McNair Elem School

As a middle-of-the-pack elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, McNair Elem School caters to 328 students from grades pre-K through 8, run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299.

Within Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, which oversees 622 schools and 324,396 students, McNair Elem School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, McNair Elem School logs that 72% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest comes out to 25% Hispanic. That is visibly more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 22%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, McNair Elem School has 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting McNair Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 89% of students at McNair Elem School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is higher than Cook County's rate of about 66%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), McNair Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 19.9%, the actual is 13.9%, a residual of -6.0 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Cook County put median household earnings sit near $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which McNair Elem School is one.

The closest other public school is YCCS West, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around McNair Elem School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), McNair Elem School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 14.2%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at McNair Elem School has declined 17%, going from 395 students in 2018 to 328 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share decreased from 82% to 72%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 10.3:1 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.