Great Lakes Academy Charter ES

Great Lakes Academy Charter ES is a mid-sized elementary campus in Chicago, Illinois, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. The school works with 538 students in grades K through 8. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Great Lakes Academy Charter ES sits 41% above that benchmark.

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

In terms of who attends, Great Lakes Academy Charter ES reports that 90% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. Other groups include 8% Hispanic. By comparison, Cook County as a whole is about 22% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Great Lakes Academy Charter ES has 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.8:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 86% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Great Lakes Academy Charter ES performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 22.0%, the actual is 35.4%, a residual of +13.3 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Cook County put the typical household earns roughly $83,498 per year, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Great Lakes Academy Charter ES is one.

Nearest neighbor: Coles Elem Language Academy, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Great Lakes Academy Charter ES comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 15.6%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting. As a public charter, Great Lakes Academy Charter ES runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Looking at the recent track record. Great Lakes Academy Charter ES's enrollment has expanded 83% since 2018, when it stood at 294 (now 538). Class-load math has narrowed: from 19.3:1 in 2018 to 15.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.