1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Mather High School right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,777
High
DISTRICT 706 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIST 299·NCES 170993000977
Mather High School
5835 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60659 · (773) 534-2350 · Cook County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,777 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
121 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.4:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
1,394 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 368 | 21% |
| Grade 10 | 528 | 30% |
| Grade 11 | 434 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 447 | 25% |
Student demographics
67%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
Feeds from
Based on published attendance-zone data from Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
23.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
26.2%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 26% 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 Mather High School
Mather High School's state test result (23.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mather High School this school | 1,777 | 78.4% | 23.1% |
| CICS - Northtown Campus Chicago | 878 | 74.5% | 23.1% |
| Senn High School Chicago | 1,571 | 73.6% | 33.0% |
| Von Steuben Metro Science High School Chicago | 1,698 | 61.2% | 45.9% |
| Sullivan High School Chicago | 762 | 77.6% | 11.0% |
| Hoffman Estates High School Hoffman Estates | 2,185 | 52.9% | 48.2% |
Matched among Illinois high 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 Mather High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 23.1% | #422 of 573 | #60 of 170 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,777 | #120 of 708 | #48 of 206 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.7:1 | #290 of 528 | #81 of 173 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.2% | #50 of 537 | #20 of 180 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 78.4% | #120 of 578 | #105 of 171 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +22.5% | #29 of 191 | #16 of 86 |
Ranked against other public high 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
1,777
-28 (-2%) vs 2020
+6% since 1990-91, when it was 1,684
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 | 1,777 | 121 | 14.7:1 | 78% (1,394) |
| 2023-24 | 1,777 | 119 | 14.9:1 | 81% (1,445) |
| 2022-23 | 1,749 | 125 | 14.0:1 | 76% (1,324) |
| 2020-21 | 1,805 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,451 | 82.5 | 17.6:1 | 88% (1,278) |
| 2015-16 | 1,559 | 96 | 16.2:1 | 88% (1,368) |
| 2010-11 | 1,622 | 102 | 15.9:1 | 85% (1,374) |
| 2000-01 | 1,830 | 110 | 16.6:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 1,684 | 99 | 17.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mather High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 22% (1,451 to 1,777); teachers up 47% (82.5 to 121).
About Mather High School
Mather High School runs as a high-enrollment high school in Chicago, Illinois. Grades offered run from 9 through 12, with 1,777 students enrolled. The average among high schools in Illinois is roughly 834 students; this school is 113% above that.
Across its 622 schools, Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 enrolls 324,396 students. Mather High School is one of those schools.
Mather High School has no majority group; Hispanic students are the largest, at 50%. Other reported shares: 21% Asian, 15% Black, and 13% White. That compares with about 27% Hispanic among all Cook County residents. The school's diversity index is 67%, meaning two students picked at random have a 67% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Mather High School employs 121 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 14.7:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 13.8:1 average for high schools in Illinois. Mather High School's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 78%. Public schools in Cook County average 66%.
Test results at Mather High School are 3.1 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (23.1% actual, 26.2% predicted).
Cook County census figures show that the median household income is $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 1,406 public schools in Cook County, enrolling about 697,934 students in all.
Nearby, Jamieson Elementary School is about 0.3 miles away. Within five miles of Mather High School, there are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, Mather High School is 9th of 9 nearby schools with test data.
Federal records code the school's setting as City: Large.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (1,805) and 2024-25 (1,777).
Conversations here can range across school safety, transportation, and start times. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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
- Jamieson Elementary School0.3 mi · 825
- Clinton Elementary School0.4 mi · 1,050
- Northside College Preparatory High School0.6 mi · 1,061
- Peterson Elementary School0.7 mi · 913
- Budlong Elementary School0.9 mi · 776
- Stone Elementary Scholastic Academy1.0 mi · 553
Frequently asked questions
About Mather High SchoolHow many students attend Mather High School?
Mather High School enrolls approximately 1,777 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Mather High School serve?
Mather High School serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Mather High School have?
Mather High School employs 121 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Mather High School?
Student demographics at Mather High School are roughly 13% White, 50% Hispanic, 15% Black, 21% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Mather High School public or private?
Mather High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.