Posted Jan. 23, 2008: CPS officials plan to announce the next round of school closings and restructurings Thursday afternoon. In recent statements, Mayor Daley and Schools CEO Arne Duncan have indicated that the district will close or consolidate under-enrolled schools—as many as 50 over the next five years—to save money. School officials say students would be moved to nearby schools with more programming options.
According to district data from February 2007, 56 elementary schools were operating at 40 percent of capacity or below, which is the district’s threshold for classifying schools as underutilized. Most are on the city’s South and West sides.
The district uses a different method for calculating high school capacity. Those figures are not included here.
| School | Neighborhood | Enrollment | Percent Utilized |
| MORTON | Humboldt Park | 412 | 40% |
| KING | Near West Side | 351 | 40% |
| ARIEL | Kenwood | 429 | 40% |
| WILLIAMS MULTIPLEX | Douglas | 274 | 40% |
| WOODSON SOUTH | Grand Boulevard | 509 | 39% |
| MORGAN | Auburn Gresham | 392 | 39% |
| MCCORKLE | Grand Boulevard | 279 | 39% |
| MITCHELL | West Town | 237 | 39% |
| LAFAYETTE | West Town | 662 | 38% |
| LATHROP | North Lawndale | 389 | 38% |
| MASON* | North Lawndale | 708 | 38% |
| JACKSON, MAHALIA | Auburn Gresham | 382 | 38% |
| NICHOLSON | Englewood | 472 | 38% |
| DELANO | West Garfield Park | 532 | 38% |
| PARKER | Englewood | 686 | 37% |
| PEABODY | West Town | 278 | 37% |
| BEETHOVEN | Grand Boulevard | 500 | 37% |
| THORP, J N | South Chicago | 593 | 37% |
| GOLDBLATT | West Garfield Park | 378 | 37% |
| SCHNEIDER | North Center | 180 | 36% |
| BRIGHT | South Deering | 339 | 36% |
| GREGORY | East Garfield Park | 430 | 36% |
| DETT | Near West Side | 386 | 36% |
| DUMAS | Woodlawn | 439 | 36% |
| YALE | Greater Grand Crossing | 320 | 36% |
| PARKMAN | Fuller Park | 274 | 35% |
| SMYTH | Near West Side | 570 | 35% |
| PRESCOTT | Lincoln Park | 209 | 35% |
| REED | Englewood | 340 | 34% |
| HAMILTON | Lake View | 222 | 34% |
| KERSHAW | Englewood | 256 | 33% |
| BETHUNE | East Garfield Park | 343 | 33% |
| WADSWORTH** | Woodlawn | 362 | 33% |
| ATTUCKS | Douglas | 380 | 32% |
| CHALMERS | North Lawndale | 294 | 32% |
| ALBANY PARK | North Park | 288 | 32% |
| MARSHALL MIDDLE | Irving Park | 406 | 32% |
| CARVER MIDDLE | Riverdale | 296 | 32% |
| SCHILLER | Near North Side | 277 | 31% |
| PENN | North Lawndale | 432 | 31% |
| BROWN, W | Near West Side | 260 | 30% |
| BRENNEMANN | Uptown | 330 | 30% |
| CARVER PRIMARY | Riverdale | 408 | 30% |
| NIA*** | Near West Side | 48 | 29% |
| FARADAY | East Garfield Park | 308 | 29% |
| FERMI | South Shore | 341 | 28% |
| CHOPIN | West Town | 272 | 28% |
| ALDRIDGE | Riverdale | 214 | 27% |
| MEDILL | Near West Side | 209 | 27% |
| PRICE | Kenwood | 299 | 26% |
| CARPENTER | West Town | 356 | 26% |
| POPE | North Lawndale | 182 | 25% |
| BURKE | Washington Park | 227 | 24% |
| CATHER | East Garfield Park | 248 | 24% |
| PERSHING WEST | Douglas | 253 | 20% |
| ABBOTT | Armour Square | 127 | 12% |
* Shares building with Legacy Charter
** Shares building with University of Chicago Charter High
*** Part of the Cregier Multiplex at Cregier Campus
NOTES: The list does not include charter schools. Some buildings may be sharing space with more than one school. The district checks school utilization data only periodically.
SOURCES: Chicago Public Schools Office of Demographics and Planning.