Facebook Twitter

How much COVID relief money will your Chicago school get? Here’s what we know.

Senn High School seniors attend a history class on the first week back to classrooms for students on April 23, 2021.

Seniors at Senn High School attend a history class at the start of the school year. Over the summer, Chicago Public Schools gave $47 million to campuses to address the pandemic’s academic and mental health fallout. That’s a fraction of the total amount the district has received in federal relief money.

Max Herman for Chalkbeat

Joanna Su has seen some of the federal COVID relief dollars Chicago Public Schools budgeted this school year trickle down to her sixth grader’s elementary school in the Rogers Park neighborhood. 

With the money, Gale Community Academy, where students are overwhelmingly low-income, hosted family events this fall that helped it to start rebuilding a sense of community after a largely virtual school year. It paid for a substitute teacher to free up educators for “invaluable” time to plan and troubleshoot together. But Su, who serves on the Local School Council, has also wondered: How did the district arrive at the modest $38,000 it passed on directly to the school? What other help is the campus getting?

Over the summer, the district gave $47 million to its roughly 500 campuses, allowing them to spend the money as they saw fit to address the pandemic’s academic and mental health fallout. Those flexible “unfinished learning” dollars are a tiny fraction of the more than $1 billion in COVID relief funds the district budgeted this school year — part of an unprecedented influx in federal resources meant to help schools respond and recover from the outbreak. But almost halfway through the school year, these dollars are the only portion of that funding for which the district can provide a campus-by-campus breakdown.

District leaders stress that the bulk of the money is helping schools directly — by paying for COVID safety measures, keeping teaching positions at shrinking schools from the chopping block and powering a slew of academic and mental health interventions. 

“I really want to emphasize that all of these dollars are either living in schools or supporting students with needs coming out of the pandemic,” said Michael Sitkowski, assistant budget director, at a virtual budget forum earlier this month.

The district’s central office is overseeing that spending, making it harder to account in real time for how much each campus is receiving. And the spending is ongoing, officials said — with the district stepping in to address needs and cover expenses as they arise — with more school-level data coming at the end of the year. 

But the lack of a real-time window into how federal dollars are helping individual campuses has fueled questions from some principals and parents. The district’s teachers union has increasingly argued that some high-need campuses are not getting enough help. At a November press conference to highlight staffing challenges and turnover at a North Lawndale elementary school, union President Jesse Sharkey argued the federal money is “not showing up” at some schools. 

School districts and states across the country are facing increasing calls for more transparency on how they are spending the federal pandemic recovery dollars in real time — even as some education leaders counter that up-to-the-minute data reporting requirements are unrealistic and would hamper district efforts to navigate the ongoing crisis. In Chicago, schools chief Pedro Martinez, who stepped in this past fall after crafting an aggressive COVID relief spending plan as San Antonio’s superintendent, has pledged transparency and metrics to track results.

Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, says some districts are controlling 100% of those federal dollars centrally, and many have offered poor visibility into actual spending so far.

“It’s a smart move to give some of the money directly to schools,” she said about Chicago’s flexible funds. “But this is a very, very modest amount.” 

Tackling the pandemic’s fallout

Since the spring of 2020, the federal government has given school districts three infusions of pandemic relief dollars, the bulk of which are known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, or ESSER. That culminated last spring with the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, which includes a historic influx of federal dollars for schools. 

Use this data to do more digging

Use this data to do more digging


Use our table below to see how much flexible stimulus money went directly to your school. Only about 10% of school plans were made public during the reporting process. Want to know more about your campus plan? Here are some good questions to ask your administration:
  • How are you rolling out recovery plans at our school?
  • What impact have you seen from such programs on students so far?
  • What else is needed?




Adding up the three packages, Chicago received almost $2.8 billion. The $1.06 billion in this school year’s budget comes from the second and third packages — factoring in earlier spending, that leaves more than $1.1 billion to be spent in the next two years.    

Last spring, the district announced its two-year Moving Forward Together initiative to tackle academic and social-emotional damage from the pandemic. The flexible “unfinished learning” dollars are part of the $267 million budgeted for the plan this school year.  

To allocate them, the district used a new Unfinished Learning School Investment Index — a complex formula that uses student demographics, campus metrics such as teacher retention, and the local impact of COVID and gun violence. 

Earlier this fall, Chalkbeat submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the total amounts of federal pandemic relief dollars each school in the district was slated to receive this school year. The “unfinished learning” allocations were the only numbers the district was able to provide. 

