Carson Elem School

Carson Elem School, a sprawling primary school in Chicago, Illinois, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, works with 724 students, covering grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 90% above the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Across the 622 schools in Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 (324,396 students total), Carson Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Carson Elem School lists that nearly all students (96%) are Hispanic. The remainder looks like 3% Black. The wider county runs roughly 27% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 84% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Carson Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 23.1%; this one delivers 35.9%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Cook County shows median household income runs about $83,498, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Carson Elem School is one.

Talman Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Carson Elem School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Carson Elem School at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 23.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Five-year trend. Carson Elem School's enrollment has declined 34% since 2018, when it stood at 1,099 (now 724). Class-load math has narrowed: from 21.2:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.