CPS Releases 20th-Day Enrollment, Attendance Data

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CHICAGO - Chicago Public Schools (CPS) presented student enrollment and attendance data Thursday following the District's review and analysis of 20th-day Districtwide data collected Sept. 21 for the 2026-27 school year.
The District's analysis indicates that CPS enrollment has declined by just over 11,500 students since last year to 304,687 students. Despite the drop, the District appears to have returned to its third-place ranking among large school districts, behind New York, and Los Angeles.

"Chicago Public Schools is not alone in confronting the demographic changes reshaping enrollment in urban school districts across the country," said CPS CEO/Superintendent Dr. Macquline King. "While the number of students we serve has changed, our responsibility has not: Every child in every neighborhood deserves the staff, services and learning opportunities needed to thrive. Our needs-based funding approach is designed to ensure schools have a strong foundation of resources while directing additional support to students and communities with the greatest needs."

The data reflects long-term demographic patterns affecting Chicago, Illinois, and urban public school systems across the country that have seen declines ranging from six percent to 20 percent of enrollment between 2014 and 2024. Contributing factors include declining birth rates; changes in international, domestic and local migration; housing affordability; movement from urban areas to suburban communities or Sunbelt metro areas; and shifts in national immigration and refugee-resettlement policies.

Nationally, births declined by an average of two percent annually between 2015 and 2020, while the general fertility rate fell 23 percent between 2007 and 2020, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In Chicago, births declined 37 percent between 2010 and 2023, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.

Illinois has also experienced a significant statewide student enrollment decline. Illinois State Board of Education data show statewide public-school enrollment has declined by nearly 180,000 between 2017 and 2025.

Student Population Trends

Preliminary analysis shows that the overall racial and ethnic composition of CPS has remained relatively stable, even as enrollment continues to decline among Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American students. Hispanic/Latino students represent approximately 46 percent of the CPS student population, followed by Black/African American students at approximately 35 percent.

The preliminary data also suggest a continued increase in the number of students with Individualized Education Programs which has grown by about 4.9 percent since School Year 2025 and now makes up 18.4 percent of the student population. Data from the first four weeks of school show a decrease in the numbers of students identified as low income, English Learners, and students in temporary living situations. However, the beginning of the school year is a critical time to update statuses for students in these groups and, based on historical trends, these numbers are expected to rise. Each group still represents a large portion of the student population; students from low-income families make up 69 percent of the total student population while English Learners make up more than a quarter of students at 26 percent.

Enrollment shifts vary substantially by community area. The Lower West Side experienced the largest preliminary decline, at nearly 53 percent, followed by South Lawndale at approximately 42 percent and Avondale at approximately 40 percent decline. Brighton Park, Gage Park and McKinley Park experienced declines ranging from approximately 35 percent to 38 percent.

At the same time, several community areas recorded enrollment growth. Preliminary data show increases in O'Hare, up 29 percent; the Loop, up 28 percent; and Lincoln Park, up 19 percent. The Near North Side, Kenwood and North Center also experienced growth, ranging from approximately 8 percent to 15 percent.

The District remains under a school closure moratorium until the end of the 2026-27 school year.

Attendance
Districtwide student attendance, while down 0.2 percentage points from the 2025-26 school year, remains above the 2024-25 school year by 0.1 percentage points, to 92.4 percent as of the 20th day of school. A few notable observations from the data include:

Based on the first 20 days of the current school year, attendance has improved (by 0.1 percentage points) among elementary students compared with the same period last year, while high school attendance has declined (0.8 percentage points). Year-over-year attendance has slightly decreased for Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and Multiracial students but increased for White students and Asian students.

Attendance has slightly decreased across all priority groups (low-income, English language learners, students with IEPs, students in temporary living situations) from the previous school year, although students with IEPs still have a higher attendance rate than two years ago.

Overall, the data reflects a small decrease in attendance across the District, with several groups remaining above levels seen for the same time period in School Year 2025.

Resources Follow Student Needs
CPS uses enrollment and attendance data to help ensure schools and students receive the services, staffing and resources they need. Enrollment is an important planning factor, but it is not the sole determinant of a school's resource needs.

As student populations shift, a school may serve fewer students overall while also enrolling a greater proportion of students who require intensive academic, behavioral, social-emotional, language or disability-related support. CPS continues to see evolving student needs associated with pandemic recovery, earlier identification of learning differences and the delivery of specialized services.

In 2024, CPS moved from a student-based budgeting model to a needs-based funding approach. The model guarantees foundational staffing and resources for every school while providing additional investments based on student needs and programs, including supports for English Learners, students with disabilities and students requiring social-emotional services.

This approach is intended to ensure that school budgets reflect the needs of the students each school serves-not solely its total enrollment.

CPS remains committed to providing every student with a high-quality education and an equitable opportunity to succeed.
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