Flexible funding for unfinished learning plans
School Name Funding Per student School plan
Simpson Academy for Young Women $55,000 $2,391.30 -
Peace and Education Coalition High School $55,000 $833.33 Unfinished Learning Plan
Frederick A Douglass Academy High School $35,000 $795.45 -
Emil G Hirsch Metropolitan High School $55,000 $705.13 -
Bronzeville Scholastic Academy High School $35,000 $573.77 -
Wilma G Rudolph Learning Center $55,000 $567.01 -
Daniel Hale Williams Prep School of Medicine $35,000 $555.56 -
Manley Career Community Academy High School $35,000 $546.88 -
Velma Thomas Early Childhood Center $55,000 $470.09 Unfinished Learning Plan
Disney II Magnet School $188,125 $446.85 -
Uplift Community High School $35,000 $406.98 -
Austin College and Career Academy High School $64,625 $406.45 -
Spry Community Links High School $35,000 $397.73 -
Crown Community Academy Fine Arts Center $55,000 $390.07 -
Richard J Oglesby School $104,775 $385.20 -
Thomas Chalmers Specialty School $77,825 $363.67 -
Catalyst - Maria Charter School $193,856 $358.99 -
Charles Evans Hughes School $67,650 $341.67 -
Nancy B Jefferson Alternative School $55,000 $341.61 -
James Weldon Johnson Elementary School of Excellence $90,200 $340.38 -
Edward Everett Elementary School $35,000 $336.54 -
Frazier International Magnet Elementary School $55,000 $335.37 -
Consuella B. York Alternative HS $55,000 $333.33 -
Jackie R Robinson School $35,000 $330.19 -
Benjamin E Mays Academy $84,700 $329.57 -
Laura S Ward School $92,400 $323.08 -
Park Manor Elementary School $77,825 $320.27 -
Theodore Herzl School $129,525 $309.87 -
Edward H White School $35,000 $309.73 -
A Philip Randolph Magnet School $109,450 $309.18 -
Morton School of Excellence $55,825 $308.43 -
Mary E Mcdowell Elementary School $35,000 $307.02 Unfinished Learning Plan
George M Pullman School $102,850 $307.01 -
Lavizzo Elementary School $101,750 $306.48 -
Perkins Bass School $116,050 $306.20 -
Jacqueline B Vaughn Occupational High School $64,350 $304.98 -
Isabell C O'Keeffe School $153,450 $302.66 -
Arthur A Libby School $86,075 $302.02 -
Pablo Casals School $105,600 $299.15 -
Alex Haley School $136,950 $298.37 -
Gage Park High School $88,825 $295.10 -
Clara W Barton School $91,025 $294.58 -
George W Curtis Elementary School $116,050 $293.80 -
Thomas A Hendricks Community Academy $56,925 $291.92 -
Richard J Daley Academy $148,775 $291.72 -
John F Eberhart School $326,150 $290.43 -
John Hay Community Academy School $77,825 $290.39 -
Charles S Deneen School $125,400 $290.28 -
Ambrose Plamondon School $35,000 $286.89 -
Parkside Community Academy School $68,750 $285.27 -
Carrie Jacobs Bond School $65,450 $283.33 -
Edmund Burke Elementary School $76,175 $283.18 -
Dvorak Technology Academy $92,400 $282.57 -
Herbert Spencer Math & Science Academy $120,175 $277.54 -
Dewey Elementary Academy of Fine Arts $82,225 $276.85 -
George Leland Elementary School $100,650 $275.75 -
Lillian R. Nicholson STEM Academy $122,925 $274.39 -
West Park Academy $133,925 $273.88 Unfinished Learning Plan
Oliver Wendell Holmes School $35,000 $273.44 -
Ray Graham Training Center $55,000 $268.29 -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy of Social Justice $65,450 $267.14 -
Julia Ward Howe School $103,675 $266.52 -
Courtenay Language Arts Center $54,600 $262.50 -
Daniel S Wentworth School $106,700 $262.16 -
Barbara Vick Early Childhood & Family Center $71,775 $261.95 -
William T. Sherman Elementary School of Excellence $67,925 $259.26 -
John Harvard Elementary School of Excellence $97,350 $258.22 -
Northside Learning Center $65,725 $257.75 -
William B Ogden School $229,725 $256.96 -
Blair Early Childhood Center $55,275 $253.56 -
Collins Academy High School $63,525 $253.09 -
Eugene Field School $35,000 $250.00 -
ASPIRA Charter-Haugan Middle School Campus $29,960 $247.60 -
Harold Washington School $54,425 $245.16 -
Southside Occupational Academy $89,925 $242.39 Unfinished Learning Plan
Frederick Stock School $57,475 $238.49 -
Orozco Academy $64,750 $235.45 -
Sir Miles Davis Magnet Academy $35,000 $230.26 -
Englewood STEM HS $190,400 $229.67 -
Pilsen Community Academy $51,100 $223.14 -
Chicago Military Academy High School $54,250 $222.34 -
Evergreen Academy School $50,050 $219.52 -
Chicago Collegiate $60,095 $217.74 -
Al Raby High School $43,050 $217.42 -
William K New Sullivan Elementary School $87,850 $216.91 -
Devry University Advantage Academy $35,000 $216.05 -
William W Carter School $59,500 $215.58 -
Charles G Hammond School $54,250 $215.28 -
Albert R Sabin Magnet School $79,800 $213.37 -
William H Prescott School $88,375 $212.95 -
Agustin Lara Academy $68,600 $211.73 Unfinished Learning Plan
Ashburn Community Area School $72,275 $211.33 -
Francisco I Madero Middle School $56,000 $211.32 -
Leslie Lewis School $84,525 $210.79 -
Wells Preparatory School $65,975 $210.78 -
Joseph E Gary School $169,925 $210.30 -
Josiah L Pickard School $66,675 $209.67 Unfinished Learning Plan
Johnnie Colemon School $37,450 $209.22 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Ralph Ellison Campus $35,423 $208.37 -
Charles S Brownell School $35,000 $208.33 -
Irma C Ruiz School $93,100 $208.28 -
Alain Locke Charter School $78,071 $208.19 -
Charles Sumner Mathematics & Science Community Academy $45,325 $207.91 -
Asian Human Services - Passages Charter School $65,206 $207.66 -
Northwest Middle School $97,125 $207.53 -
