Enrollment
897
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chicago, IL
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad
Federal NCES profile for Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 170993006509Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 96% of Illinois schools.
- #71 of 102
- elementary schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 8.5:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 897
- students enrolled
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad has class sizes smaller than 96% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad ranks #71 of 102 elementary schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993006509 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
106.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad is a large charter elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 897 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.5:1, Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad is leaner than roughly 96% of Illinois schools and 39% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Illinois, bigger than 92% of state schools at 897 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 897 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.4% 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): Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.5:1 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad.
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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad compares
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.5:1 | ▼ 39% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 897 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.5:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
897
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
- 39% below state mean
Top 4% in Illinois - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
43.4%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 897 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 96 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.3 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 89.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
White 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 89.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.2, Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad.
$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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad'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 (~897 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad's federal record.
- Compare Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad
How many students attend Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad?
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad has 897 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad?
The student-teacher ratio at Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad is 8.5:1, which is 39% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 46% 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad?
The largest demographic group at Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad is African American at 89.4% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad?
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad rank among elementary schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad ranks #71 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad a good school?
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 96% of Illinois schools. 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 Kipp Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Acad, 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.