The CPS Annual Regional Analysis (ARA) is a collection of reports that have been created to support conversations with communities and stakeholders. These reports provide data that helps answer questions about who attends CPS schools, where do students enroll, what programs do CPS schools offer, and is the district meeting family and community needs.
Updated yearly, the ARA presents CPS data in one place and does not make recommendations or suggestions for action. Instead, these reports are designed to empower stakeholders with the information they need to ask questions and advocate for the types of schools they want in their communities. In doing so, the ARA supports CPS's goal of ensuring that every student in every neighborhood receives a high-quality education.
Stakeholders are encouraged to review this information to understand current school quality, enrollment patterns, school choice options, and program offerings at the district level and across the 16 Chicago regions.
Structure & Organization
The ARA consists of a district report and 16 regional reports. The City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development created boundaries for regions based on housing and employment research. Natural borders such as rivers and train lines divide each region. These borders are likely considerations for families when selecting a school. The ARA uses these regions since they are more consistent than city wards or school networks.
The ARA includes all CPS schools, including traditional neighborhood schools, Charter schools, Selective Enrollment, Magnet, Special Education, Specialty, and Options High Schools.
Maps
Region Map
The Central Area region's boundaries are, generally, Division Street on the north, Lake Michigan on the east, the Stevenson Expressway on the south, and by North Halsted Street and the Kennedy / Dan Ryan Expressway on the west.
It consists primarily of three community areas – the Loop, Near North Side, and Near South Side and includes portions of Armour Square, Lower West Side, and Near West Side. Although it is one of the smallest geographic regions, the region contains the highest density of residential and commercial space and includes Chicago's central business district.
It contains parts of 10 wards, 19 neighborhoods, and 8 community areas. It is served by 29 CTA train stops and 9 Metra stops.
* Denotes Options/alternative or special education specialty school
School Type
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
Racial/Ethnic Composition
In the Central Area region over the last four years, the number of students who identify as Black has decreased.
In the region's student population over the last four years, the majority of students identify as Black, with the percent of students identifying as Black decreasing from 32% to 31%, while the percentage of students identifying as Asian decreased from 31% to 24%.
The region is generally diverse with the southeast portion near Bronzeville / South Lakefront being primarily students that identify as Black and the southwest portion near Greater Stockyards being primarily students that identify as Asian.
Race/Ethnicity Composition Over Time
Race/Ethnicity Composition Over Time
NOTE: This map combines the racial/ethnic identity of students who live in each area (hexagon) of the region. The design of this map protects individual student’s identities while displaying the distribution of race/ethnicity and student density in the region.
The legend shows how the colors associated with each racial/ethnic identity blend together. Areas (hexagons) that show more of one color than another have a higher density of that racial/ethnic identity. Areas with no distinct color are more diverse.
Free and Reduced Lunch Rates
In the past four years, the percentage of students qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) has increased from 38% to 42%. The percentage of students qualifying for FRL in the region remains lower than the overall district percentage of 71%. 1, 2
The Central Area region primarily includes areas with high median household income with some areas with lower median income in the southwest part of the region.3
Free and Reduced Lunch Rate Over Time
Free and Reduced Lunch Rate Over Time
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
1Before 2015, CPS relied on the Nutrition Services department to administer, communicate, and collect the FRL forms. When the federal lunch program was expanded to all students, CPS needed to administer a separate “Fee Waiver Form” that replaced the FRL form. As fee waivers continue to be collected throughout the school year, the percentage of qualifying students increases.
2FRL data is from the 20th day of each school year. Data from school years 2020-21 and 2021-22 was impacted in part by the COVID-19 global pandemic and the ability to administer and collect FRL forms during remote learning.
3The Median Household Income map uses data that the U.S. Census collects annually from all of the households in a given area (census tract). The median income is the midpoint, where 50% of households in the area have incomes higher than this point, and 50% have incomes lower than this point. The median provides a fair representation of income without being influenced by extreme values, such as households reporting no income or those with income much higher than their neighbors.
The income categories used in the Median Household Income map and shown in the map legend reflect the use of “natural breaks.” Natural breaks create groupings of similar data points and divide groups where the data points are the least similar. This method balances the number of values in each group so that one group is not over or underrepresented. By using natural breaks, the income groups should more accurately reflect how Chicagoans view different income levels.