James B McPherson Elementary School
CPS selective (SEES) · PK,K-8
At a glance
44% of students met or exceeded standards on the 2025 IAR - in the top 20% of CPS elementary schools with published results (ISBE Report Card 2025). 23% of students were chronically absent in 2025 - below what's typical for CPS elementary schools (ISBE Report Card 2025). 32% of students with IEPs spend most of the school day in general classrooms - below what's typical for CPS elementary schools (ISBE Report Card 2025). In 2024–25, 476 applications were recorded for 25 offers (GoCPS, 2024–25 school year - the most recent seat data SchoolNav has).
- Cultural fit
- 23% of students were chronically absent in 2025 - below what's typical for CPS elementary schools (ISBE Report Card 2025). Family involvement was rated ‘Strong’ on the 5Essentials survey (5Essentials spring 2024 survey - benchmarked levels relative to Illinois statewide, spring 2013, not percentages).
- Academic performance
- 44% of students met or exceeded standards on the 2025 IAR - in the top 20% of CPS elementary schools with published results (ISBE Report Card 2025). Adjusted for low-income share, results sit in the lower quarter of CPS schools with published IAR results (adjusted view, disclosed method - ISBE Report Card 2025).
- Academic fit
- 84% of teachers stayed from one year to the next - about what's typical for CPS elementary schools (ISBE Report Card 2025). Average class size is 25.3; about 12.2 students per teacher, computed from all-teacher staffing (ISBE Report Card 2025).
Computed from published data with its source and year on every clause - a description, never a grade. How the adjusted view works
Basics
- Address
- 4728 N WOLCOTT AVE
- Neighborhood
- Lincoln Square
- Phone
- (773)534-2625
- Hours
- Unknown - not verified yet
- Website
- https://mcpherson.cps.edu
- Climate survey
- Involved families
- Strong
- Supportive environment
- Neutral
- Ambitious instruction
- Neutral
- Effective leaders
- Neutral
- Collaborative teachers
- Neutral
- Safety (student-reported)
- Weak
- Overall organization
- Organized
UChicago 5Essentials levels from the spring 2024 survey (CPS Progress Reports SY2425, verified 2026-09-16) - benchmarked categories relative to Illinois statewide, spring 2013, not percentages. A school can answer mostly positively and still rate below the benchmark typical.
Full 2024 report (UChicago)- the survey these levels come from·2026 report- newer survey, new benchmark
5Essentials - the latest survey in detail
Parent Involvement in School, Human & Social Resources in the Community, and Student Responsibility are rated above the CPS average; Teacher-Principal Trust, Collaborative Practices, and Reflective Dialogue are rated below it this year.
From the 2026 CPS 5Essentials survey (25-26). Scores are benchmarked 1–99 (not percentages) - higher is stronger, and each is shown against the CPS average that same year. This is a newer survey on a different benchmark than the component levels above, so the two aren’t directly comparable.
Show all measures ▸Hide measures ▾
Ambitious Instruction
47 ▼ below the CPS average (56)- Academic Press· students-reported44 ▼ below the CPS average (53)
- English Instruction· students-reported44 ▼ below the CPS average (59)
- Math Instruction· students-reported54 ▬ about the CPS average (57)
- Quality of Student Discussion· teachers-reported47 ▼ below the CPS average (53)
Supportive Environment
47 ▼ below the CPS average (51)- Academic Personalism· students-reported36 ▼ below the CPS average (51)
- Peer Support for Academic Work· students-reported52 ▬ about the CPS average (53)
- Safety· students-reported51 ▬ about the CPS average (48)
- Student-Teacher Trust· students-reported48 ▬ about the CPS average (50)
Collaborative Teachers
40 ▼ below the CPS average (52)- Collaborative Practices· teachers-reported37 ▼ below the CPS average (57)
- Collective Responsibility· teachers-reported30 ▼ below the CPS average (48)
- Quality Professional Development· teachers-reported45 ▼ below the CPS average (56)
- School Commitment· teachers-reported45 ▬ about the CPS average (48)
- Teacher-Teacher Trust· teachers-reported43 ▼ below the CPS average (51)
Effective Leaders
34 ▼ below the CPS average (52)- Instructional Leadership· teachers-reported39 ▼ below the CPS average (55)
- Program Coherence· teachers-reported34 ▼ below the CPS average (53)
- Teacher Influence· teachers-reported38 ▼ below the CPS average (52)
- Teacher-Principal Trust· teachers-reported24 ▼ below the CPS average (48)
Involved Families
58 ▲ above the CPS average (53)- Parent Influence on Decision Making in Schools· teachers-reported57 ▬ about the CPS average (57)
- Parent Involvement in School· teachers-reported65 ▲ above the CPS average (49)
- Teacher-Parent Trust· teachers-reported53 ▬ about the CPS average (52)
Supplemental measures
Additional survey topics UChicago reports outside the five core measures.
