Holmes Elem School

Holmes Elem School is one of the intimate elementary campuss in Chicago, Illinois, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, with 166 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 56% below the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 runs 622 schools in total, collectively educating 324,396 students. Holmes Elem School is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Holmes Elem School lists that 72% of the student body identifies as Black. Beyond that, the school shows 27% Hispanic. By comparison, Cook County as a whole is about 22% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Holmes Elem School logs 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 9.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Holmes Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Holmes Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 13.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 8.8%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Cook County put 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%. Holmes Elem School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

The closest other public school is Dewey Elem Academy of Fine Arts, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Holmes Elem School at 8th of 9; the average score across the group is 17.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Holmes Elem School has changed only slightly, going from 162 students in 2018 to 166 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked up from 3% to 27%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 12.6:1 in 2018 to 9.5:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Holmes Elem School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.