James Farmer Jr. Elementary

James Farmer Jr. Elementary is a K-5 school of close-knit scale in Chicago, Illinois, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, instructing 321 students in grades pre-K through 8.

James Farmer Jr. Elementary is one of 622 schools operated by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, a district that educates 324,396 students overall.

In terms of who attends, James Farmer Jr. Elementary records that nearly all students (93%) are Black. Beyond that, the school records 4% Hispanic. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 22%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, James Farmer Jr. Elementary has 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.9:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. About 94% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

With demographic context factored in, James Farmer Jr. Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 17.2%; this one delivers 18.9%.

In the surrounding community, 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 the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which James Farmer Jr. Elementary is one.

Mollison Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around James Farmer Jr. Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts James Farmer Jr. Elementary at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 27.1%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 13%: 371 students in 2018 compared to 321 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share shrank from 99% to 93%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 19.7:1 in 2018 to 16.9:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.