Enrollment
205
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chicago, IL
Chalmers Elem Specialty School
Federal NCES profile for Chalmers Elem Specialty School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170993000657
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 80
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chalmers Elem Specialty School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Illinois schools.
- #24 of 394
- schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.3:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 205
- students enrolled
Chalmers Elem Specialty School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chalmers Elem Specialty School ranks #24 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993000657 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.3:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chalmers Elem Specialty School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chalmers Elem Specialty School
Small campus with unusually lean teacher staffing
Chalmers Elem Specialty School sits near the smaller end of the Illinois enrollment distribution while also reporting a lower student-teacher ratio than most state schools. That pairing is consistent with a compact, teacher-dense setting, though small scale can limit the number of specialized courses or support roles a campus can sustain. The program and staffing sections below show whether the lean ratio extends beyond classroom teachers into broader student services.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Chalmers Elem Specialty School's 53.2% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Chalmers Elem Specialty School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 205 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.3:1, Chalmers Elem Specialty School is leaner than roughly 94% of Illinois schools and 34% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 205 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 103 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $22,699 per pupil, 25% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chicago's public schools, it stands alongside Lane Technical High School (4,604 students): Chalmers Elem Specialty School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.3:1 vs 17.8:1).
City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students) and Taft High School (4,487 students) alongside Chalmers Elem Specialty School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Chalmers Elem Specialty School compares
Chalmers Elem Specialty School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.3:1 | ▼ 34% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 205 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.3:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
205
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.3:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 6% in Illinois - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,699
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $18,196
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 103 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
African American 90.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
White 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 90.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.2, Chalmers Elem Specialty School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Chalmers Elem Specialty School.
$22,699
Per student
+25%
vs Illinois
Avg $18,196
+29%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 29.9%
Federal 17.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Chalmers Elem Specialty School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Technical High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Curie Metropolitan High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kenwood Academy High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Young Magnet High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chalmers Elem Specialty School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 4,487
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 3,099
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,268
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Chicago
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lane Technical High School
Standard public school
4,604 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Taft High School
Standard public school
4,487 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Kenwood Academy High School
Standard public school
2,268 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Young Magnet High School
Standard public school
2,223 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Disney Elem Magnet School
Standard public school
1,384 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Morgan Park High School
Standard public school
1,349 students 19:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~205 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chalmers Elem Specialty School's federal record.
- Compare Chalmers Elem Specialty School against another school. Compare schools
- City of Chicago Sd 299's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Chalmers Elem Specialty School
How many students attend Chalmers Elem Specialty School?
Chalmers Elem Specialty School has 205 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chalmers Elem Specialty School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chalmers Elem Specialty School is 9.3:1, which is 34% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 41% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chalmers Elem Specialty School?
The largest demographic group at Chalmers Elem Specialty School is African American at 90.2% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chalmers Elem Specialty School?
Chalmers Elem Specialty School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Chalmers Elem Specialty School rank among schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Chalmers Elem Specialty School ranks #24 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chicago on the city page.
What other schools are in City of Chicago Sd 299?
Besides Chalmers Elem Specialty School, City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students), Taft High School (4,487 students), and Curie Metropolitan High School (3,099 students). See the City of Chicago Sd 299 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.