William Rainey

Harper’s Index

Poverty’s toll on schools

By Jason Kelly
Photography courtesy University of Chicago Press

“Truly disadvantaged” Chicago elementary schools, as defined in Organizing Schools for Improvement: 46

Number of students attending truly disadvantaged schools: 40,000+

African American student population in those schools: 100 percent

Residents who live below poverty in truly disadvantaged areas: 70 percent

Median family income: $9,480

Percentage of truly disadvantaged schools that showed significant improvement in reading: 15

Percentage that stagnated in reading: 46

Percentage that showed significant improvement in math: 17

Percentage that stagnated in math: 35