Enrollment
348
High
DISTRICT 706 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIST 299·NCES 170993000718
Richards Career Academy High School
5009 S Laflin St, Chicago, IL 60609 · (773) 535-4945 · Cook County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL348 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 7% of Illinois public high schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public high schools
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.4:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
338 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 71 | 20% |
| Grade 10 | 99 | 28% |
| Grade 11 | 85 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 93 | 27% |
Student demographics
46%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
Feeds from
Based on published attendance-zone data from Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Richards Career Academy High School.
START A DISCUSSIONBeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
3.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
15.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-12.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 3% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 15% 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 Richards Career Academy High School
Richards Career Academy High School's state test result (3.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richards Career Academy High School this school | 348 | 97.1% | 3.1% |
| Gage Park High School Chicago | 392 | 93.9% | 4.3% |
| Multicultural Arts High School Chicago | 283 | 93.6% | 10.6% |
| School of Social Justice High School Chicago | 269 | 94.1% | 10.7% |
| Noble St Chtr-Golder College Prep Chicago | 633 | 89.1% | 22.0% |
| Farragut Career Academy High School Chicago | 490 | 93.7% | 12.7% |
Matched among Illinois high 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 Richards Career Academy High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 3.1% | #560 of 573 | #157 of 170 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 348 | #410 of 708 | #154 of 206 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.2:1 | #64 of 528 | #16 of 173 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 46.4% | #210 of 537 | #80 of 180 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.1% | #11 of 578 | #6 of 171 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +60.4% | #5 of 191 | #5 of 86 |
Ranked against other public high 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
348
+5 (+1%) vs 2020
-55% since 1990-91, when it was 778
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 | 348 | 31 | 11.2:1 | 97% (338) |
| 2023-24 | 315 | 30 | 10.5:1 | 96% (301) |
| 2022-23 | 311 | 26.5 | 11.7:1 | 95% (295) |
| 2020-21 | 343 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 217 | 15.6 | 13.9:1 | 98% (213) |
| 2015-16 | 270 | 19 | 14.2:1 | 84% (228) |
| 2010-11 | 562 | 34 | 16.5:1 | 90% (503) |
| 2000-01 | 498 | 33 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 778 | 47 | 16.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Richards Career Academy High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 60% (217 to 348); teachers up 98% (15.6 to 31).
About Richards Career Academy High School
Richards Career Academy High School is a small high school for students in Chicago, Illinois. The school reports 348 students in grades 9 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in Illinois is about 834 students.
Richards Career Academy High School is among 622 schools run by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, which serves 324,396 students.
Hispanic students make up a majority at Richards Career Academy High School, at 68%. The remaining students are 26% Black and 5% multiracial. Census figures show Cook County is about 27% Hispanic. Richards Career Academy High School's diversity index is 46%, against a US figure of 70%.
Federal staffing data show 31 full-time-equivalent teachers at Richards Career Academy High School and a ratio of 11.2:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 13.8:1 average for high schools in Illinois. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 97% of enrollment. That rate is above the 66% average among public schools in Cook County.
Richards Career Academy High School is graded D by allk12, scoring above 7% of Illinois public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Richards Career Academy High School posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 3.1%, compared with a predicted 15.4%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Illinois schools on BeatsExpectations.
Within Cook County, the median household income is $83,498, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 43% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. In all, Cook County has 1,406 public schools and roughly 697,934 students.
Hamline Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles away. Within five miles of Richards Career Academy High School, there are at least 8 other public schools. On proficiency, Richards Career Academy High School is behind the 20.1% nearby average, ranking 9th of 9.
Federal records code the school's setting as City: Large.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 343 in 2020-21, 348 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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
- Hamline Elementary School0.3 mi · 582
- Chavez Elementary Multicultural Academy Ct0.4 mi · 784
- Libby Elementary School0.5 mi · 275
- Fulton Elementary School0.5 mi · 321
- Daley Elementary Academy0.5 mi · 511
- Seward Elementary Communication Arts Ac0.6 mi · 390
Frequently asked questions
About Richards Career Academy High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Richards Career Academy High School?
Richards Career Academy High School enrolls approximately 348 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Richards Career Academy High School serve?
Richards Career Academy High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Richards Career Academy High School?
Approximately 11.2:1 students per teacher at Richards Career Academy High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Richards Career Academy High School?
At Richards Career Academy High School, the student body is approximately 0% White, 68% Hispanic, 26% Black, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Richards Career Academy High School?
Richards Career Academy High School is overseen by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 in Cook County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.