Blaine Elementary School

1420 West Grace Street

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 30, 2022

Dear parents, please stop opting your kids out of the IAR test. The low IAR participation rate is what is leading to such a low score for Blaine on this website. This website's scores are used on the redfin website (and probably other similar sites) so these low scores could impact your and my house value. My two kids are proud alums of Blaine, and we all know this isn't an accurate representation of the quality of our school.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2020

Best in class school with experienced teaching staff, good mannered children and amazing parent / community involvement.
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2020

Blaine Elementary is anchored by The Southport Corridor- the community begins to feel like a college town. The school experience incorporates art, music and exceptional learning. Interventions are made for kids falling behind and kids jumping ahead. Teachers work across grades as teams and are happy to be at work. Administration listens to students and makes adjustments- things as small as adding more time for kids to get in and out of recess and lunch are huge to students!
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2020

10/10! We have loved our experience for the past 6 years. Both of my children thrive in such a great environment.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2020

LOVE THIS SCHOOL!I have 2 children at Blaine and I cannot say enough good things about this school. I have a 5th and 8th grader at Blaine this year. Our principal, Andrew Russell, is amazing. Staff, students, and families adore him. My youngest son is in 5th and loves his school. He thrives in the rigorous academic setting at Blaine. He is challenged and performs above grade level because of his amazing teachers. The new amazing STEM lab has really helped to foster his interest in science!My oldest son will be graduating from Blaine this Spring. He started Blaine in Kindergarten and we are so grateful for the wonderful education he has received. He has autism and has grown beyond our expectations because of the incredible environment at Blaine. The administration has made special education a priority. They have hired the top DL teachers and SECAs to support DL students. My son's peers have been very supportive of him and we have had not a single incidence of bullying. My son has had a wonderful 9 years at Blaine and we are beyond thankful.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2019

We explored private and selective enrollment. Our children received offers from many of the top schools, however, after serious due diligence we determined that Blaine was a much better all choice - top notch academics, amazing teachers and a strong community of parents and kids who care about the school and each other.
Submitted by parent on August 05, 2018

This school is awesome! There are so many ways to get involved & the parents are a very fun group. The teachers are wonderful & kind. Our children have gone through Blaine from day one & are in top ranked colleges & high schools. It’s a great community!
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2018

Great school would recommend to anybody !
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2018

No school is perfect. This school is as close as it gets. We have attended a different School. It is was like night and day between them. The Blaine staff works non-stop and really cares, and I mean everyone from the beautiful Ms. Janet in the lunchroom to Ms. Echo in the office. The teachers work all day with these kids and may coach or run a club after school. Also, many teach in the summer. And they all seem genuinely kind hearted. The school itself is a city school. Old and small. But they make it work. I would give it a 9 out of 10.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2018

We have loved every minute at Blaine it will be a sad day when we have to leave i now have 2 there and they love everyone
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2017

This school has been fantastic. I can't say enough good things about the community and the staff!
Submitted by parent on July 07, 2017

This is an amazing school. As a masters level professor at University of Chicago I know what top-notch teaching requires and I am confident that Blaine excels on all levels. I send my children to Blaine and could not be happier. I read some of the negative posts and it seems that the same unhappy person keeps posting repeatedly. I am sorry to see this.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2017

There are some good teachers but mostly teachers that are just doing their job. The bullying in this school comes from administration towards the students. They have favorites, fake sincerity and it is easy for your child to get lost in the mix and just be another kid with many classrooms around 30. No update on how your child is doing, but you do get 10 mins for parent/teacher conferences. They push the kids for the scores, but this is a school that makes you feel like they are creating robots, unless you're in the parent clique.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2017

We are only in PreK but we have LOVED the school so far. Two teachers in the classroom, great communication and excellent parent and community involvement.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2016

I am puzzled when I read reviews of the "good old days" at Blaine and its declining performance. That's not what I have seen during the past 9 years. I saw an older, dedicated old-style principal who did a good job replaced by a younger dynamic brilliant principal. A principal who has pushed the school to the top and kept it there. I have seen a first rate education for my kids. And I have seen a small minority of students who dress in a disrespectful fashion and who don't seem to "get it". And I have seen the administration move with strength against these students. And I have seen the great, and uncalled for, resentment of about 4 8th grade parents. One of mine is leaving Blaine this year and going on to High School. We will miss Blaine, the teachers and the administration. The one thing that we will not miss are "the mean girls" and most particularly their parents.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2016

The principal is just out to make a political name for himself, and it's true, once you hit the middle school grades-it's all down hill from there. So happy this is our last year here!
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2015

Saw the principal has done another op-ed in the Chicago Tribune. the CPS budget cuts are bad. But maybe he should think about cutting back on the bloated administrative positions: a principal and two vice principals are not required for a school this size. Perhaps his biggest fear is that budget cuts may require him to actually do his job as principal instead of having taxpayers fund his political aspirations.
Submitted by other on June 24, 2015

In response to the 6/6 poster: I can't speak to whether there has been a dramatic change at Blaine or not in the past four years since Principal LaRaviere took over. But I can attest the quality of the middle school is substandard -- across the board in science, math and reading. Whatever was inherited, there has been plenty of time to make improvements and he has not.
Submitted by other on June 06, 2015

The recent comments posted about Blaine are overly exaggerated and I think many are written by the same family or friends within the same group. Although I can't speak to the comments about the 8th grade dress concerns, I can speak to the comments about the elementary school and early middle school and will say the elementary school continues to be excellent and the middle school is better than it was a few years ago. I have been a Blaine parent for over 6 years with 3 children in attendance. With both my husband and I working full-time, I am not one of the more active parents but try to do what I can. The strength of this school has always been the community, the student base and the supportive, intelligent, and caring parents. As much as people have tried to comment that there has been this DRAMATIC change since Troy Laraviere took over, the Blaine community is largely the same as it has been. Proof is in the real estate market. Inventory is low as families have not fled and to the contrary, homes being built continue to attract families with professional backgrounds and a high concern for education. I do agree that the current principal is overly political and would prefer he stay more focused on Blaine, and not espousing his personal points of view. However, he continues to staff a strong and talented group of teachers. The teachers have always and continue to be the other strength of Blaine. Face it, the school is in a great neighborhood, attended by well behaved students with parents who are willing to support classroom learning both with their time and donations. This is very attractive for teachers, which is why Blaine attracts the best and brightest. Prior to Laraviere, the principal at the school was weak for reasons very different than Laraviere. But fortunately, the strong parent community and teacher have made this school one of the top in the city. I have loved having my kids attend Blaine and have enjoyed our fellow Blaine families. The families I know who are not happy and who I am guessing have written many of these reviews, generally complain about a lot of things and I doubt will be happy at their next school either.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2015

When my brood started at Blaine a few years back, it was the #1 non-selective elementary in Chicago. Hawthorne has since surpassed. Blaine is definitely trending in the wrong direction. There are many wonderful teachers there, but many bad ones too (beware the middle school!) Maybe if the principal just spent a little more time on managing the school than on a political agenda...