Decatur Classical Elementary School

7030 North Sacramento Avenue

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

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 09, 2024

The staff at Decatur is supportive, dedicated, and committed. The teachers genuinely care about the students' progress. The essential classes such as Art, Music, Dance, and Spanish greatly enhance the overall educational experience. Unfortunately, the school lost the Makerspace lab and the associated teaching position due to budget cuts. I would appreciate having more after-school program options and sports available throughout the year. The winter and spring shows are truly beautiful, showcasing the talent of the students. The facilities are well-maintained and always clean. Our experience at Decatur has been very positive, and we highly recommend this gem.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2024

Decatur is a tiny little gem of a school that feels like a family. Getting my child enrolled here feels like winning the lottery.
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2024

Our experience at Decatur Classical has been wonderful. My child loves going to school every day and loves all of her teachers and classes. The school curriculum is taught 1-2 years ahead and my child’s teachers make learning so much fun. My child’s teacher is always encouraging and brings out the best in my child. Decatur creates an environment of kindness through daily social emotional learning. Principal Negron, the fantastic staff and administration are all so welcoming and are passionate about seeing all of their students succeed and shine. We are so fortunate and blessed to be a part of the Decatur Family.
Submitted by parent on February 14, 2024

We are going into our second year at Decatur and our experience has been extremely positive. The school's vibrant family community, supported by dedicated staff and administration, has made us feel deeply involved in our child's education. The school champions parental involvement and hosts several parent workshops on diversity, restorative practices, and continuing education topics. We’ve found numerous avenues to engage and contribute, both in the classroom, at the school level, and in the parent-teacher organization, Decatur Together.Our child’s educational journey has been enriched by dedicated teachers at Decatur who go above and beyond. We get weekly classroom updates from our child’s teacher with photos, as well as a weekly newsletter from the principal on school happenings. The administration is transparent and responsive, with proactive leadership that addresses concerns openly and is focused on areas for growth. We feel informed about the Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP), the areas for growth in the school and plans surrounding those areas, as well as school budgeting. This knowledge has fostered trust in the school leadership and reinforced our belief in the school's direction.Decatur focuses on preparing students for the future, nurturing both academic and emotional development. We highly recommend visiting Decatur to see if the school aligns with the values and goals of your family. We believe in Decatur’s direction and leadership and look forward to continuing our positive journey at the school.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2023

We have been waiting to give the new principal who started in 2020 time to 'learn the ropes' but at this point realize the school has declined and will continue to worsen. To start, the administration misleads parents and ignores concerns brought to their attention. The principal avoids accountability and will not admit when there is a problem or error. So much that parents have given up and we have seen so many wonderful families leave this school. Many are saying they will be looking this year as well. The culture of the school was strong under the previous principal who took the time to build community and invested in teachers. Now, the administration gaslights families and students constantly. They do not want to fix anything or will not admit there are areas to improve in. Worse, the quality of teaching has dropped. Kids usually perform well, but it's because their parents are putting in extra time and work, not as a result of the teachers or school. Many teachers left at the end of last year and midyear, and the principal refuses to acknowledge this issue or the impact this has on learning. Teachers are protected to the point that it raises concerns and is allowed to yell at students, shame them, and do not follow their own expectations. Yet, the school lectures parents and isolates them if they feel you are raising concerns. My kids used to love school and now say it is boring, that teachers don't believe them or help with problems, and that they are constantly yelled at by adults. They have put real barriers for parents and severely limited the ways they can get involved. Parents say it is unwelcoming, and the principal and PTO have started micromanaging all interactions between staff and families. Even if you remove the toxic culture, if you compare this school to other cps schools, they have little to no extracurricular activities, few field trips, poor communication with families, worksheets after worksheets instead of hands-on learning, dated and punitive practices, and a principal who is unwilling to fix problems. This school is somewhat tolerable for my younger child but not for the middle and upper grades. They are not doing enough to support or prepare kids for high school and do not value parents or see them as partners.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2019

Overall great school. Awesome teachers. A warm family.
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2017

