Chicago Public Schools Statistics 2026: Enrollment, Schools & Charts
Chicago Public Schools enrolled 316,224 students on the 20th day of the 2025–26 school year and currently lists 626 schools. Enrollment fell by 9,081 students, or 2.8%, from 2024–25 after two consecutive years of growth.
The 2026–27 K–12 school year begins August 24, 2026, so a 2026–27 20th-day enrollment count is not yet available. The latest official enrollment remains the 2025–26 count, while the 626-school total reflects the current FY2027 school portfolio.
CPS Enrollment and School Statistics
The student total is the official CPS 2025–26 20th-day count. School totals reflect the district's current 2026–27 operating structure.
CPS Enrollment From 2016–17 to 2025–26
The official CPS series covers school-based Pre-K, K–8 and grades 9–12 enrollment across ten fall reporting periods.
Ten-Year CPS Enrollment Trend
Total 20th-day enrollment, FY2017 through FY2026
Enrollment declined from 381,349 in 2016–17 to 316,224 in 2025–26, a net decrease of 65,125 students, or 17.1%.
Enrollment movement since 2016–17
- CPS recorded enrollment declines in seven consecutive years from 2016–17 through 2022–23.
- Enrollment then rose from 321,981 in 2022–23 to 325,305 in 2024–25 before falling to 316,224 in 2025–26.
- The latest decline of 9,081 students reversed the combined gain of 3,324 students recorded during the prior two school years.
Ten Years of Chicago Public Schools Enrollment
K–8 includes kindergarten. School-based Pre-K is reported separately. Annual change compares each total with the preceding row.
| School Year | Pre-K | K–8 | 9–12 | Total | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | 20,673 | 251,623 | 109,053 | 381,349 | Base year | Base year |
| 2017–18 | 19,441 | 244,589 | 107,352 | 371,382 | −9,967 | −2.6% |
| 2018–19 | 17,668 | 237,779 | 105,867 | 361,314 | −10,068 | −2.7% |
| 2019–20 | 17,492 | 232,931 | 104,733 | 355,156 | −6,158 | −1.7% |
| 2020–21 | 11,494 | 223,967 | 105,197 | 340,658 | −14,498 | −4.1% |
| 2021–22 | 15,430 | 210,278 | 104,703 | 330,411 | −10,247 | −3.0% |
| 2022–23 | 16,403 | 203,308 | 102,270 | 321,981 | −8,430 | −2.6% |
| 2023–24 | 17,589 | 203,714 | 101,948 | 323,251 | +1,270 | +0.4% |
| 2024–25 | 17,893 | 206,049 | 101,363 | 325,305 | +2,054 | +0.6% |
| 2025–26 | 16,916 | 200,501 | 98,807 | 316,224 | −9,081 | −2.8% |
Long-run enrollment pattern
- Total enrollment is 65,125 students lower than in 2016–17, a decline of 17.1% across the ten-year series.
- K–8 enrollment fell from 251,623 to 200,501 over the period, a net decrease of 51,122 students.
- High school enrollment fell by 10,246 students over the same period, from 109,053 to 98,807.
Current CPS Enrollment and School Structure
Grade distribution, school governance and demographic measures use the latest CPS reporting periods available for each indicator.
Where CPS Students Are Enrolled by Grade Level
2025–26 official 20th-day enrollment
Grades 1–8 account for 180,461 students, while another 20,040 students are enrolled in kindergarten.
| Grade Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool | 16,916 | 5.3% |
| Kindergarten | 20,040 | 6.3% |
| Grades 1–8 | 180,461 | 57.1% |
| Grades 9–12 | 98,807 | 31.2% |
Grade-level distribution
- Kindergarten plus grades 1–8 total 200,501 students, or about 63.4% of CPS enrollment.
- High school students account for 31.2% of district enrollment.
626 CPS Schools by Governance and Level
Current CPS school count updated for the 2026–27 operating year
District-run schools account for 520 of the 626 schools. CPS also lists 99 charter schools, five contract schools and two SAFE schools.
| Governance | School Type | Elementary | High School | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District-run | Traditional | 420 | 84 | 504 |
| District-run | Options | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| District-run | Specialty | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| District-run | Early Childhood Center | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Charter | Traditional | 45 | 36 | 81 |
| Charter | Options | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| Contract | Traditional | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Contract | Options | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| SAFE | Options | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| All CPS schools | All listed types | 473 | 153 | 626 |
School portfolio distribution
- District-run schools represent about 83.1% of the current 626-school total.
