Whittier Elem School

Set in Harvey, Illinois, Whittier Elem School is an intimate elementary campus, one of the schools within Harvey SD 152. It enrolls 197 students across grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 48% below the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Harvey SD 152 runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 1,487 students. Whittier Elem School is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Whittier Elem School lists that 67% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest breaks down as 24% Hispanic, 7% Asian. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 22%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Whittier Elem School has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.6:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 80% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Cook County (around 66%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Whittier Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 25.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 17.4%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate median household earnings sit near $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 Whittier Elem School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Thornton Township High School, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Whittier Elem School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Whittier Elem School at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 19.5%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 23%: 257 students in 2018 compared to 197 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 81% to 67% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 18.4:1 in 2018 to 14.6:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.