Mariano Azuela Elementary School $148,575 $207.51 -
Martha M Ruggles Elementary School $68,425 $207.35 -
Little Black Pearl $21,148 $207.33 -
Beulah Shoesmith School $64,225 $207.18 -
Jensen Scholastic Academy School $62,125 $207.08 -
Dr Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy $162,750 $206.54 -
John Spry Community School $67,025 $206.23 -
John A Walsh Elementary School $52,675 $205.76 -
Ella Flagg Young School $105,175 $205.42 -
Christian Fenger Academy $50,050 $205.12 -
William E B Dubois School $40,600 $205.05 -
Mahalia Jackson School $60,200 $204.07 -
Nathanael Greene School $63,175 $203.79 -
Arthur Dixon School $102,025 $203.64 -
William H Seward Communication Arts Academy $98,525 $203.56 -
Carver Military High School $82,600 $203.45 -
R Nathaniel Dett School $58,450 $202.95 -
Wells Community Academy High School $63,700 $202.87 -
Genevieve Melody School $62,825 $202.66 -
Robert A Black Magnet School $78,225 $202.66 -
Sharon Christa Mcauliffe Elementary School $115,675 $202.58 -
Urban Prep Academy for Young Men Charter School-Englewood Campus $38,066 $202.48 -
Charles R Henderson School $37,975 $201.99 -
Acero Charter Schools - Octavio Paz Campus $41,591 $201.90 -
Bowen High School $38,150 $201.85 -
Frank W Reilly School $122,500 $201.48 -
Robert L Grimes School $79,100 $201.27 -
Air Force Academy High School $35,000 $201.15 -
Woodlawn Community School $35,000 $201.15 -
Anna R. Langford Community Academy $35,000 $201.15 -
Jane Addams School $115,675 $200.82 -
Peter Cooper Dual Language Academy $91,700 $200.66 -
Andrew Carnegie School $99,225 $200.45 -
John M Smyth Elementary School $77,525 $199.81 -
World Language Academy High School $63,700 $199.69 -
Wendell Smith School $55,300 $199.64 -
Edwin G. Foreman College and Career Academy $113,575 $199.60 -
George Manierre School $53,025 $199.34 -
Helen M Hefferan School $44,625 $199.22 -
Leif Ericson Scholastic Academy $80,675 $199.20 -
Washington Irving School $59,150 $199.16 -
Charles W Earle School $53,550 $199.07 -
Robert J. Richardson Middle School $194,425 $199.00 -
Countee Cullen School $35,175 $198.73 -
William P Nixon School $116,725 $198.51 -
Orr Academy $42,875 $198.50 -
Emiliano Zapata Academy $109,725 $198.06 Unfinished Learning Plan
Medgar Evers School $42,175 $198.00 -
George B Swift Specialty School $108,675 $197.95 -
Lazaro Cardenas School $171,325 $197.83 -
Mary Lyon School $218,575 $197.81 -
Acero Charter Schools - Carlos Fuentes $82,477 $197.79 -
John T Pirie Fine Arts & Academic Center School $43,575 $197.17 -
Irene C. Hernandez Middle School for the Advancement of the Sciences $175,350 $197.02 -
Gerald Delgado Kanoon Magnet School $86,450 $196.92 -
Amelia Earhart Options For Knowledge Specialty School $40,950 $196.88 -
Michael Faraday Elementary School $36,225 $196.88 -
John Barry Elementary School $91,525 $196.83 -
Rowe Elementary School $173,589 $196.81 -
Paul Cuffe Elementary School $44,275 $196.78 -
Marvin Camras Elementary School $156,800 $196.74 -
James Shields Elementary School $95,375 $196.65 -
John Greenleaf Whittier School $35,000 $196.63 -
George Rogers Clark Elementary School $35,000 $196.63 -
Edward Tilden Career Commmunity Academy $35,525 $196.27 -
John W Cook Elementary School $58,450 $196.14 -
Chicago Vocational Career Academy $129,675 $195.88 -
Richard Henry Lee School $130,200 $195.79 Unfinished Learning Plan
Little Village Elementary School $122,675 $195.34 Unfinished Learning Plan
Christopher Columbus School $43,750 $195.31 -
CICS - Loomis Primary $77,718 $195.27 -
Roswell B Mason Elementary School $52,325 $195.24 -
Hanson Park School $229,075 $194.96 -
Brighton Park Elementary School $64,575 $194.50 -
John C Haines School $110,250 $194.44 -
Cyrus H Mccormick School $92,925 $194.40 -
Carroll-Rosenwald Specialty Elementary School $74,725 $194.09 -
Rudyard Kipling School $48,300 $193.98 Unfinished Learning Plan
Daniel Webster School $43,050 $193.92 -
Chicago International Charter School - Lloyd Bond Campus $54,103 $193.92 -
John Whistler Elementary School $54,950 $193.49 -
John Gregory School $54,950 $193.49 -
John C Burroughs School $73,500 $193.42 -
George B McClellan Elementary School $58,800 $193.42 -
William F Finkl School $42,875 $193.13 -
Greater Lawndale High School for Social Justice $58,625 $192.85 -
Edward N Hurley School $141,050 $192.69 -
James Wadsworth School $89,600 $192.69 -
Frank W Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy School $130,200 $192.60 -
National Teachers' Academy (NTA) $140,000 $192.57 -
Nathan S Davis School $101,675 $192.57 -
James Ward Elementary School $102,550 $192.40 Unfinished Learning Plan
Logandale Middle School $100,625 $192.40 -
Eli Whitney School $130,025 $192.34 -
Noble Street Charter High School - UIC Campus $176,937 $192.32 -
Marquette Elementary $188,650 $192.30 -
John Marshall Metropolitan High School $40,950 $192.25 -
Richard T. Crane (RTC) Medical Preparatory High School $78,050 $192.24 -
James Shields Middle School $99,925 $192.16 -
Sidney Sawyer School $211,925 $192.14 -
Ronald H Brown Community Academy $55,125 $192.07 -
Ariel Community Academy $77,350 $191.94 -
Amos A Stagg School $71,400 $191.94 -
Columbia Explorers Academy $151,025 $191.90 -
Richard Yates Elementary School $57,925 $191.80 -
Chicago International Charter School - Irving Park $97,985 $191.38 -
Willa Cather School $64,050 $191.19 -