- Charter schools account for 99 schools, including 45 elementary and 54 high schools.
- High schools make up 153 of the 626 schools, while 473 are classified in the CPS elementary-school grouping.
Why the CPS School Count Moved From 630 to 626
FY2026 budget materials reported 630 schools. CPS FY2027 materials and the current Stats and Facts page report 626.
| School Type | FY2026 | FY2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional district | 498 | 504 | +6 |
| Charter | 108 | 99 | −9 |
| Contract | 6 | 5 | −1 |
| District specialty | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| District Options | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| SAFE | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 630 | 626 | −4 |
What changed in the school count
- The traditional district-school count rises by six while the charter count falls by nine and the contract-school count falls by one.
- The combined changes produce a net reduction of four schools, from 630 in FY2026 to 626 in FY2027.
CPS Student Demographics in 2025–26
Race and ethnicity shares and student-group measures are reported by CPS for the same 2025–26 enrollment population.
Race and Ethnicity
| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| Latinx | 46.4% |
| Black/African American | 34.3% |
| White | 11.8% |
| Asian | 4.9% |
| Multi-Racial | 1.9% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 0.4% |
| Not Available | 0.2% |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1% |
| Middle Eastern/Northern African | 0.0% |
Reported Student Groups
| Indicator | Share |
|---|---|
| Economically disadvantaged | 71.8% |
| English Learners | 27.3% |
| Students with disabilities | 17.3% |
CPS FY2027 budget materials report 86,172 English Learners and 227,119 economically disadvantaged students within the 2025–26 enrollment population.
What the CPS Data Shows
The recent decline differs from the prior two-year movement, and its grade-level composition can be separated using the district's official enrollment series.
Two Years of Growth Ended
CPS enrollment increased by a combined 3,324 students between 2022–23 and 2024–25. The 2025–26 count then fell by 9,081 students, moving the total below the 2022–23 level.
K–8 Accounted for Most of the Latest Decline
K–8 enrollment declined by 5,548 students from 2024–25 to 2025–26. That represents about 61.1% of the district's total 9,081-student decline. High school enrollment fell by 2,556 and school-based Pre-K by 977.
School Count and Enrollment Use Different Periods
The 626-school figure reflects the current FY2027 school portfolio. The 316,224 student figure is the FY2026 20th-day enrollment count. A 2026–27 20th-day enrollment total cannot be substituted before that count is collected.
Teacher Count Is Not a Student-Teacher Ratio
CPS reports 23,027 teachers as a unique employee count. Dividing total enrollment by that figure would not reproduce an official classroom student-teacher ratio because staffing measures may use FTE definitions and different coverage rules.
Data Sources and Measurement
Primary source for 2025–26 20th-day enrollment, current school count, elementary and high school totals, grade distribution, student demographics, teachers and employee counts.
Source for the FY2017–FY2026 enrollment series, 2025–26 student-group counts, FY2027 school totals and changes in the school portfolio between FY2026 and FY2027.
Source for the 2026–27 school-year timing. K–12 classes begin August 24, 2026, and Pre-K begins August 25, 2026.
Federal district reference for Chicago Public Schools District 299, NCES District ID 1709930. CCD enrollment, staffing and school-directory releases follow federal reporting cycles and should not be substituted for CPS 20th-day figures without aligning the reporting period and coverage.
Enrollment definition: The primary total of 316,224 is the CPS 20th-day enrollment for 2025–26. The historical table uses CPS's FY2017–FY2026 series and separates school-based Pre-K, K–8 and grades 9–12.
School definition: The 626-school total includes district-run, charter, contract and SAFE schools that meet the CPS definition of a school. Alternative Learning Opportunities Programs are reported separately by CPS and are not added to the 626-school total.
School-count period: CPS FY2026 materials listed 630 schools. FY2027 materials list 626 after a net reduction of four across school types. The current CPS Stats and Facts page also reports 626.
Reporting periods: Academic-year enrollment, fiscal-year school counts and federal CCD releases are distinct reporting products. Values from these sources are not treated as if they describe the same measurement date.
Rounding: Displayed percentages follow CPS published values. Calculated percentage changes in the historical table are rounded to one decimal place.
The 2026–27 K–12 school year begins on August 24, 2026. Until CPS completes and publishes the new 20th-day count, the official 2025–26 enrollment of 316,224 remains the latest comparable district enrollment figure.