PRESS RELEASE from the
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE

CONTACT: Micky Horstman (312) 607-4977

Back-to-school report card: CPS failing students, families
As Chicago Public Schools students return to class, the Illinois Policy Institute found declining district proficiency and enrollment

CHICAGO (Aug. 21, 2023) – As Chicago Public School students return to class today, the district faces dwindling enrollment and few students meeting grade level standards.

An analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute found only 20% of CPS third through eighth grade students met grade level standards in core subjects such as reading and 15% in math in 2022. The trend continues district-wide as only 21% of 11th grade students read and perform math at grade level. These are both significantly below statewide averages.

The district also grapples with challenges related to poor resource allocation:

• CPS has 39,000 fewer students than in fall 2018 – a 10% decline in total student population.
• In the 2021-2022 school year, 45% of CPS students were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of school days.
• In the 2022-2023 school year, one-third of school buildings were less than half-full. 290 schools were “underutilized” or operating at less than ideal capacity. 25 were overcrowded.

Meanwhile, the 2023-2024 CPS operating budget is $8.5 billion, the largest ever and a $495 million increase over last year.

“As the new school year begins, families at Chicago Public Schools deserve better. The education system is leaving students behind, perpetuating an opportunity divide that has lasting implications,” said Hannah Schmid, policy analyst for the Illinois Policy Institute. “We’ve seen that piling more money into the district is not enough, we need to seriously rethink how the district is spending its money and revitalize the system to better serve students.”

“The Chicago Board of Education needs to refocus its priorities and place student success at the center of every decision,” said Paul Vallas, policy adviser for the Illinois Policy Institute. “The new school board must curb out-of-control district finances, open alternative public education pathways for students, and address facility utilization to make better use of buildings that sit empty.”

To read more about Chicago Public Schools visit, illin.is/backtoCPS.

For interviews or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.