Federico Garcia Lorca Elementary School $126,875 $191.08 Unfinished Learning Plan
Jacob Beidler School $58,450 $191.01 -
Donald L Morrill Mathematics & Science Specialty School $91,875 $191.01 -
Daniel Carter Beard School $55,000 $190.97 -
James Otis School $58,975 $190.86 -
Frederic Chopin School $54,950 $190.80 -
Sandoval Elementary School $148,575 $190.73 Unfinished Learning Plan
Charles Allen Prosser Career Academy $212,450 $190.71 -
LEARN Charter ES - Charles and Dorothy Campbell $73,136 $190.46 -
John L Marsh School $129,500 $190.44 Unfinished Learning Plan
Wendell Phillips Academy $107,450 $190.18 -
John J. Pershing East Magnet School $92,225 $190.15 -
Ruben Salazar Bilingual Education Center School $57,225 $190.12 Unfinished Learning Plan
Burnside Scholastic Academy $64,225 $190.01 -
Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language $126,350 $190.00 -
Walter Henri Dyett High School for the Arts $102,025 $189.99 -
Acero Charter Schools - Roberto Clemente $93,051 $189.90 -
Jesse Sherwood School $46,900 $189.88 Unfinished Learning Plan
Adlai E Stevenson School $206,150 $189.83 -
Frank I Bennett School $51,625 $189.80 -
George Washington School $121,800 $189.72 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Comer Campus $209,012 $189.67 -
LEARN - Romano Butler Campus $92,698 $189.57 -
Robert Fulton School $61,600 $189.54 -
Melville W Fuller School $59,325 $189.54 -
New Field School $103,075 $189.48 -
Hyde Park Career Academy $134,750 $189.26 -
Laughlin Falconer School $169,925 $189.23 -
Luther Burbank School $139,650 $188.97 -
Edward F Dunne School $37,975 $188.93 -
Beasley Academic Center Magnet $195,125 $188.53 -
Avalon Park School $42,350 $188.22 Unfinished Learning Plan
Cesar E Chavez Multicultural Academic Center $154,350 $188.00 -
John Fiske School $66,675 $187.82 -
Joyce Kilmer School $134,400 $187.71 -
Edward Coles Model For Excellence School $57,050 $187.66 -
Providence Englewood Charter School $81,067 $187.66 -
Acero Charter Schools - Brighton Park $99,571 $187.52 -
Henry D Lloyd School $155,050 $187.48 Unfinished Learning Plan
Frank L Gillespie School $75,075 $187.22 -
William H Brown Elementary School $35,000 $187.17 -
Walter S Christopher School $61,950 $187.16 -
David G Farragut Career Academy High School $94,500 $186.76 -
Acero Charter Schools - Esmeralda Santiago $43,882 $186.73 -
Alfred Nobel Elementary School $112,525 $186.61 Unfinished Learning Plan
Orville T Bright Elementary School $45,500 $186.48 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Wrightwood Campus $127,945 $186.24 -
James Madison School $35,000 $186.17 -
William Penn School $41,125 $186.09 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Longwood Campus $229,983 $186.07 -
James Hedges School $91,700 $186.00 -
Marine Leadership Academy at Ames $145,075 $185.99 -
Noble - John and Eunice Johnson College Prep $92,170 $185.83 -
Tarkington School of Excellence $167,475 $185.67 -
Phoenix Military Academy $101,150 $185.60 Unfinished Learning Plan
Talman School $64,750 $185.53 Unfinished Learning Plan
Manuel Perez Jr Elementary School $53,200 $185.37 -
Enrico Tonti School $154,350 $185.29 -
Wolfgang A Mozart School $88,900 $185.21 -
Caldwell Academy Of Mathematics Science & Technology $44,450 $185.21 -
Charles N Holden School $76,300 $185.19 Unfinished Learning Plan
Theophilus Schmid School $35,000 $185.19 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Washington Park Campus $87,587 $185.17 -
South Shore Fine Arts Academy $51,800 $185.00 -
Perspectives - Math and Science Academy $74,546 $184.98 -
Jane A Neil School $48,825 $184.94 -
Helge A Haugan School $156,275 $184.94 Unfinished Learning Plan
Edward (Duke) K Ellington School $75,600 $184.84 -
George W Tilton School $46,725 $184.68 -
Noble - Mansueto High School $198,085 $184.61 -
Turner-Drew Language Academy $37,100 $184.58 -
Myra Bradwell Communication Arts & Sciences Academy $82,600 $184.38 -
Florence Nightingale School $194,250 $184.30 -
Acero Charter Schools - Jovita Idar $97,104 $184.26 -
George Westinghouse Career Academy $219,625 $184.25 -
William H Ryder Math/Science Specialty School $67,025 $184.13 -
Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy $165,900 $184.13 -
Carter G Woodson South School $53,025 $184.11 -
John T Mccutcheon School $56,875 $184.06 -
Matthew Gallistel Language Academy $109,900 $183.78 -
Namaste Charter School $81,596 $183.77 -
Ronald E McNair Elementary School $62,650 $183.72 -
Frederick Funston School $74,025 $183.68 -
EPIC Academy $91,641 $183.65 -
Alexander Graham School $63,525 $183.60 -
Jonathan Y Scammon School $119,875 $183.58 -
Acero Charter Schools - Rufino Tamayo $49,169 $183.47 -
Josefa Ortiz De Dominguez Elementary School $72,625 $183.40 Unfinished Learning Plan
Claremont Academy $76,825 $183.35 -
Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men High School - Bronzeville Camp $59,390 $183.30 -
Perspectives - High School of Technology $59,390 $183.30 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Rowe Clark Campus $70,140 $183.13 -
Fort Dearborn Elementary School $63,525 $183.07 -
Neal F Simeon Career Academy High School $248,500 $182.99 -
Henry H Nash School $40,425 $182.92 -
Acero Charter Schools - Officer Donald J. Marquez $97,456 $182.84 -
Alessandro Volta School $128,100 $182.74 -
Daniel R Cameron Elementary School $116,025 $182.72 -
Acero Charter Schools - Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz $99,571 $182.70 -
