Columbia Explorers Elem Academy

Located at 4520 S Kedzie Ave, in Chicago, Illinois, Columbia Explorers Elem Academy is a high-enrollment primary school that enrolls 718 students (grades pre-K through 8), run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 88% above typical.

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

For racial and ethnic makeup, Columbia Explorers Elem Academy shows that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (97%). That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 27%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 54 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.4:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 86% of students at Columbia Explorers Elem Academy qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Cook County's rate of about 66%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Columbia Explorers Elem Academy 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 21.7%; Columbia Explorers Elem Academy posts 46.0%, +24.2 points above that line.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Cook County) shows that median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across Cook County's 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), Columbia Explorers Elem Academy is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Gunsaulus Elem Scholastic Academy, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Columbia Explorers Elem Academy comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 20.7%.

Columbia Explorers Elem Academy operates from a downtown location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Columbia Explorers Elem Academy has edged down 33%, going from 1,065 students in 2018 to 718 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 20.4:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 today.

On this page, members of the Columbia Explorers Elem Academy community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.