Enrollment
538
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chicago, IL
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es
Federal NCES profile for Great Lakes Academy Charter Es, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 170993006328Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- #40 of 102
- elementary schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 538
- students enrolled
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Great Lakes Academy Charter Es ranks #40 of 102 elementary schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993006328 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Great Lakes Academy Charter Es compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Great Lakes Academy Charter Es
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 538 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 538 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $21,050 per pupil, 24% 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 elementary schools, it stands alongside Mount Greenwood Elem School (1,182 students): Great Lakes Academy Charter Es is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.9:1 vs 18.5:1).
City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students) and Taft High School (4,487 students) alongside Great Lakes Academy Charter Es.
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 Great Lakes Academy Charter Es compares
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 538 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
538
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Illinois - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.5%
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
$21,050
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
34
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 90.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 90.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.2, Great Lakes Academy Charter Es 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 Great Lakes Academy Charter Es.
$21,050
Per student
+24%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 29.9%
Federal 17.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Great Lakes Academy Charter Es 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 | Similar 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 Great Lakes Academy Charter Es'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 elementary schools in Chicago
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mount Greenwood Elem School
Standard public school
1,182 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Eberhart Elem School
Standard public school
1,011 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Kipp One Academy
Standard public school
996 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Lyon Elem School
Standard public school
988 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs Bloom Campus
Standard public school
921 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Bell Elem School
Standard public school
902 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~538 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Great Lakes Academy Charter Es's federal record.
- Compare Great Lakes Academy Charter Es 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 Great Lakes Academy Charter Es
How many students attend Great Lakes Academy Charter Es?
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es has 538 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Great Lakes Academy Charter Es?
The student-teacher ratio at Great Lakes Academy Charter Es is 14.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Great Lakes Academy Charter Es?
The largest demographic group at Great Lakes Academy Charter Es is African American at 90.1% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Great Lakes Academy Charter Es?
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Great Lakes Academy Charter Es rank among elementary schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Great Lakes Academy Charter Es ranks #40 of 102 elementary 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 elementary schools in Chicago on the city page.
Is Great Lakes Academy Charter Es a good school?
Great Lakes Academy Charter Es earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in City of Chicago Sd 299?
Besides Great Lakes Academy Charter Es, 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.