Smyser Elem School

As a well-populated elementary campus in Chicago, Illinois, Smyser Elem School educates 773 students from grades pre-K through 8, one of the schools within Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Enrollment runs roughly 103% above the state mean of about 381.

Across the 622 schools in Chicago Public Schools Dist 299 (324,396 students total), Smyser Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Smyser Elem School shows that 64% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest breaks down as 23% White, 5% Asian, 4% Black, 3% multiracial. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 27%.

Looking at school resources, Smyser Elem School lists 55 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.1:1. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 63% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, Smyser Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 35.4%, the actual is 35.6%, a residual of +0.3 points.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Cook County put median household income runs about $83,498, roughly 43% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Smyser Elem School is one.

Rickover Naval Academy High Schl is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Smyser Elem School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Smyser Elem School at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 40.2%.

Smyser Elem School operates from an inner-city location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 18%: 939 students in 2018 compared to 773 in 2025. The White share of enrollment declined from 31% to 23% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 19.7:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Smyser Elem School typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.