Enrollment
224
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chicago, IL
Poe Elem Classical School
Federal NCES profile for Poe Elem Classical School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 170993000888
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Poe Elem Classical School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Illinois schools.
- #2 of 102
- elementary schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.2:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 224
- students enrolled
Poe Elem Classical School has class sizes larger than 88% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Poe Elem Classical School ranks #2 of 102 elementary schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993000888 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poe Elem Classical School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Poe Elem Classical School
Poe Elem Classical School is a mid-sized elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 224 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.2:1 is larger than about 88% of Illinois schools and 23% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 224 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly African American (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 224 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
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): Poe Elem Classical School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.2:1 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 Poe Elem Classical 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 Poe Elem Classical School compares
Poe Elem Classical 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 23% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 224 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
224
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 88% in Illinois - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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 224 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 87.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 4.9%
White 2.2%
Largest group: African American at 87.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.5, Poe Elem Classical School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Poe Elem Classical School.
$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 Poe Elem Classical School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Technical High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Young Magnet High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Poe Elem Classical 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 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 (~224 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Poe Elem Classical School's federal record.
- Compare Poe Elem Classical 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 Poe Elem Classical School
How many students attend Poe Elem Classical School?
Poe Elem Classical School has 224 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poe Elem Classical School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poe Elem Classical School is 17.2:1, which is 23% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poe Elem Classical School?
The largest demographic group at Poe Elem Classical School is African American at 87.1% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poe Elem Classical School?
Poe Elem Classical School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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 Poe Elem Classical School rank among elementary schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Poe Elem Classical School ranks #2 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 Poe Elem Classical School a good school?
Poe Elem Classical School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Poe Elem Classical 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.