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How has Powell Elem Paideia Comm Academy changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
542
Elementary
DISTRICT 463 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIST 299·NCES 170993001213
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy
7511 S South Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60649 · (773) 535-6650 · Cook County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL542 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
89%
480 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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 26 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 56 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 54 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 55 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 8% |
| Grade 4 | 82 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 54 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 52 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 64 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 57 | 11% |
| Grade 10 | 1 | 0% |
This year's kindergarten class (56) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (57).
Student demographics
21%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
Students here typically continue to
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy→Chicago Vocational Career Academy High School
Based on published attendance-zone data from Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
30.0%
IL avg 51.0% . +22.8pp since 2023
Math
7.9%
IL avg 37.9% . +4.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 30 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 23 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 30.0% | 7.9% |
| 2023-24 | 7.2% | 3.7% |
% 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
17.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
20.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 17% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 20% 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 Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy's state test result (17.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy this school | 542 | 88.6% | 17.1% |
| Wadsworth Elementary School Chicago | 487 | 87.5% | 16.6% |
| Great Lakes Academy Charter Elementary School Chicago | 538 | 85.7% | 35.4% |
| Shoop Math-Sci Tech Elementary Academy Chicago | 515 | 91.3% | 20.0% |
| Hughes L Elementary School Chicago | 431 | 87.0% | 13.0% |
| Legacy Elementary Charter School Chicago | 458 | 92.4% | 23.1% |
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 Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 17.1% | #1,695 of 1,925 | #626 of 760 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 7.9% | #1,967 of 2,077 ▼ 33 | #753 of 829 ▼ 13 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 30.0% | #1,667 of 2,077 ▲ 337 | #608 of 829 ▲ 197 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 542 | #396 of 2,419 | #202 of 901 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.2:1 | #616 of 2,035 | #292 of 817 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 20.8% | #1,597 of 2,042 | #599 of 819 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 88.6% | #318 of 2,132 | #227 of 804 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.5% | #1,054 of 1,461 | #513 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 2024-25Enrollment
542
+10 (+2%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 730
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 | 542 | 44.5 | 12.2:1 | 89% (480) |
| 2023-24 | 550 | 34 | 16.2:1 | 95% (525) |
| 2022-23 | 535 | 34 | 15.7:1 | 94% (503) |
| 2020-21 | 532 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 586 | 25.8 | 22.7:1 | 97% (566) |
| 2015-16 | 544 | 26 | 20.9:1 | 95% (519) |
| 2010-11 | 536 | 26 | 20.6:1 | 99% (533) |
| 2000-01 | 674 | 32 | 21.1:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 730 | 31 | 23.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (586 to 542); teachers up 72% (25.8 to 44.5).
About Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy is a public elementary school in Chicago, Illinois. Its enrollment is 542 students, spread over pre-K through 8. Elementary schools in Illinois average about 381 students, which makes this school 42% above average.
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy is a school in Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. The district has 622 schools and 324,396 students.
By race and ethnicity, Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy is 88% Black. Next come 11% Hispanic. The county population is about 22% Black. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 21%.
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy has a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.2:1, with 44.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in Illinois is 13.9:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 89% at Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy. Across public schools in Cook County, the average is 66%.
The school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 17.1%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 20.4%.
In Cook County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $83,498, about 43% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 10%. The county has 1,406 public schools and about 697,934 students.
Bradwell Comm Arts & Sci Elementary School is about 0.4 miles from Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy, the shortest distance to any other public school. The five-mile area around Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy holds at least 8 other public schools. The school's 17.1% average proficiency ranks 7th among 9 nearby schools.
The school's federal locale classification is City: Large.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 542, starting from 532.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. You can also rate the school on this page.
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
- Bradwell Comm Arts & Sci Elementary School0.4 mi · 513
- Bouchet Elementary Math & Science Academy1.0 mi · 660
- OKeeffe Elementary School1.0 mi · 572
- South Shore Intl Col Prep High School1.1 mi · 625
- EPIC Academy High School1.1 mi · 255
- Ninos Heroes Elementary Academic Center1.1 mi · 315
Frequently asked questions
About Powell Elementary Paideia Comm AcademyWhat is the total enrollment at Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy?
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy enrolls approximately 542 students in grades PK-08.
Is Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
How many students per teacher at Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy?
Approximately 12.2:1 students per teacher at Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy?
At Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy, the student body is approximately 1% White, 11% Hispanic, 88% Black, 1% Two or more.
Is Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy public or private?
Powell Elementary Paideia Comm Academy 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.