Chicago Public Schools, Illinois, elections
| Chicago Public Schools |
|---|
 |
| District details |
| School board members: 7 |
| Students: 322,809 (2023-2024) |
| Schools: 643 (2023-2024) |
| Website: Link |
Chicago Public Schools is a school district in Illinois (Cook and DuPage counties). During the 2024 school year, 322,809 students attended one of the district's 643 schools.
This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.
Elections
Do you know of an individual or group that endorsed a candidate for a position on this board? Click here to let us know.
Election rules
Election dates and frequency
School board general elections in Illinois are held on the first Tuesday in April every two years in odd-numbered years for all districts except for Chicago Public Schools and Peoria Public Schools.
School board general elections in the Peoria Public Schools District in Illinois are held annually. In odd-numbered years, the school board election election is on the first Tuesday in April. In even-numbered years, the election is on the third Tuesday in March.
School board general elections in the Chicago Public Schools District in Illinois are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.
See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 33-1 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 34-3
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all school districts except Peoria Public Schools and Chicago Public schools. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Filing deadline date: December 21, 2026
- General election date: April 6, 2027
Election system
School board members in Illinois are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.
See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Illinois are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Illinois Statute establishes that school board members be elected in the nonpartisan consolidated odd-year election. Statute establishes a nomination process for school board candidates without a partisan primary or any other sort of nomination by political parties and without party designation by candidates.
See law:
Illinois Election Code Sections 10-3.1 and 16-3
Winning an election
The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the general election are elected to office.
See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5
Term length and staggering
Peoria Public Schools as of 2022 had five-year board member terms.
School districts in Illinois except Peoria Public Schools as of 2022 had four-year board member terms.
See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 33-1
For all districts that hold elections every two years and have four-year board member terms, as close to half of board members are elected at each election. As of 2022, Peoria Public Schools was the only district with annual elections, and the remaining schools held elections every two years. Most districts have seven board members, which means that either three or four members are elected every two years in those districts.
For districts that hold annual elections, either one or two board members are up for election every year. As of 2022, Peoria Public Schools was the only district with annual elections and had either one or two board members up for election every year.
See law: Illinois Election Code Section 10-10 and Illinois School Code Sec. 34-3 and Illinois Election Code Section 10-10 and Peoria Public Schools Policy
Representation: at large vs. by sub-district
School districts other than Chicago Public Schools and Peoria Public Schools can have school boards with all members elected at large from the entire district or school boards with members elected by election sub-districts. School districts can have board member election plans (often based on townships) that are grandfathered in, that are based on special acts, or that have been adjusted due to Federal laws on representation. As of 2022, 820 districts (96%) had board members elected at large, and 32 districts (4%) had board members elected by sub-districts.
The school board members of the Chicago Public Schools district and the Peoria Public Schools district are elected by sub-districts.
See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 34-3 and Sec. 34-3 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 33-1
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
School board candidates in Illinois must file nomination papers by 106 days before the election. For school districts with elections at the April, odd-year consolidated election, this means the filing deadline is in mid December of even-numbered years for the election in the following year. For 2024 specifically, the legislature passed a law that applied only to Chicago Public Schools that the petition circulation period began on March 26, 2024, and the candidate filing window was from June 17, 2024 to June 24, 2024.
See law: Illinois Election Code Section 10-6
School board candidates cannot file nomination papers until 113 days before the election. For school districts with elections at the April, odd-year election, this means they can begin filing nomination papers one week before the filing deadline in mid December of even-numbered years for the election in the following year. Candidates can begin circulating a nominating petition 90 days before the filing deadline.
See law: Illinois Election Code Section 10-6
About the district
School board
Chicago Public Schools consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.
| Name | Seat | Year assumed office | Year term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Bannon | District 1a | ||
| Sean Harden | President | ||
| Emma Lozano | District 7a | ||
| Debby Pope | District 2b | ||
| Norma Rios-Sierra | District 3a | ||
| Anusha Thotakura | District 6a | ||
| Cydney Wallace | District 8b | ||
| Karen Zaccor | District 4a | ||
| Olga Bautista | District 10b | 2027 | |
| Michilla Blaise | District 5b | 2027 | |
| Frank Niles Thomas | District 9a | 2027 | |
| Jessica Biggs | District 6b | 2025 | 2027 |
| Therese Boyle | District 9b | 2025 | 2027 |
| Aaron Brown | District 5a | 2025 | 2027 |
| Jennifer Custer | District 1b | 2025 | 2027 |
| Ebony DeBerry | District 2a | 2025 | 2027 |
| Angel Gutierrez | District 8a | 2025 | 2027 |
| Yesenia Lopez | District 7b | 2025 | 2027 |
| Carlos Rivas Jr. | District 3b | 2025 | 2027 |
| Ellen Rosenfeld | District 4b | 2025 | 2027 |
| Che Smith | District 10a | 2025 | 2027 |
Join the conversation about school board politics
Unlock the full dataset for your own use cases — explore subscription options to our comprehensive list of all school board members in the country.
