Marya Yates Elementary School

As a modestly sized elementary-level community in Matteson, Illinois, Marya Yates Elementary School educates 284 students from grades pre-K through 5, part of ESD 159. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 25% leaner than typical.

Marya Yates Elementary School is one of 5 schools operated by ESD 159, a district that instructs 1,653 students overall.

Demographically, Marya Yates Elementary School reports that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (87%); the rest reads as 6% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. 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, Staff filings list 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.0:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 66% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Marya Yates Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 33.3%; this one delivers 19.9%.

Around the school, census data for Cook County shows median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Marya Yates Elementary School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

Nearest neighbor: Woodgate Elem School, around 0.8 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Marya Yates Elementary School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 38.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Marya Yates Elementary School has shrank 18%, going from 346 students in 2018 to 284 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share decreased from 92% to 87%.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.