Thomas Hoyne School $38,500 $182.46 -
Rachel Carson Elementary School $159,950 $182.38 -
Alice L Barnard Computer Math & Science Center $47,775 $182.35 -
University of Chicago Charter School - North Kenwood/Oakland (NKO) Camp $57,980 $182.33 -
James Russell Lowell Elementary School $56,700 $182.32 -
James E Mcdade Classical School $35,000 $182.29 -
Oscar Depriest School $84,525 $182.17 -
Brian Piccolo Elementary School $99,400 $182.05 -
Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy $105,563 $182.01 -
Richard Edwards School $236,425 $181.87 -
Christopher House Charter School $88,292 $181.67 -
Franz Peter Schubert School $100,625 $181.63 -
Charles H Wacker School $40,250 $181.31 Unfinished Learning Plan
Thomas J Higgins Community Academy $45,500 $181.27 -
Acero Charter Schools - SPC Daniel Zizumbo $103,625 $181.16 -
James Monroe School $126,875 $180.99 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Prairie Campus $75,780 $180.86 -
KIPP Ascend Charter School $164,072 $180.70 -
Noble - Noble College Prep $121,953 $180.67 -
Paul Revere Accelerated School $39,550 $180.59 -
Bouchet Academy $107,800 $180.57 -
Douglas Taylor Elementary School $63,000 $180.52 -
Horizon Science Academy - Southwest Chicago Charter $129,531 $180.41 -
Learn Charter School - South Chicago Campus $77,190 $180.35 -
Acero Charter Schools - Sandra Cisneros $86,530 $180.27 -
Fairfield Academy $93,100 $180.08 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Muchin College Prep Campus $173,060 $179.71 -
William Bishop Owen Scholastic Academy School $47,950 $179.59 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Chicago Bulls College Prep Campus $210,421 $179.54 -
Henry O Tanner School $55,475 $179.53 -
Thomas Kelly High School $311,500 $179.44 -
Catalyst Elementary School - Circle Rock $90,407 $179.38 -
Arthur R Ashe Jr Elementary School $57,400 $179.38 -
Francis M Mckay School $116,725 $179.30 -
University of Chicago Charter School - Woodlawn Campus $114,199 $179.28 -
LEARN Charter School - Hunter Perkins $85,649 $179.18 -
Francis W Parker Community Academy $70,350 $179.01 -
Joseph Lovett School $54,775 $179.00 -
Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS) $558,833 $178.94 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Rauner College Prep Campus $116,666 $178.94 -
Noble - Butler College Prep $112,260 $178.76 -
Ted Lenart Regional Gifted Center $50,050 $178.75 Unfinished Learning Plan
Noble - Hansberry College Prep $87,940 $178.74 -
Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) Charter School $105,563 $178.62 -
John H Vanderpoel Magnet School $45,500 $178.43 -
Gwendolyn Brooks High School $176,225 $178.37 -
LEARN Charter School - 7th Campus $29,607 $178.36 -
Hope Institute Learning Academy $44,939 $178.33 -
Back of the Yards High School $188,300 $178.31 -
Acero Charter Schools - Bartolome de las Casas $45,468 $178.31 -
Benito Juarez High School $303,450 $178.29 -
Ferdinand W Peck School $143,150 $178.27 Unfinished Learning Plan
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Avalon/South Shore Campus $86,530 $178.05 -
Daniel J Corkery School $73,850 $177.95 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- West Belden Campus $96,575 $177.85 -
Camelot Excel - Southshore HS $40,710 $177.77 -
University of Chicago Charter School - Donoghue Campus $86,178 $177.69 -
Michelle Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School $92,925 $177.68 -
Jesse Owens Elementary Community Academy $60,550 $177.57 -
Acero Charter Schools - PFC Omar E. Torres $101,334 $177.47 -
Joseph Kellman Corporate Community School $37,800 $177.46 -
Harriet E Sayre Language Academy $76,475 $177.44 -
Burnham Elementary Inclusive Academy $77,000 $177.42 -
Harlan Community Academy High School $51,975 $177.39 -
Horace Mann School $51,975 $177.39 -
Scott Joplin School $67,200 $177.31 -
Emmit Louis Till Math and Science Academy $55,475 $177.24 -
Foster Park School $56,700 $177.19 -
Chicago Academy Elementary School $99,400 $177.18 -
Adam Clayton Powell Jr Paideia Community Academy $91,700 $177.03 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Pritzker College Prep Campus $172,884 $176.95 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Northtown Campus $160,195 $176.82 -
LEARN Charter School - Excel Campus $75,251 $176.65 -
Academy for Global Citizenship $82,653 $176.61 -
Polaris Charter Academy $71,198 $176.23 -
South Shore International College Prep High School $102,725 $176.20 -
Jonathan Burr Elementary School $86,100 $176.07 -
Bronzeville Classical Elementary School $57,575 $176.07 -
Roberto Clemente Community Academy High School $119,700 $176.03 -
Walter Q Gresham Elementary School $63,875 $175.96 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Basil Campus $105,034 $175.94 -
George Armstrong Elementary School $213,675 $175.86 -
John D Shoop Elementary School $76,825 $175.80 -
Jose De Diego Community Academy $81,550 $175.75 -
Joseph Jungman School $43,400 $175.71 Unfinished Learning Plan
Camelot - Chicago Excel Academy $53,927 $175.66 -
Suder Montessori Magnet School $76,475 $175.40 -
Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Bucktown Campus $122,658 $175.23 -
Hancock High School $178,325 $175.00 -
Erie Elementary Charter School $70,493 $174.92 -
Harriet Beecher Stowe School $102,200 $174.70 -
Philip Murray Language Academy $84,525 $174.64 -
Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) $108,207 $174.53 -
Edward E. Sadlowski Elementary School $108,675 $174.16 -
Noble Street Charter High School - Golder Campus $116,842 $174.13 -
Percy L Julian High School $68,250 $174.11 -
Legacy Charter School $79,833 $173.93 -
Plato Learning Academy $36,304 $173.70 -
Infinity Math Science and Technology High School $69,650 $173.69 -
Bret Harte Elementary School $57,400 $173.41 -
Ninos Heroes Academic Center $56,350 $173.38 -
Milton Brunson Specialty Elementary School $72,275 $173.32 -
LaSalle II Magnet Elementary School $100,450 $173.19 Unfinished Learning Plan
Charles R Darwin School $95,200 $173.09 -
John Foster Dulles Elementary School of Excellence $124,775 $173.06 -
Eric Solorio Academy High School $216,650 $173.04 -
Philip D Armour School $44,275 $172.95 -
Oliver S Westcott Elementary School $73,150 $172.93 -
Perspectives Charter School - Rodney D. Joslin Campus $64,501 $172.92 -
Mancel Talcott School $76,650 $172.64 -
Bernhard Moos School $74,725 $172.58 -
Acero Charter Schools - Major Hector P. Garcia MD $112,436 $172.45 -
William J Bogan High School $128,800 $171.96 -
Wendell E Green School $56,000 $171.78 -
North Lawndale College Prep - Christiana $57,980 $171.54 -
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy $163,800 $171.34 -
Charles Gates Dawes School $171,325 $171.33 -
Marie Sklodowska Curie Metropolitan High School $523,775 $171.17 -
Noble Street Charter School -ITW David Speer Academy $199,671 $171.10 -
Louis Pasteur School $99,050 $171.07 -
George Washington High School $263,375 $170.91 -
ASPIRA Business and Finance $96,047 $170.90 -
Jordan Community School $79,100 $170.84 -
Charles Kozminski Community Academy School $42,700 $170.80 -
Joshua D Kershaw Elementary School $42,175 $170.75 -
Stephen F Gale Community Academy $37,975 $170.29 -
KIPP Academy Chicago Campus $99,395 $170.20 -
Noble - Baker College Prep $43,177 $169.99 -
John H Hamline Elementary School $94,500 $169.66 -
Intrinsic School $176,232 $169.62 -
Multicultural Academy of Scholarship $39,375 $168.99 -
Camelot Excel - Englewood HS $48,464 $168.86 -
Ellen H Richards Career Academy $40,775 $168.49 -
James N Thorp Elementary School $48,825 $168.36 Unfinished Learning Plan
Lionel Hampton Fine and Performing Arts School $81,550 $168.14 -
Mount Vernon Elementary School $40,950 $167.83 -
Lawndale Community Academy School $36,225 $167.71 -
John B Drake School $47,075 $167.53 -
Irvin C Mollison School $49,875 $167.37 -
KIPP One Academy $171,474 $167.29 -
North Grand High School $181,825 $167.27 -
Luke O'Toole School $54,775 $167.00 -
ASPIRA Charter - Early College Campus $52,517 $166.72 -
Great Lakes Academy Charter School $82,653 $166.64 -
The Montessori School of Englewood Charter $54,984 $166.62 -
Henry Clay Elementary School $95,550 $166.17 -
Ralph H Metcalfe Community Academy Elementary School $55,475 $166.09 -
Acero Charter Schools - Victoria Soto $91,641 $166.02 -
Morgan Park High School $188,825 $165.93 -
Noble - DRW College Prep $52,693 $165.70 -
North Lawndale College Prep - Collins $78,952 $165.52 -
Gurdon S Hubbard High School $301,175 $165.39 -
Langston Hughes Elementary School $76,125 $165.13 -
Telpochcalli School $40,950 $165.12 -
Belmont-Cragin School $74,375 $163.82 -
Marcus Moziah Garvey School $42,000 $163.42 -
Noble Street Charter School - The Noble Academy $93,932 $163.36 -
Fernwood School $48,825 $163.29 -
Perspectives - Leadership Academy $94,637 $162.33 -
Arnold Mireles Academy $73,500 $162.25 -
Legal Prep Charter Academy $42,472 $161.49 -
Ira F Aldridge Elementary School $35,000 $161.29 -
Joseph Brennemann School $69,825 $161.26 -
Moving Everest Charter School $112,612 $160.64 -
James R Doolittle Jr Elementary School $39,025 $160.60 -
William Claude Reavis School $44,450 $158.19 -
Joseph Warren Elementary School $36,925 $156.46 -
LEARN - Middle School Campus $56,218 $156.16 -
George Henry Corliss High School $49,700 $155.80 -
Chicago Technology Academy High School $66,968 $155.74 -
Harriet Tubman Elementary School $61,125 $155.53 -
Esmond Elementary School $42,000 $153.28 -
George Washington Carver Elementary School $65,100 $152.82 -
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School $125,250 $152.19 -
William H Ray School $85,500 $151.87 -
Edison Park Elementary School $70,250 $151.08 -
KIPP-Bloom $120,190 $150.05 -
Camelot Excel - Southwest HS $22,910 $149.74 -
Horace Greeley School $55,500 $149.19 -
James G Blaine School $99,625 $148.25 -
Rufus M Hitch School $72,125 $147.19 -
Dunbar Career Academy High School $72,275 $146.60 -
John C Coonley School $128,500 $146.52 -
Christian Ebinger School $108,875 $145.55 -
Norwood Park Elementary School $55,125 $144.31 -
John B Murphy School $69,250 $143.97 -
Henry R Clissold School $56,000 $143.96 -
Wildwood School $63,750 $143.91 -
STEM Magnet Academy $55,625 $143.73 Unfinished Learning Plan
Rodolfo Lozano Bilingual & International Ctr School $25,000 $143.68 -
Oriole Park School $89,000 $143.32 -
A N Pritzker School $93,750 $143.13 -
Minnie Mars Jamieson School $111,375 $142.61 -
John W Garvy School $100,625 $142.53 -
Elizabeth H Sutherland School $86,000 $141.91 -
Andrew Jackson Language Academy $63,125 $141.85 -
Kelvyn Park High School $69,125 $141.36 -
Virgil Grissom School $39,250 $141.19 -
Ludwig Von Beethoven School $41,475 $141.07 -
Roger C Sullivan High School $80,625 $140.46 -
Ernst Prussing School $90,125 $140.38 -
