CICS - Avalon/South Shore

As a medium-sized primary school in Chicago, Illinois, CICS - Avalon/South Shore enrolls 469 students from grades K through 8, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 23% larger than typical.

Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 runs 622 schools in total, collectively educating 324,396 students. CICS - Avalon/South Shore is one of those campuses.

On demographics, CICS - Avalon/South Shore lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (98%). That is visibly more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 22%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, CICS - Avalon/South Shore has 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 27.6:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 90% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Cook County runs at roughly 66%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, CICS - Avalon/South Shore is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 19.4%; this one delivers 42.0%, a residual of +22.6 points.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Cook County) records that median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. CICS - Avalon/South Shore is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

The closest other public school is Avalon Park Elem School, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, CICS - Avalon/South Shore comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 18.7%.

Geographically, the school is in an inner-city area. CICS - Avalon/South Shore is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at CICS - Avalon/South Shore has held roughly steady, going from 478 students in 2018 to 469 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.