Thomas Early Childhood Center

Thomas Early Childhood Center is a K-5 school of minimally staffed scale in Chicago, Illinois, operated by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, teacheing 123 students in grade pre-K. That puts it 68% smaller than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Thomas Early Childhood Center is one of 622 schools operated by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, a district that teaches 324,396 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Thomas Early Childhood Center lists that Hispanic students make up the majority at 72%. Other groups include 15% White, 7% Asian, 3% multiracial, 2% Black. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 27%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Thomas Early Childhood Center has 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 7.9:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 59% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Cook County) logs that median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Thomas Early Childhood Center is one.

Greene N Elem 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.

Geographically, the school is in an inner-city area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Thomas Early Childhood Center has fell 20%, going from 154 students in 2018 to 123 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share declined from 84% to 72%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 11.7:1 in 2018 to 7.9:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the Thomas Early Childhood Center community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.