- Academic Engagement· students-reported43 ▼ below the CPS average (57)
- Classroom Disruptions· teachers-reported50 ▬ about the CPS average (48)
- Classroom Rigor· students-reported48 ▼ below the CPS average (53)
- Course Clarity· students-reported45 ▼ below the CPS average (54)
- Emotional Health· students-reported55 ▬ about the CPS average (55)
- Human & Social Resources in the Community· students-reported55 ▲ above the CPS average (47)
- Innovation· teachers-reported37 ▼ below the CPS average (52)
- Inquiry-Based Science Instruction· students-reported61 ▬ about the CPS average (59)
- Parent Supportiveness· students-reported37 ▼ below the CPS average (48)
- Reflective Dialogue· teachers-reported34 ▼ below the CPS average (54)
- Rigorous Study Habits· students-reported45 ▬ about the CPS average (48)
- School Connectedness· students-reported54 ▬ about the CPS average (53)
- School Safety· students-reported59 ▲ above the CPS average (54)
- Socialization of New Teachers· teachers-reported33 ▼ below the CPS average (47)
- Student Peer Relationships· students-reported53 ▬ about the CPS average (54)
- Student Responsibility· teachers-reported54 ▲ above the CPS average (47)
- Teacher Safety· teachers-reported48 ▼ below the CPS average (53)
UChicago Consortium — the 2026 cycle (school year 25-26) is re-benchmarked to spring 2024 (SY25+); it is NOT level-comparable to the spring-2013-benchmarked component levels shown elsewhere.
Programs (1)
| Program | Entry grades | How seats are offered | Test required | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Regional Gifted Center (K) Selective enrollment | K | Screening | Yes | CPS-published · verified Jul 2026 |
Cutoff history
What it took to receive an initial offer here in each cycle CPS has published - by tier for Selective Enrollment, and on the citywide points line for points-based Choice programs. History is context - it can’t predict a future cutoff.
| Cycle | Rank min | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 242.5 | 152.5 | 182.5 | 222.5 | 235 | CPS-published · verified Jul 2026 |
| 2025-26 | 247.5 | - | 205 | 212.5 | 235 | CPS-published · verified Jul 2026 |
| 2024-25 | 245 | 162.5 | 182.5 | 210 | 237.5 | CPS-published · verified Jul 2026 |
Minimum point totals from CPS’s published initial offers - waitlist movement can lower what it actually took, and cutoffs move year to year. Within the current-test cycles above, a tier’s minimum has shifted by as much as 22.5 points from one cycle to the next - treat any single year as a snapshot, not a target.
Parent questions & conversation
What parents and people who know this school are asking, answering, and talking about - their own words, experiences and opinions rather than verified facts.
Parent notes on this school are visible to signed-in Chicago families. Sign in to read and ask.
SchoolNav is not affiliated with CPS. Details change - each fact above shows when it was last verified. Application decisions should always be confirmed in GoCPS.