Washington H Elem School

Washington H Elem School, a small elementary-level community in Chicago, Illinois, part of Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, instructs 273 students, covering grades pre-K through 8. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 28% leaner than typical.

Washington H Elem School is one of 622 schools operated by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299, a district that works with 324,396 students overall.

Demographically, Washington H Elem School lists that 90% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority; the rest breaks down as 7% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. By comparison, Cook County as a whole is about 22% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Washington H Elem School shows 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. About 96% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is north of Cook County's rate of about 66%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Washington H Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 16.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 18.3%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate 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%. Across Cook County's 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), Washington H Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: McDowell Elem School, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Washington H Elem School at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 26.9%.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 13%: 315 students in 2018 compared to 273 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share contracted from 100% to 90%. Class-load math has fell: from 15.4:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.