Poe Elem Classical School

Located at 10538 S Langley Ave, in Chicago, Illinois, Poe Elem Classical School is a small primary school that instructs 224 students (grades K through 8), run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Poe Elem Classical School sits 41% smaller than that benchmark.

Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 comprises 622 schools with combined enrollment of 324,396 students; Poe Elem Classical School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Poe Elem Classical School records that nearly all students (87%) are Black. Beyond that, the school reports 6% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 2% White. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Poe Elem Classical School has 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.0:1. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 33% of students at Poe Elem Classical School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Poe Elem Classical School is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 52.7%; this one delivers 81.7%, a residual of +29.0 points.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate median household income runs about $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across Cook County's 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), Poe Elem Classical School is one campus in the mix.

Cullen Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Poe Elem Classical School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Poe Elem Classical School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 23.6%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count rose 8%: 208 students in 2018 compared to 224 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 19.7:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.