Total enrollment
327,652
-46,059 (-12%) vs SY 2017-18
658 schools in Chicago
Illinois · Public K-12
Chicago's public schools total 658 across the city, with enrollment of about 328,250 and an average school size near 499.
7-year change in Chicago
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
630
-33 (-5%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
11%
was 10%
% Hispanic
47%
was 47%
% Black
34%
was 37%
% Asian
5%
was 4%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
About Chicago
Chicago is a sprawling Illinois city in terms of public-school footprint, with 658 schools and 328,250 students total.
For a sense of the school types, the city spans 465 elementary, 11 middle, 173 high, and 9 other.
Looking at the last 7 years. Across the same 7-year window, public-school enrollment contracted 12%: 373,711 students in SY 2017-18 versus 327,652 in SY 2024-25. Chicago now counts 630 public schools, down from 663 in SY 2017-18.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Chicago discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.