Is Creative Communications Academy a good school?

Creative Communications Academy ranks in the bottom 4.0% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Creative Communications Academy?

In the 2023-24 school year, 186 students attended Creative Communications Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Creative Communications Academy?

Students at Creative Communications Academy are 95% African American, 4% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Creative Communications Academy attend?

Students who attend Creative Communications Academy usually go on to attend Thornridge High School

Creative Communications Academy

Summary:

Creative Communications Academy is a public middle school located in Calumet City, Illinois, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 177 students. The school is part of the Dolton School District 149, which is ranked 793 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Creative Communications Academy consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Illinois middle schools, with a ranking between 1185-1313 out of 1363-1369 schools over the past 8 years. The school's performance on standardized tests is significantly below the state and district averages, with only 13.7% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 1.2% in 7th grade Mathematics, and 2.2% in 8th grade Mathematics. The school also struggles with high rates of poverty, special education needs, and chronic absenteeism, which may be contributing to its low academic performance. Interestingly, nearby schools like Washington Junior High and McKinley Junior High School outperform Creative Communications Academy on academic measures.

The relatively high per-student spending and student-teacher ratio at Creative Communications Academy suggest that the school may be struggling to effectively utilize its resources to support student learning. The challenges faced by the school are not unique to Creative Communications Academy, as the other middle schools in the Dolton School District 149 also perform poorly on academic measures. This highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to address the systemic issues affecting the district's schools and to provide the necessary interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public 7-8

292 Torrence Ave
Calumet City, IL 60409-1941

(708) 868-7585

District: Dolton School District 149

SchoolDigger Rank:
1309^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,714

Students who attend Creative Communications Academy usually attend:

High:

Thornridge High School

Feeder schools for Creative Communications Academy:

Elementary:	Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School
	Carol Moseley Braun School
	Caroline Sibley Elementary School
	Diekman Elementary School
	More...
	New Beginnings Learning Academy

Student/teacher ratio: 32.7

Number of students: 186

Racial breakdown:

African American:

94.6%

Hispanic:

4.3%

American Indian:

0.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Creative Communications Academy to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Creative Communications Academy ranks worse than 96% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks 2^nd among 3 ranked middle schools in the Dolton School District 149. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.2. (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 Creative Communications Academy has the largest middle school student body size in the Dolton School District 149. Racial makeup is: African American (94.6%), Hispanic (4.3%), American Indian (0.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Creative Communications Academy is 32.7, which is the highest among 3 middle schools in the Dolton School District 149! (See more...)

Compare Creative Communications Academy employs 5.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Creative Communications Academy is $19,714, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Dolton School District 149!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Creative Communications Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Creative Communications Academy 1309^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Creative Communications Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Dolton School District 149:

SchoolDigger ranks Dolton School District 149 793^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Creative Communications Academy

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Rank History for all students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2015	9.98	1262^nd	1302	3.1%
2016	8.51	1269^th	1294	1.9%
2017	9.11	1262^nd	1293	2.4%
2018	11.34	1223^rd	1293	5.4%
2019	12.41	1257^th	1356	7.3%
2021	12.04	1196^th	1241	3.6%
2022	17.00	1185^th	1369	13.4%
2023	11.28	1313^th	1367	4.0%
2024	11.20	1309^th	1363	4.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.76	327^th	602	45.7%
2019	28.24	636^th	792	19.7%
2022	26.83	734^th	781	6.0%
2023	18.48	788^th	805	2.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.21	1072^nd	1161	7.7%
2019	17.64	1102^nd	1217	9.4%
2021	16.36	974^th	1019	4.4%
2022	24.04	1012^th	1221	17.1%
2023	15.49	1170^th	1234	5.2%
2024	14.82	1155^th	1219	5.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.23	1157^th	1226	5.6%
2019	11.65	1193^rd	1276	6.5%
2021	8.79	1010^th	1017	0.7%
2022	19.45	1072^nd	1286	16.6%
2023	12.16	1207^th	1275	5.3%
2024	11.55	1185^th	1251	5.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.30	602^nd	674	10.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.42	1174^th	1223	4.0%
2019	13.96	1189^th	1296	8.3%
2021	15.00	966^th	1048	7.8%
2022	14.41	1193^rd	1286	7.2%
2023	11.51	1254^th	1292	2.9%
2024	11.29	1226^th	1264	3.0%

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

Rank History for African American students at Creative Communications Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	29.61	386^th	511	24.5%
2019	31.36	413^th	565	26.9%
2021	27.90	317^th	385	17.7%
2022	37.88	322^nd	573	43.8%
2023	25.49	483^rd	569	15.1%
2024	23.07	476^th	548	13.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle 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 Creative Communications Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Two or More Races	Total
2013	3	225	0	7	1	2	238
2014	3	245	0	7	0	0	255
2015	1	215	0	5	0	0	221
2016	0	205	0	7	0	0	212
2017	0	199	0	8	0	0	207
2018	1	193	0	5	0	0	199
2019	2	180	0	2	0	1	185
2020	1	194	0	4	0	1	200
2021	0	192	0	4	0	1	197
2022	0	170	1	4	0	1	176
2023	0	165	1	10	0	1	177
2024	0	176	0	8	1	1	186

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 Creative Communications Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	238	15.4	15.3	98.7
2014	255	10.0	25.5	98.8
2015	221	13.0	17.0	98.2
2016	212	9.0	23.5	100
2017	207	10.3	20.0	98.6
2018	199	10.3	19.2	100
2019	185	13.0	14.2	99.5
2020	200	10.6	18.7	100
2021	197	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	176	11.0	16.0	98.3
2023	177	8.6	20.4	98.9
2024	186	5.6	32.7	100

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 Creative Communications Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	238	15.4	15.3	98.7
2014	255	10.0	25.5	98.8
2015	221	13.0	17.0	98.2
2016	212	9.0	23.5	100
2017	207	10.3	20.0	98.6
2018	199	10.3	19.2	100
2019	185	13.0	14.2	99.5
2020	200	10.6	18.7	100
2021	197	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	176	11.0	16.0	98.3
2023	177	8.6	20.4	98.9
2024	186	5.6	32.7	100

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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