Enrollment
362
Elementary
DISTRICT 463 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIST 299·NCES 170993001612
Lara Elementary Academy
4619 S Wolcott Ave, Chicago, IL 60609 · (773) 535-4389 · Cook County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL362 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 27% of Illinois public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
10.7:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
331 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 27 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 45 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 36 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 36 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 48 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 38 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 29 | 8% |
| Grade 7 | 26 | 7% |
| Grade 8 | 35 | 10% |
| Grade 11 | 1 | 0% |
This year's kindergarten class (45) is 29% larger than its 8th grade class (35).
Student demographics
14%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Lara Elementary Academy→Richards Career Academy High School
Based on published attendance-zone data from Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
27.2%
IL avg 51.0% . +9.7pp since 2023
Math
9.5%
IL avg 37.9% . +5.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 27 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 10 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 10 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27.2% | 9.5% |
| 2023-24 | 17.5% | 4.2% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
20.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
18.7%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 21% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 19% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Lara Elementary Academy
Lara Elementary Academy's state test result (20.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lara Elementary Academy this school | 362 | 91.4% | 20.8% |
| Kanoon Elementary Magnet School Chicago | 389 | 93.8% | 16.1% |
| Pickard Elementary School Chicago | 319 | 90.6% | 39.8% |
| Talman Elementary School Chicago | 332 | 89.8% | 39.2% |
| Salazar Elementary Bilingual Center Chicago | 351 | 93.7% | 20.7% |
| Acero Chtr - Sandra Cisneros Elementary School Chicago | 326 | 90.2% | 17.8% |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Lara Elementary Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 20.8% | #1,583 of 1,925 | #552 of 760 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 9.5% | #1,927 of 2,077 ▼ 21 | #725 of 829 ▼ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 27.2% | #1,738 of 2,077 ▼ 77 | #649 of 829 ▼ 28 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 362 | #1,193 of 2,419 | #495 of 901 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.7:1 | #221 of 2,035 | #133 of 817 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.1% | #1,787 of 2,042 | #673 of 819 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 91.4% | #245 of 2,132 | #176 of 804 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.1% | #529 of 1,461 | #304 of 661 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
362
-17 (-4%) vs 2020
-44% since 2000-01, when it was 649
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 362 | 34 | 10.7:1 | 91% (331) |
| 2023-24 | 337 | 30.5 | 11.1:1 | 91% (308) |
| 2022-23 | 315 | 31 | 10.2:1 | 94% (296) |
| 2020-21 | 379 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 442 | 22.5 | 19.6:1 | 97% (428) |
| 2015-16 | 467 | 26 | 18.0:1 | 98% (458) |
| 2010-11 | 555 | 29 | 19.1:1 | 99% (552) |
| 2000-01 | 649 | 32 | 20.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Lara Elementary Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (442 to 362); teachers up 51% (22.5 to 34).
About Lara Elementary Academy
Lara Elementary Academy is a mid-sized elementary school in Chicago, Illinois. Total enrollment is 362 students, and the grades served are pre-K through 8.
Within Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, Lara Elementary Academy is one of 622 schools. The district enrolls 324,396 students.
The share of students at Lara Elementary Academy who are Hispanic is 93%. Other groups include 5% Black. By comparison, Cook County residents are about 27% Hispanic. A diversity index of 14% means there is a 14% chance two randomly chosen students at Lara Elementary Academy are from different groups.
The student-to-teacher ratio at Lara Elementary Academy is 10.7:1, based on 34 full-time-equivalent teachers. Compared with the 13.9:1 average for elementary schools in Illinois, this school's ratio is lower. Lunch program data show 91% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Among public schools in Cook County, the average eligibility rate is 66%.
Lara Elementary Academy earns a C on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 27% of Illinois public elementary schools.
Lara Elementary Academy scores 20.8% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 18.7%.
Census data for Cook County show median household income comes to about $83,498, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 43%, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. The county has 1,406 public schools and about 697,934 students.
Seward Elementary Communication Arts Ac is about 0.1 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Lara Elementary Academy is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Lara Elementary Academy ranks 3rd of 9 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 20.8% against a local average of 20.1%.
Federal data place Lara Elementary Academy in the City: Large locale, which means it is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Federal enrollment counts fell from 379 (2020-21) to 362 (2024-25).
The Lara Elementary Academy discussion page is a place for homework, tutoring, and testing dates. You can also rate the school on this page.
Cook County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
5,182,090
Census ACS
Median income
$83,498
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,406
697,934 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Chicago Public Schools Dist 299
- Lane Technical High SchoolHigh · 4,604 students
- Taft High SchoolHigh · 4,487 students
- Curie Metropolitan High SchoolHigh · 3,099 students
- Kenwood Academy High SchoolHigh · 2,268 students
- Young Magnet High SchoolHigh · 2,223 students
- Lincoln Park High SchoolHigh · 2,214 students
Other schools in Chicago
- Lane Technical High SchoolHigh · 4,604 students
- Taft High SchoolHigh · 4,487 students
- Curie Metropolitan High SchoolHigh · 3,099 students
- Kenwood Academy High SchoolHigh · 2,268 students
- Young Magnet High SchoolHigh · 2,223 students
- Lincoln Park High SchoolHigh · 2,214 students
Nearby schools
- Seward Elementary Communication Arts Ac0.1 mi · 390
- Hedges Elementary School0.2 mi · 502
- Back of The Yards IB High School0.3 mi · 1,039
- Chavez Elementary Multicultural Academy Ct0.4 mi · 784
- Daley Elementary Academy0.5 mi · 511
- Hamline Elementary School0.6 mi · 582
Frequently asked questions
About Lara Elementary AcademyHow many students attend Lara Elementary Academy?
Lara Elementary Academy enrolls approximately 362 students in grades PK-08.
Is Lara Elementary Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Lara Elementary Academy is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lara Elementary Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Lara Elementary Academy is approximately 10.7:1 (34 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Lara Elementary Academy?
At Lara Elementary Academy, the student body is approximately 1% White, 93% Hispanic, 5% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Lara Elementary Academy in?
Lara Elementary Academy is part of Chicago Public Schools Dist 299.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.