District map
Overlapping state house districts
The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $1,465,282,000 | $4,442 | 17% |
| Local: | $4,451,354,000 | $13,496 | 53% |
| State: | $2,519,508,000 | $7,639 | 30% |
| Total: | $8,436,144,000 | $25,577 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $8,443,510,000 | $25,599 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $6,943,032,000 | $21,049 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $4,534,378,000 | $13,747 | 54% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $783,846,000 | $2,376 | 9% |
| Administration: | $537,554,000 | $1,629 | 6% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $1,087,254,000 | $3,296 | 13% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $759,379,000 | $2,302 | |
| Construction: | $620,377,000 | $1,880 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $87,654,000 | $265 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $516,915,000 | $1,567 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 17 | 54 | 6 | 13 | 20-24 | 42 | 45 |
| 2018-2019 | 24 | 61 | 13 | 22 | 25 | 48 | 54 |
| 2017-2018 | 22 | 59 | 12 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 52 |
| 2016-2017 | 24 | 61 | 13 | 22 | 27 | 47 | 54 |
| 2015-2016 | 23 | 59 | 14 | 23 | 26 | 43 | 52 |
| 2014-2015 | 21 | 56 | 12 | 20 | 22 | 39 | 48 |
| 2013-2014 | 50 | 81 | 40 | 51 | 55 | 69 | 77 |
| 2012-2013 | 48 | 78 | 38 | 49 | 53 | 66 | 76 |
| 2011-2012 | 73 | 89 | 66 | 75 | 77 | 81 | 88 |
| 2010-2011 | 72 | 89 | 65 | 75 | 75 | 82 | 87 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 21 | 50 | 11 | 17 | 25-29 | 48 | 49 |
| 2018-2019 | 27 | 55 | 17 | 25 | 30 | 55 | 57 |
| 2017-2018 | 27 | 57 | 17 | 26 | 31 | 54 | 58 |
| 2016-2017 | 28 | 59 | 19 | 27 | 31 | 54 | 60 |
| 2015-2016 | 27 | 58 | 18 | 27 | 30 | 51 | 57 |
| 2014-2015 | 29 | 60 | 19 | 28 | 33 | 51 | 59 |
| 2013-2014 | 45 | 71 | 37 | 44 | 49 | 68 | 75 |
| 2012-2013 | 47 | 71 | 39 | 45 | 50 | 68 | 75 |
| 2011-2012 | 65 | 82 | 59 | 66 | 71 | 79 | 85 |
| 2010-2011 | 65 | 81 | 59 | 65 | 66 | 81 | 84 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | 77 | 89 | 74 | 78 | 80-84 | 75-79 | 85 |
| 2016-2017 | 82 | 94 | 79 | 83 | 75-79 | 85-89 | 89 |
| 2015-2016 | 74 | 88 | 69 | 77 | 70-74 | 75 | 83 |
| 2014-2015 | 77 | 91 | 71 | 80 | 70-74 | 80-84 | 87 |
| 2013-2014 | 81 | 92 | 77 | 83 | 85-89 | 80-84 | 88 |
| 2012-2013 | 70 | 82 | 66 | 71 | 75-79 | 75 | 78 |
| 2011-2012 | 69 | 90 | 62 | 73 | 70-74 | 81 | 78 |
| 2010-2011 | 74 | 94 | 71 | 75 | 75-79 | 82 | 84 |
Students
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 322,809 | 0.4 |
| 2022-2023 | 321,666 | -2.5 |
| 2021-2022 | 329,836 | -3.5 |
| 2020-2021 | 341,382 | -1.8 |
| 2019-2020 | 347,484 | -3.5 |
| 2018-2019 | 359,476 | -4.0 |
| 2017-2018 | 373,700 | -1.2 |
| 2016-2017 | 378,199 | -2.4 |
| 2015-2016 | 387,311 | -1.4 |
| 2014-2015 | 392,558 | -1.0 |
| 2013-2014 | 396,641 | 0.2 |
| 2012-2013 | 395,948 | -1.8 |
| 2011-2012 | 403,004 | -0.7 |
| 2010-2011 | 405,644 | -0.4 |
| 2009-2010 | 407,157 | -3.5 |
| 2008-2009 | 421,430 | 3.3 |
| 2007-2008 | 407,510 | -1.5 |
| 2006-2007 | 413,694 | -1.8 |
| 2005-2006 | 420,982 | -1.4 |
| 2004-2005 | 426,812 | -1.8 |
| 2003-2004 | 434,419 | -0.4 |
| 2002-2003 | 436,048 | -0.3 |
| 2001-2002 | 437,418 | 0.5 |
| 2000-2001 | 435,261 | 0.8 |
| 1999-2000 | 431,750 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Chicago Public Schools (%) | Illinois K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 4.6 | 5.6 |
| Black | 35.0 | 16.4 |
| Hispanic | 47.0 | 28.1 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 1.9 | 4.2 |
| White | 11.1 | 45.3 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Chicago Public Schools had 23,234.51 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.89.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 2.00 |
| Kindergarten: | 93.00 |
| Elementary: | 16,100.08 |
| Secondary: | 7,039.43 |
| Total: | 23,234.51 |
Chicago Public Schools employed 433.00 district administrators and 1,679.60 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 433.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 8.00 |
| School Administrators: | 1,679.60 |
| School Administrative Support: | 4.00 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 9,019.02 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 432.35 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 908.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 560.50 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 347.50 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 84.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 0.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 1,627.93 |
| Other Support Services: | 302.00 |
Schools
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]
School board meetings
The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.
About school boards
Education legislation in Illinois
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| School Boards | Education Policy | Local Politics | Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
| |||||