Phoebe Apperson Hearst School $43,125 $140.02 -
Audubon Elementary School $68,500 $139.80 -
Edgebrook School $63,250 $139.62 -
William C Goudy School $77,625 $139.61 -
West Ridge Elementary School $93,000 $139.43 Unfinished Learning Plan
Stone Scholastic Academy $76,375 $139.37 -
Thomas Drummond Elementary School $43,375 $139.02 -
Alexander Graham Bell School $125,625 $138.97 -
Walter L Newberry Mathematics & Science Academy $53,500 $138.60 -
James B Farnsworth School $72,125 $138.44 -
Mark Skinner School $155,875 $138.43 Unfinished Learning Plan
Instituto - Justice Lozano $17,271 $138.17 -
Hiram H Belding School $73,500 $137.90 -
Augustus H Burley Elementary School $71,125 $137.04 -
Carl Schurz High School $189,750 $137.00 -
Annie Keller Regional Gifted Magnet School $29,000 $136.79 -
Louisa May Alcott School $82,250 $136.63 -
Lasalle Language Academy School $64,000 $136.46 -
Eliza Chappell Elementary School $71,875 $136.39 -
Mount Greenwood Elementary School $156,375 $136.22 Unfinished Learning Plan
Skinner North $67,125 $136.16 -
Oscar F Mayer Elementary School $87,625 $135.85 -
North River Elementary School $35,125 $135.62 -
Mark Twain School $129,375 $135.61 -
Dewitt Clinton School $138,750 $135.50 -
Daniel Boone School $99,750 $135.35 -
Portage Park Elementary School $106,500 $135.32 -
Casimir Pulaski International Academy Elementary School $112,000 $134.62 -
Nathan Hale School $107,750 $134.52 -
Carl Von Linne Elementary School $82,500 $134.15 Unfinished Learning Plan
Washington D Smyser School $103,375 $134.08 Unfinished Learning Plan
Jean Baptiste Beaubien School $129,250 $134.08 -
Ellen Mitchell School $49,875 $134.07 -
Robert Healy School $169,875 $133.87 -
Norman Bridge School $139,875 $133.85 -
Louis Nettelhorst School $90,250 $133.70 -
George F Cassell School $48,250 $133.66 -
South Loop School $106,625 $133.45 Unfinished Learning Plan
Alexander Hamilton School $59,875 $133.35 -
Ole A Thorp Scholastic Academy $106,125 $132.82 -
Lincoln Park High School $274,375 $132.80 -
Inter-American Magnet School $90,125 $132.34 -
Ravenswood School $68,250 $132.27 -
William P Gray School $131,875 $131.88 -
Sauganash Elementary School $83,125 $131.53 -
Newton Bateman Elementary School $115,375 $131.26 -
Walt Disney Magnet School $192,250 $131.05 -
William G Hibbard School $109,375 $130.83 -
Stephen Decatur Classical School $40,375 $129.82 -
Mark Sheridan Math & Science Academy $68,750 $129.72 Unfinished Learning Plan
Josephine C Locke School $152,500 $129.68 -
Dr Martin Luther King Jr College Prep HS $81,025 $129.43 -
Durkin Park School $87,875 $129.42 -
Mary G Peterson School $111,875 $129.34 -
Northside College Prep $134,750 $129.32 -
Charles P Steinmetz College Prep School $148,250 $129.14 -
Arthur E Canty School $99,875 $129.04 -
Everett Mckinley Dirksen School $114,750 $128.93 -
Whitney M Young Magnet High School $276,000 $128.79 Unfinished Learning Plan
William E Dever School $96,500 $128.50 -
John C Dore School $92,375 $128.48 -
Franklin Fine Arts Center $46,250 $128.47 -
Philip Rogers School $93,000 $128.45 Unfinished Learning Plan
Thomas J Waters School $80,875 $128.37 -
Albert G Lane Technical High School $562,750 $128.31 -
Galileo Scholastic Academy Of Math & Science $69,875 $127.98 -
Nicholas Senn High School $194,875 $127.87 -
William J Onahan School $84,625 $127.83 -
Walter Payton College Preperatory HS $152,500 $127.83 -
Frederick W Von Steuben Metropolitan High School $213,750 $127.54 -
Edgar Allan Poe Classical School $25,875 $127.46 -
John H Kinzie Elementary School $85,125 $127.43 Unfinished Learning Plan
Friedrich L. Jahn Elementary of the Fine Arts $39,625 $127.41 -
Patrick Henry School $64,375 $127.22 -
Hannah G Solomon School $44,500 $127.14 -
Chicago Academy High School $71,375 $127.00 -
Thomas A Edison Regional Gifted Center $32,500 $126.95 -
J W Von Goethe School $92,500 $126.71 -
Michael M Byrne School $77,625 $126.63 -
Albany Park Multicultural Academy Elementary School $30,625 $126.55 -
Theodore Roosevelt High School $127,625 $126.36 -
Grover Cleveland School $65,500 $125.96 -
Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School $174,625 $125.81 -
William Jones College Prep High School $246,250 $125.64 Unfinished Learning Plan
Chicago High School For Agricultural Sciences $102,250 $125.61 -
John M Palmer School $91,500 $125.34 Unfinished Learning Plan
Hyman G. Rickover Naval Academy $55,875 $125.28 Unfinished Learning Plan
John F Kennedy High School $189,375 $125.25 -
Helen C Peirce School Of International Studies $132,875 $125.24 Unfinished Learning Plan
Lyman A Budlong School $81,375 $124.81 -
Kate S Kellogg School $34,500 $124.10 -
Peter A Reinberg School $91,500 $123.82 -
Stephen K Hayt School $109,500 $123.59 -
Hawthorne Scholastic Academy $71,125 $123.48 -
Salmon P Chase School $48,500 $123.10 -
Roald Amundsen High School $182,375 $122.40 -
William Howard Taft High School $495,000 $120.44 -
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz ES $37,875 $119.48 -
James B Mcpherson Elementary School $77,500 $119.23 -
Art in Motion Charter School $46,173 $119.00 -
Kenwood Academy $265,625 $117.95 -
Lake View High School $169,125 $117.20 -
Stephen T Mather High School $202,125 $117.17 -
Alcott College Preparatory High School $41,625 $116.60 -
Brentano Math & Science Academy $75,000 $112.11 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

