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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIST 299·NCES 170993000958

McKay Elementary School

6901 S Fairfield Ave, Chicago, IL 60629 · (773) 535-9340 · Cook County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL616 STUDENTS
Enrollment
616
Elementary
DISTRICT 463 · STATE 381
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
596 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 56%
Community
5
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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K8113%
Kindergarten589%
Grade 16811%
Grade 27011%
Grade 3528%
Grade 46310%
Grade 56310%
Grade 6539%
Grade 7508%
Grade 8579%
Grade 1010%

This year's kindergarten class (58) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (57).

Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 69% · US 70%
White
122%
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 45% · US 43%
Hispanic
32052%
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 29% · US 30%
Black
27745%
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 16% · US 15%
Two+
30%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
41%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
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
Male
32252%
Female
29448%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
McKay Elementary School→Gage Park High School
Based on published attendance-zone data from Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)
English Language Arts
21.9%
IL avg 51.0% . +8.9pp since 2023
Math
8.3%
IL avg 37.9% . +2.2pp since 2023

What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 22 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 8 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 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.

IAR + ISA results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2521.9%8.3%
2023-2413.0%6.1%
% 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
14.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
15.6%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.6pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 14% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 16% 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 McKay Elementary School

McKay Elementary School's state test result (14.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
McKay Elementary School this school61696.8%14.0%
Lincoln Elementary School
Calumet City
71799.6%32.6%
Hampton Elementary Fine & Perf Arts School
Chicago
46395.2%19.3%
Farragut Elementary School
Joliet
56894.2%15.9%
Lewis Elementary School
Chicago
42797.4%12.0%
Coolidge Elementary School
Lansing
67099.9%32.3%
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 McKay Elementary School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn IllinoisIn Cook County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
14.0%#1,784 of 1,925#682 of 760
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
8.3%#1,960 of 2,077
▼ 151
#748 of 829
▼ 90
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
21.9%#1,881 of 2,077
▼ 46
#739 of 829
▼ 17
Enrollment
ranked largest first
616#248 of 2,419#139 of 901
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
13.8:1#1,159 of 2,035#519 of 817
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
52.8%#834 of 2,042#299 of 819
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
96.8%#100 of 2,132#74 of 804
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-23.1%#345 of 1,461#215 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 2024-25
Enrollment
616
-43 (-7%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 744
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2561644.813.8:197% (596)
2023-246254314.5:193% (583)
2022-236224314.5:191% (565)
2020-21659N/AN/AN/A
2017-1880139.120.5:196% (772)
2015-168034318.7:197% (776)
2010-119714720.7:198% (955)
2000-011,6437621.6:1N/A
1990-917443620.7:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for McKay Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students down 23% (801 to 616); teachers up 14% (39.1 to 44.8).

About McKay Elementary School

McKay Elementary School is an elementary school with a street address in Chicago, Illinois. A total of 616 students attend the school, which covers pre-K through 8. The average for elementary schools in Illinois is about 381 students, so this school is 62% bigger than average.

Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 operates 622 schools. Combined enrollment is 324,396 students.

A majority of students at McKay Elementary School, 52%, are Hispanic. The next largest groups are 45% Black. The school's Hispanic share is 25 points above the 27% share among Cook County residents. McKay Elementary School has a diversity index of 53%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

At McKay Elementary School, 44.8 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 13.8:1. Across elementary schools in Illinois, the average ratio is about 13.9:1. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 97% of enrollment. Among public schools in Cook County, the average eligibility rate is 66%.

Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, McKay Elementary School would score about 15.6%. It scores 14.0%, 1.6 points below that figure.

In Cook County (population about 5,182,090), median household income is about $83,498, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 43%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. A total of 1,406 public schools operate in Cook County, serving about 697,934 students.

Of nearby public schools, ACE Amandla Charter School is the closest, at about 0.1 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Its average proficiency rate of 14.0% is below the 19.4% average for nearby schools.

The NCES locale for McKay Elementary School is City: Large, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.

McKay Elementary School had 659 students in 2020-21 and 616 in 2024-25, a 7% decrease.

Community posts for McKay Elementary School can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Cook County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
McKay Elementary School
District
Chicago Public Schools Dist 299
Address
6901 S Fairfield Ave, Chicago, IL 60629
Phone
(773) 535-9340
County
Cook County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–08
Total enrollment
616
Teachers (FTE)
45
Student–teacher ratio
13.8:1
Free and reduced lunch
596 (97%)
Locale
11-City: Large
NCES ID
170993000958
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Chicago Public Schools Dist 299
Other schools in Chicago
Other McKay Elementary schools

2 other US public schools in 3 states are named McKay Elementary. McKay Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 3.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About McKay Elementary School
How many students attend McKay Elementary School?
McKay Elementary School enrolls approximately 616 students in grades PK-08.
What grades does McKay Elementary School serve?
McKay Elementary School serves grades PK-08.
How many teachers does McKay Elementary School have?
McKay Elementary School employs 45 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.8:1.
What is the student diversity at McKay Elementary School?
Student demographics at McKay Elementary School are roughly 2% White, 52% Hispanic, 45% Black, 0% Two or more.
What district is McKay Elementary School in?
McKay Elementary School is part of Chicago Public Schools Dist 299.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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