Gillespie Elem School

Set in Chicago, Illinois, Gillespie Elem School is an intimate primary school, part of Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. It enrolls 288 students across grades pre-K through 8. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 24% leaner than typical.

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

Demographically, Gillespie Elem School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (94%). The remainder is composed of 5% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. About 80% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Cook County's rate of about 66%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Gillespie Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 25.4%; this one delivers 18.2%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate 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), Gillespie Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Turner-Drew Elem Language Academy, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Gillespie Elem School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Gillespie Elem School at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 27.2%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Gillespie Elem School has decreased 40%, going from 478 students in 2018 to 288 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 17.9:1 in 2018 to 11.8:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.