Kennedy Elem School

Kennedy Elem School, a compact K-5 school in Chicago Heights, Illinois, overseen by Chicago Heights SD 170, instructs 193 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 49% smaller than typical.

Kennedy Elem School is one of 10 schools operated by Chicago Heights SD 170, a district that serves 2,674 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Kennedy Elem School logs that the largest single group is Black, at 63% of enrollment; the rest looks like 34% Hispanic, 3% White. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Kennedy Elem School has 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 19.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. Roughly 97% of students at Kennedy Elem School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Cook County runs at roughly 66%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Kennedy Elem School ranks in the top 10% of Illinois public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 15.3%; Kennedy Elem School posts 36.8%, +21.5 points above that line.

Around the school, census data for Cook County shows the typical household earns roughly $83,498 per year, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Kennedy Elem School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

Nearest neighbor: Roosevelt Elem School, around 0.8 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Kennedy Elem School at 3rd of 8; the average score across the group is 31.9%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 22%: 249 students in 2018 compared to 193 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share increased from 29% to 34%. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 13.0:1 in 2018 to 19.3:1 today.

On this page, the feed for Kennedy Elem School typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.