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Majority of Bridgeport Schools Have Too Many or Too Few Students: CPS

By Ed Komenda | January 6, 2016 5:21pm
 With 296 students, Philip D. Armour School is
With 296 students, Philip D. Armour School is "underutilized" at 62 percent of capacity, according to a recent Chicago Public Schools report.
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DNAinfo/Ed Komenda

BRIDGEPORT — Many Chicago Public Schools around the neighborhood either have too many — or too few — students enrolled on their campuses, according to data released by CPS Tuesday.

With 311 students, Tilden High School is at just 16 percent capacity, making it “underutilized” — meaning it has a lot of wasted space, according to CPS officials.

On the other end of the data, some schools are “overcrowded,” enrolling too many students. Chavez Elementary landed on that list, every day welcoming 983 students and ballooning its capacity to 205 percent.

CPS labels schools using a controversial formula that determines a capacity threshold. Fewer than a dozen area schools are listed as “efficient."

The district says more than 300 schools across the city have fewer students than they should and about 25 are overcrowded. Used in the past to close 50 schools, the report says only about 200 schools have an efficient number of students.

Since citing a “daunting utilization crisis” in 2013, CPS has closed or consolidated dozens of schools — but opponents of the closings say the formula used to review schools is flawed.

Here’s a look at the numbers for Bridgeport-area schools in full:

UNDERUTILIZED

ACE Technical Charter School, which has 439 students, is at 63 percent of capacity

Air Force High School, 328 students, 37 percent

Graham Elementary, 482 students, 44 percent

Sherman School, 321 students, 47 percent

Tilden, 311 students, 16 percent

Beethoven Elementary, 451 students, 50 percent

Dewey, 403 students, 64 percent

Pershing East, 549 students, 61 percent

McClellan, 308 students, 73 percent

Arthur A. Libby, 360 students, 33 percent

Doolittle East, 307 students, 60 percent

Evergreen Academy, 317 students, 75 percent

Richards Career Academy, 276 students, 32 percent

Hamline, 656 students, 78 percent

Armour, 296 students, 62 percent

Holden, 496 students, 75 percent

Hendricks, 245 students, 41 percent

Bronzeville, 448 students, 46 percent

OVERCROWDED

Seward, which has 796 students, is at 140 percent of capacity

Chavez Elementary, 983 students, 205 percent

Healy, 1453 students, 127 percent

Graham High School, 132 students, 159 percent

EFFICIENT

Sheridan, which has 559 students, is at 116 percent of capacity

Back of the Yards High School, 790 students, 82 percent

James Ward, 552 students, 80 percent

Beasley, 1440 students, 104 percent

Hedges, 737 students, 94 percent

Lara Academy, 481 students, 80 percent

Thomas Elementary, 183 students, 101 percent

Haines, 659 students, 96 percent

Daley, 609 students, 81 percent

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