That’s not all the ESSER help schools are receiving. But the bulk of the Moving Forward Together funding lives in the district’s central office budget, which schools can tap separately for academic and mental health interventions selected out of a district menu. 

The district did provide lists of those interventions that each school opted to receive. But it could not say how much these supports cost to implement at each school, and some principals said the district is still rolling out some of them. Based on the district’s data, the most popular programs were a digital platform for tracking personalized academic support, a new suite of standardized tests called Star 360 and a structured reading training program.

According to the flexible funding data the district provided, schools received about $92,000 in such funds on average, or about $196 per pupil. Schools in the Fuller Park, North Lawndale, Rush & Division, Grand Crossing and Englewood neighborhoods received the highest per pupil amounts; campuses in Sheffield & DePaul, Montclair and Boystown got the most modest allocations.

Two principals who spoke with Chalkbeat on the condition of anonymity said they had to come up with spending plans for these flexible dollars on a tight timeline over the summer, with no expectation that they solicit input from the local councils that weigh in on budgets at most district-run schools and using a template that was hard to navigate.

“A ton of principals were really frustrated by that process,” one principal at a high school that serves a high-need student population said. “You didn’t get a chance to build community around this spending.” 

Both principals said they used the bulk of the dollars for long-standing student programs already in their school budgets, freeing up money for other projects or to plug budget holes. 

“We just shifted things around,” an elementary school principal said. “The ESSER money is not to plug budget holes. It’s to do additional recovery work. ”

But at Manierre Elementary, Principal Tinishi Davis said the federal funding has powered just this kind of additional support to help students bounce back from the pandemic. The school, which serves predominantly Black and low-income students in Old Town, got $53,000 in flexible dollars. After consulting educators and the Local School Council, Davis decided to hire a teaching assistant, mainly to help pull out struggling young readers for extra phonics instruction.

But Davis, who also oversees the Ferguson Child Parent Center, stresses these flexible dollars are just a portion of the help schools like hers are getting. With ESSER funds, the district beefed up the school’s “equity grant” — allocations that Chicago Public Schools has used in recent years to prop up the budgets of campuses with declining enrollment. With the extra grant money, the school was able to hire a world language teacher for the first time. 

Then, there are the centrally funded Moving Forward Together interventions. In November, the first tutor arrived through a new Tutor Corp the district is launching this year, and by mid-December, three tutors were helping teachers catch up students on early reading skills. The campus got a new social-emotional curriculum as well as professional development and a consultant to help with implementing the district’s new Skyline curriculum. 

“We are grateful for the resources we were given to address academic and social-emotional needs this year,” Davis said. “I truly feel we as a district are moving forward together.” 

In response to a Chalkbeat records request for all school “unfinished learning” plans, the district provided documents for about 50 of its 500 campuses. That sample suggests many schools stressed interventions to catch up students on math and reading skills — by hiring a teaching assistant, providing professional development for educators, freeing up more time for planning or rolling out new assessments to guide that instruction. Another catch-all category was social and emotional learning, with schools chipping in for new curriculums and, in one case, a new quiet space and an after-school yoga class for employees.

This fall, school board members have pressed officials to spell out how they will gauge whether the ESSER investments are paying off for students — metrics district leaders have promised but haven’t yet delivered. One school, Ortiz de Dominguez in Little Village, set some measurable goals in its plan to track the payoff from its interventions, including a 40% decrease in the number of students receiving Ds and Fs, and a 10% increase in attendance at parent-teacher conferences. 

But it appears there was no general expectation to measure progress in this way.

How much spending at each campus?

In a recent Edunomics Lab webinar, researchers noted that districts and states are facing intensifying calls to show their cards on their ESSER spending. Those demands have come from Congress and the federal Department of Education’s watchdog agency, which has decried a dearth of solid data in real time. 

Chicago has offered a breakdown of the $1.06 billion in COVID relief dollars in this school year’s budget in several broad categories. In addition to Moving Forward Together, about $132 million was earmarked for student reengagement efforts and school reopening costs, including safety measures such as personal protective equipment, testing and technology. Another $100 million went to school air quality improvement projects. 

Roughly $288 million went into “programmatic investments,” which included additional special education positions at some schools, larger “equity grants” and extra dollars to speed up the district’s early childhood education expansion. Another $178 million was budgeted to spare teaching and support staff positions from layoffs amid declining enrollment. Finally, charter and contract schools, which were entitled to a portion of the money under federal guidelines, received another $95 million.  

But how much money did each campus get in each of those categories? Apparently, it’s difficult to say — because the money was budgeted centrally rather than divvied up among schools at the start of the year, and because those expenses are ongoing, in some cases guided by needs that may arise throughout the school year.

Some principals argue school leaders should have more direct control over a larger portion of these resources. The elementary school principal who spoke with Chalkbeat anonymously said way too many COVID safety signs and too many coronavirus tests arrived at his school. He would have liked to use more federal dollars for home visits to help troubleshoot barriers to attendance, steering families to housing, food and other resources.

With little visibility into the spending in real time, he said, “The principals are all asking: ‘Where’s the money going?’” 

Pavlyn Jankov, a researcher at the Chicago Teachers Union, says having a list of Moving Forward Together programs at each campus is helpful, but without a price tag for each school, how can the public make sure that spending is equitable? Are these programs actually deployed — or do hiring challenges for the district and its outside vendors in some cases mean that interventions are not yet in place? How much of the funding is merely offsetting routine spending that was slated to happen regardless of the pandemic?   

“Those are big questions, and we have zero information about that,” Jankov said. “We won’t know until after that fact.” 

Roza at Edunomics Lab says she is a proponent of keeping more funding closer to the schools. In some cases, central administrators might decide that each campus should get a reading coach, for instance — even as some are struggling with attendance this fall and actually need a staffer to step up outreach to families. More flexible funds would also allow schools to meet challenges as they arise, such as setting up child care and activities for kids on Vaccination Awareness Day. 

In Chicago, principals will do a mid-year analysis of how things are going with Moving Forward Together in January and start planning for next year. Davis, the Manierre principal, is already working on a wish list, including devices for students both at home and at school for an easy shift to remote learning on snow days.

The district has planned markedly higher flexible dollar allocations for next year. Said Davis, “I’m elated about that.” 

The Latest
Preliminary data analyzed by Chalkbeat shows just over 322,000 students were enrolled as of the 20th day of school, when the district takes an official count. The stable number comes after a decade of dramatic annual declines.
School-level data from the 2023 Illinois Assessment for Readiness shows many schools have not returned to pre-pandemic levels of students meeting standards in reading and math.
Some principals say the program is paying off and want to find funding to keep it going.
Chicago’s office that manages special education hasn’t had a chief since June. Now the board of education is searching for the next department head and asking the public for its input on who the next chief should be.
Shipments of the new COVID vaccine are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and should be “plentiful” by early October, public health officials said this week.
Families use the application for entry to a variety of schools, including selective test-in schools and neighborhood schools outside of their attendance boundaries.