Casals Elem School

Set in Chicago, Illinois, Casals Elem School is an average-sized primary school, operated by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. It educates 337 students across grades pre-K through 8.

Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 comprises 622 schools with combined enrollment of 324,396 students; Casals Elem School is among them.

On demographics, Casals Elem School reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 69%; the rest looks like 25% Black, 4% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 27%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Casals Elem School has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.4:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 90% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above Cook County's rate of about 66%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Casals Elem School ranks in the top 10% of Illinois public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 19.4%; Casals Elem School posts 51.4%, +32.0 points above that line.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 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 Casals Elem School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Cameron Elem School, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Casals Elem School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Casals Elem School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 14.0%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Casals Elem School's enrollment has fell 24% since 2018, when it stood at 442 (now 337). The Black share of enrollment fell from 46% to 25% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.9:1 in 2018 to 11.4:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Casals Elem School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.