
2011	316	17.0	18.5	n/a
2012	413	22.0	18.7	99.3
2013	465	24.3	19.0	97.4
2014	473	13.0	36.3	98.7
2015	487	21.0	23.1	98.4
2016	493	20.0	24.6	94.5
2017	446	5.0	89.2	96.2
2018	387	11.0	35.1	95.3
2019	45	13.0	3.4	88.9
2020	227	7.0	32.4	99.6
2021	201	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	194	n/a	n/a	99
2023	176	8.0	22.0	98.9

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 Plato Learning Academy Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2009	278	n/a	n/a	n/a
2010	319	16.0	19.9	n/a
2011	316	17.0	18.5	n/a
2012	413	22.0	18.7	99.3
2013	465	24.3	19.0	97.4
2014	473	13.0	36.3	98.7
2015	487	21.0	23.1	98.4
2016	493	20.0	24.6	94.5
2017	446	5.0	89.2	96.2
2018	387	11.0	35.1	95.3
2019	45	13.0	3.4	88.9
2020	227	7.0	32.4	99.6
2021	201	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	194	n/a	n/a	99
2023	176	8.0	22.0	98.9

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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