Shoesmith Elem School

Located at 1330 E 50th St, in Chicago, Illinois, Shoesmith Elem School is an intimate primary school that works with 294 students (grades K through 6), run under Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 23% leaner than typical.

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

On the student-mix side, Shoesmith Elem School reports that the largest single group is Black, at 67% of enrollment. The remainder breaks down as 22% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 4% White. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Shoesmith Elem School has 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. An estimated 72% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Shoesmith Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 30.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 23.8%.

Around the school, Cook County reports that the typical household earns roughly $83,498 per year, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Shoesmith Elem School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

Kenwood Academy High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Shoesmith Elem School comes 4th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 29.8%.

The campus sits in a city-core setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 19%: 363 students in 2018 compared to 294 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 91% to 67% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 17.7:1 in 2018 to 11.1:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.