Monarcas Academy

As an expansive elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, Monarcas Academy enrolls 797 students from grades pre-K through 5, one of the schools within Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. That puts it 109% larger than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 comprises 622 schools with combined enrollment of 324,396 students; Monarcas Academy is among them.

Looking at the student body, Monarcas Academy shows that nearly all students (96%) are Hispanic. By comparison, Cook County as a whole is about 27% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Monarcas Academy reports 57 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 91% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

With demographic context factored in, Monarcas Academy sits in the top 10% of Illinois schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 18.7%; actual is 40.3%, +21.6 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, census data for Cook County shows median household earnings sit near $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Monarcas Academy is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

The closest other public school is Sandoval Elem School, roughly 0.5 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Monarcas Academy ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 29.8%.

Monarcas Academy operates from a downtown location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 24%: 1,052 students in 2018 compared to 797 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 19.4:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.