Coonley Elementary School

4046 North Leavitt Street

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
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 June 04, 2024

I know many of these comments are negative, but I genuinely feel like the teachers and administration cares for the students. The neighborhood is safe and the students aren't perfect, but what would you expect from middle schoolers with raging hormones. They have lots of staff and accommodate students with special needs and 504 plans. The school has amazing enrichments like drama, music, art, dance and two gym classes. The wonderful enrichment teachers pull off a great musical every year because of our amazing performing arts program and invested teachers. Mental health care is amazing with lots of counselors and staff ready to listen to children. I think this is a standard in CPS schools, but no matter what free lunches are provided every day for all students. The school always has supplies and all students have chromebooks or iPads to do work on. I think that Coonley is a great school and the people complaining in these comments are whiny rich parents that grew up in snooty private schools. It's not run like a prison, it's run like a wonderful and privileged school.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2024

We have been a Coonley family since 2015. We will not be returning next year. The culture at this school has gone down considerably since the new administration took over. What was once a supportive community school has become a prison like institution with a strong and rigid administration and reduced learning and fun for the students. We have dealt with uncaring teachers, unresolved student body issues, reduction of resources, declining emphasis on holistic learning, and increased focus on rule following and test scores. The new administration has effectively sucked every last ounce of childhood out of that building. We have decided not to return because our once beloved school presently feels like just another CPS fail. I’m sure the bottom line looks great (I hear that’s why the former principle was ousted- he spent too much money on the kids and someone needed to come in and fix it) and diversity song horns are pleased that the school has leveled down so as to more closely mirror those low CPS standards, but personally I find it unsettling and appalling and sad. If you are forced to send your child to Coonley, I encourage you to have open communication with them about their day to day experiences and foster relationships with the handful of shining star teachers (shout out Ms. Morgan and Mr. W) who are wonderful remnants of Coonley past.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2024

I am pulling my kid because of bullying. The school is run like a prison, and the principal lacks leadership skills.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2024

After reading some of these other reviews, I have to agree. My son has been bullied for years, and it’s been at its worst since the administration changed. Bullying has gotten so bad that they had to bring in a BHT (behavioral health team) and a dean. It’s STILL being poorly managed. I could say more, but don’t want to reveal too much. Take a look though: since this administration took over, how many teachers have left? How many families have pulled their students from the school? That speaks VOLUMES. My son’s class started with 24 kids in August and are now at 19. About to be 18 any day now…I DO NOT recommend.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2023

Our kids have been at Coonley for 7 years. The District needs to investigate the changes happening since the change in principal and vice principal. Many bad changes and now they hired a Dean of Students. What has been happening that warrants a Dean in grade school is necessary. There used to be 2 people in admin and now 7. Plus an additional security guard. The librarian was fired to hire another security guard. Really! Used to have a great non-profit local after-school program. Principle decided to use a profit company that is more expensive and doesn't care about the kids.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2023

Great community but this has been on the decline. We have had kids at this school for 5 years, but we pulled all of our kids out to put them in private schools. So this is not just a rant but a vote with my pocketbook. Some teachers are great and some should never teach again in their life! The 3 major problems we had are; one bad teacher who did not want to teach, a heavy focus on equality vs education, and the craziness of CTU. This is sad because this school is why we moved here.
Submitted by parent on December 30, 2022

My son was bullied and picked on constantly by his teacher. It was the worst year in our child’s life. We cried after school. I have PTSD after that year and so does my son. We were constantly told how problematic our son was. His teacher would physically push him. We switched to a different (private) school and my child is thriving and happy, he’s in a school council and I haven’t heard one negative thing. Coonley treats parents like kids and kids like adults. Stay away if you can…
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2022

Prior to the change of leadership, I would have given Coonley 5 stars and more. Coonley used to be a wonderful learning environment supported by a warm community. All of that has changed with the new leadership. The attitude towards the student body is that they are presumed guilty and must fight to show they are worthy of respectful treatment from the administration. The administration fights with the teachers, the teachers are divided into camps, the parents are divided into camps. The students and their learning experience seem to be no one's priority. Not surprisingly, recent test scores show that students of color and learning challenges are fairing worse year over year than their white counterparts. This is not an administration that puts the needs of students first. The principal is rigid and an alarmist. They hide behind "policies" instead of demonstrating seasoned and prudent leadership. Under the last administration Coonley was a shining star in the CPS system but those days are gone.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2022

