Fernwood Elem School

Fernwood Elem School operates as a close-knit K-5 school in Chicago, Illinois, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Current enrollment sits at 259 students spanning grades pre-K through 8. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 32% smaller than typical.

Fernwood Elem School is one of 622 schools operated by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, a district that educates 324,396 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Fernwood Elem School logs that nearly all students (88%) are Black. The remainder reads as 10% multiracial. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 22%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Fernwood Elem School lists 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.4:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 88% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Cook County runs at roughly 66%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Fernwood Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 20.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 26.9%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate median household earnings sit near $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Fernwood Elem School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

Nearest neighbor: Evers Elem School, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Fernwood Elem School at 2nd of 9; the average score across the group is 20.8%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 14%: 301 students in 2018 compared to 259 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment ticked down from 99% to 88% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 21.3:1 in 2018 to 14.4:1 today.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.