Smyser Elem School

www.cps.edu

763 Students

Elementary School Pre-K - 8th

School Overview

Smyser Elementary School, located in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago, is a public PreK–8 institution serving a diverse community under the jurisdiction of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The school is situated on a residential campus on North Melvina Avenue and is well-regarded for providing a comprehensive academic foundation for its students. As a neighborhood school, it functions as a central hub for the local community, emphasizing core curriculum subjects like literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies, while often integrating extracurricular opportunities to support student development.

The school is known for its commitment to creating a stable learning environment that prepares students for the transition to high school. Like many schools within the CPS network, Smyser focuses on meeting state learning standards while addressing the individual needs of its diverse student body. Families and community members generally view the school as an integral part of the Portage Park area, with the facility serving not just as an educational site, but as a long-standing fixture in the neighborhood’s academic landscape.

763

Total Students

52.5

Full-Time Teachers

14.5

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Smyser Elem School
Demographic	Student Count
White	185
Hispanic	496
Black	22
Asian	40
Two or More	13
American Indian	6
Pacific Islander	1

Hispanic
496 (65.0 %)
White
185 (24.2 %)
Asian
40 (5.2 %)
Black
22 (2.9 %)
Two or More
13 (1.7 %)
American Indian
6 (0.8 %)
Pacific Islander
1 (0.1 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	City of Chicago SD 299
Phone:	(773)534-3711
Website:	http://www.cps.edu
Grade Range:	Pre-K - 8th
Total Students:	763
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	52.5
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	14.5
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	0
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	0

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 34

Kindergarten 75

Grade 1 64

Grade 2 86

Grade 3 61

Grade 4 83

Grade 5 70

Grade 6 102

Grade 7 81

Grade 8 105

Grade 9 2

Grades Taught Data Table

Grades Taught and Student Counts for Smyser Elem School
Grade	Student Count
Pre-Kindergarten	34
Kindergarten	75
Grade 1	64
Grade 2	86
Grade 3	61
Grade 4	83
Grade 5	70
Grade 6	102
Grade 7	81
Grade 8	105
Grade 9	2

Gender Ratio

Student Gender Ratio Data Table

Student Gender Ratio for Smyser Elem School
Gender	Student Count	Percentage
Female	390	51.1%
Male	373	48.9%

Nearby Elementary Schools (Within 10 Miles)