New principal is horrible and incompetent. This was a great school before but with the new leadership its awful.
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2021

From Chicago public school perspective, this is a great school. 10 years ago we searched for a house in Bell, Blaine, Burley, Audubon, Coonley districts. I am glad we ended up finding a house in Coonley district. My 3 kids have been attending it since 2012. Most teachers are approachable, caring and want kids to succeed. Some teachers teach way beyond the program requirements. Afterschool tutoring is provided to those who might struggle in a certain subject. Coonley has fantastic Music, Art and Drama teachers. The annual show is close to professional. It is one of the rare schools with a librarian on staff. As for bullying -while it does happen, it is not common. My son had a bully in the kindergarten, but parents and teachers came together to nip it. Are there some instances when it's not handled properly - I trust that it might be so. Why I am giving 4 out of 5 stars? Mainly because Coonley is still a cps school - lack of funds for art, music, technology, library (in case neutralized by funding from the community), class sizes are quite large due to popularity of the school (my oldest son had 3 classes in the grade and my youngest 5 classes), strikes, any improvements with fundraised money need to be done by unions costing 5-10x more than market rate, etc. As long as you are accepting of the shortcomings of the cps, it's a great school.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2021

Horrible leadership and the principle is clueless on how to do his job.
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2020

I have two sons that have been thriving at Coonley for years. We moved into the neighborhood specifically for the school and we are so goad we did! The teachers and staff are highly supportive and prioritize education, diversity, respect, equality, and fun. Lots of extracurricular after school programs are always offered for my sons’ enrichment. E-learning during the pandemic has also been relatively smooth. No regrets!
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2019

Horrible, I will never recommend this school to no other parent especially if they are majority. There's alot of racism in that school.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2019

Such a wonderful school, definitely one of the best school in Chicago. The teachers and principals really care about the kids, and the parents provide strong support to the school. The curriculum and afterschool programs are topnotch. Feels like a school in a rich suburban neighborhood, not in City of Chicago!
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2018

Amazing school with amazing parent network. Top 5 CPS school in City and great teachers, kids, parents and community.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2017

Coonley has great leadership, great teachers, very involved parents and a strong community. It is public education at its finest. My child is academically challenged in a warm, supportive environment. He's very happy here.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2017

Coonley is a fantastic school. It is our neighborhood school and we are thrilled with how involved every teacher and parent is with the student body. Ms. Thomsen is our son's kindergarten teacher and she is the most involved educator I have ever met - dedicated, caring and loving she is exactly the kindergarten teacher every 1st-year parent hopes their child will get!
Submitted by parent on December 02, 2015

Coonley truly is a great school! The principal and assistant principal are very involved and approachable, waving to kids in the hallway, calling them by name. I haven't seen any bullying, as one poster mentioned, and I feel like any incidents with discipline are reported to parents very quickly and taken seriously. The level of parent involvement is great, and it makes this big city school feel like a small town. The teachers know kids who aren't even in their classes, and the communication with the school from the administration and teachers is very clear and organized. I love that the kids all play together at recess, they develop bonds with kids in their classrooms, all of that makes the school and the community around it really shine!
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2014

I am very happy with this school and the community. The only downside is class size, but that is a CPS issue. Parents are very involved in working with the principals and administration in making curriculum suggestions. It is true that Coonley is a fundraising machine, which makes it a little unfair for those who cannot afford to live in the neighborhood. But really Coonley is a model that could be used throughout the city if CPS as a whole could ever get its act together and not so poorly manage its resources. But I am getting off on a tangent . . . Both my kids are in the neighborhood program and I feel great about the education they are getting and the supportive emotional environment. Friendly and involved parents in both classes. Great gen ed teachers too. My older son is special needs and he loves it and knows everyone in the school. The IEP team and his special ed resource teacher have gone through leaps and bounds, long hours, and lots of meetings, to make his experience there a good one. My special needs son was previously at another CPS school for pre-k and environment and leadership make all the difference! I am so happy we are where we are now.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2014

Simply said this is a amazing school. Mr. Z is a great principal and there is a high level of parent involvement. The only downside is space or lack thereof which will be rectified when the addition is completed in Sept 2014.