Chicago Public Schools’ school choice experiment is working: students at the city’s selective enrollment schools are thriving.

One-in-four Illinois public school students were chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year. It is contributing to Illinois’ low academic proficiency.

Chicago Public Schools’ low-income and minority students recorded lower proficiency rates than the state average. They are also missing more school.

New Illinois State Board of Education data shows low-income and minority public school students are struggling, scoring well below average.

There are 9,081 fewer students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools, driven by declines in Black and Hispanic students. The big drop ends a blip in annual enrollment declines.

Students returned to their Chicago public schools on Aug. 18. The most recent test data available for Chicago students shows there’s a lot of room for improvement in the new school year.