Prescott Elementary is in the top 10 percent of Illinois public schools for academic performance

Prescott receives highest “Exemplary” rating on 2022 Illinois Report Card

CHICAGO (October 27, 2022) – William H. Prescott Elementary School has received the highest “Exemplary” rating on the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2022 Illinois Report Card because Prescott is in the top ten percent of all public schools in Illinois for academic performance. It is one of seventeen Chicago public schools – and one of only four schools within a four-mile radius – to earn the rating.

Prescott is a neighborhood K-8 CPS school with a strong arts program, rigorous curriculum focused on accelerated science, math and English learning, and an emphasis on social and emotional learning and restorative practices. 

“Receiving an Exemplary rating on the Illinois Report Card is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated teachers, staff, families and students at Prescott,” said Prescott Elementary Principal Dr. Erin Roche. “Through our passionate teachers, our rigorous, inquiry-focused curriculum, and strong community support, we will continue our commitment to academic excellence so that all of our students can develop an enthusiasm for lifelong learning.”

The Illinois State Board of Education’s Exemplary designation is given to schools whose performance is in the top ten percent of schools statewide as measured by the multi-measures accountability index, and in which no student demographic groups performed at or below the level of the “all students” group in the lowest five percent of all schools, and which has a graduation rate greater than 67 percent. 

“At Prescott, our approach to teaching English Language Arts is rigorous and culturally responsive. Each year, a typical middle schooler reads 40 books – roughly 10,000 pages! – of complex text, and they talk about what they’re reading with each other in book clubs and in individual presentations and conversations,” said Prescott 6-7th grade English Language Arts (ELA) Teacher Tayler Showalter. “I’m always impressed by how hungry students are to talk with each other about an author’s craft, to provide each other with specific feedback during writing, and to create artful representations of their learning at the end of each quarter. They are creating a tight-knit community that is centered in joy and togetherness.”

Nationwide, students’ academic growth slowed considerably during the pandemic. Prescott’s students, however, continued to make steady academic progress. In 2022, Prescott’s English Language Arts growth was in the 64th percentile and all subgroups were above the 50th growth percentile of all schools in Illinois. In 2022, Prescott’s math growth was in the 65th percentile overall and all subgroups were at the 50th percentile of all schools in Illinois. View Prescott’s full 2022 Illinois Report Card profile at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/School.aspx?source=trends&Schoolid=150162990252410. 

Since 2010, Prescott has grown tremendously from a low-performing school on the brink of shutting its doors permanently to a thriving community that proudly attained the prestigious recognition with the 2019 National Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education. 

Prescott’s mission is to nurture creative minds and caring hearts that contribute significantly to their communities through anti-racist curriculum and culturally-relevant pedagogy, rich and rigorous academic experiences that are tailored to individual needs, divergent thinking and artistic expression, and team collaboration.

To learn more about Prescott, tour the school or register to attend, please visit https://prescottparents.com/. 

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✅Learn more about Prescott by touring our school on Tuesday, November 1 at 9am. Details at https://prescottparents.com/virtual-tour/. 

✅Want to attend Prescott, and live outside our neighborhood boundaries? Apply through GoCPS by December 2 at 5pm: https://www.cps.edu/GoCPS.