Enrollment
354
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chicago, IL
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy
Federal NCES profile for Metcalfe Elem Community Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170993000675
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Illinois schools.
- #305 of 394
- schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 354
- students enrolled
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy has class sizes larger than 80% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Metcalfe Elem Community Academy ranks #305 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993000675 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Metcalfe Elem Community Academy compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Metcalfe Elem Community Academy
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational constraint
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy's enrollment sits away from the most extreme size bands, but its reported student-teacher ratio is heavier than most Illinois schools. That isolates staffing load as a more useful concern than raw campus size. A high ratio does not establish weak teaching or outcomes, yet it can indicate less adult capacity per enrolled student. The remaining federal indicators show whether support staffing and program access offset that pressure.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy's 65.8% 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.
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 354 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 354 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 354 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.8% 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): Metcalfe Elem Community Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.1:1 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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy.
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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy compares
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 15% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 354 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
354
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 80% in Illinois - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
65.8%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 354 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
African American 85.0%
Hispanic or Latino 13.8%
White 0.6%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 85.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.8, Metcalfe Elem Community Academy 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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy.
$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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy 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 | Similar 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Metcalfe Elem Community Academy'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 (~354 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Metcalfe Elem Community Academy's federal record.
- Compare Metcalfe Elem Community Academy 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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy
How many students attend Metcalfe Elem Community Academy?
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy has 354 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Metcalfe Elem Community Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Metcalfe Elem Community Academy is 16.1:1, which is 15% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Metcalfe Elem Community Academy?
The largest demographic group at Metcalfe Elem Community Academy is African American at 85.0% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Metcalfe Elem Community Academy?
Metcalfe Elem Community Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy rank among schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Metcalfe Elem Community Academy ranks #305 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 Metcalfe Elem Community Academy, 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.