My son loves Decatur. I was worried about it being a pressure cooker and the amount of art and music education. Decatur has art, music, dance, technology, and they teach Latin. They seem to be very good at using the resources they have, which can be limited as a Chicago Public School.
Submitted by other on November 24, 2016

I learned many different things here and was able to participate in many promising activities such as the history fair or the jog a thon but there were times where I felt the staff didn't know an appropriate way to handle certain situations and tended to overreact sometimes.
Submitted by other on January 12, 2015

I went to Decatur from 1-6th grade (2008- 2014) and it was amazing. You will (most likely) never feel left out because there are only 30 or 60 kids in your whole grade depending on the year you get in. My class had so many inside jokes and it was great. All the teachers are good and they teach Latin which I find a great and easy language. The work is hard like other reviewers said but what do you expect from a gifted school. There are a few after school activities and parties with a nice graduation. I don't know how it is going to be for class of 2015 but class of 2014, 13 and 12 went to Maggiano's for a fee of around 30$. I can only think of 2 kids in my grade who could be considered "unpopular" and they still had a few friends. Decatur was one of the best experiences of my life and YES, it is hard but it prepares you well especially if you want to have a go at special enrollment again. For those of you curious I live in tier 3 and got a 140 on the entrance exam and an 835 overall. This was on the old ISAT system. I got into Lane only because I had a B in a class. IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET INTO A SCHOOL ON TIER SYSTEM. I KNOW TIER 4 KIDS IN WHITNEY YOUNG.
Submitted by parent on June 28, 2014

There is a reason Decatur is consistently in the top school list. It starts with the fact that the entry criteria is a test so the starting point is kids with above average skills and /or strongly involved parents. This parental involvement continues in various ways - fund raising, volunteer work, special projects and so on.
Submitted by parent on June 27, 2014

Great school Superb Teachers and Genius Students. Great 7 years experience. Need more space for lunch room/ gym. We gonna miss Decatur.
Submitted by parent on February 14, 2014

We have spent almost 3 yrs at the school, going mostly through material review, except for Latin, new to us. If all students are like my child, which my child's teachers say this is so, then all of our children are terribly under-served. Our teachers and administrators go by the book and teach one grade ahead to the test. There is no differentiated instruction. Spelling seems to be taught via word families, not via spelling rules. Writing is expected, but I do not get much sense that it is being taught. Nevertheless, the students are bright, well mannered and come from very supportive families. Chess club is strong, successful, and we do enjoy it. I wish the school would offer other such quality, progressive, programs, before or after school, like robotics, debate team, math or writing club. I wish the school would make connections with reputable universities or on-line educational sites so the students could test out from knowledge they know and then be allowed to move forward in gaining new knowledge. However, with the current administration this will not happen. It is all about the test scores and they are fine.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2013

My son is a proud 5th grader at DECATUR and Our Family is ecstatic that he is a part of this great learning institution! He has been attending DECATUR since kindergarten and we are just as excited now as we were when he was accepted. I am very assured that when it is time for him to leave for 7th grade he will be EXTREMELY WELL PREPARED to handle a work load of an 8th grader and for that I am truly grateful; and as parents isn't that what we are looking for in a school?... A learning environment in which our children are PROPERLY PREPARED FOR LEARNING? I have the privilege to enter many schools to teach a segment on: " HOW TO AFFECTIVELY HELP YOUR CHILDREN WITH HOME WORK" and I also Tutor/ Mentor the children as well. Believe me as I write to you about the lack of: School Morale / Parent Support/ Teachers that lack luster/ and a lack of interest in the students that some schools have ! But not at DECATUR! They have vibrant and interesting teachers. So I am all for a rigorous learning environment that this school offers because the payoff is well worth it and your child will also see the benefit of what and how he was educated as he enters high school and college !
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

We moved our child here from a private, Blue Ribbon school. I knew the academics would be great but what I didn't know is that they accomplish this with so few resources. There is also a real sense of community. I love the way the school has addressed the heavy backpack problem. The students are learning how to organize their work and to take notes. I am particularly impressed with the math and science classes. They don't just push more faster. The curriculum is enriched. The school really should be expanded. I am sure the powers that be at CPS think the school is doing fine and isn't overcrowded so this isn't a priority. That's not the point. The point is that there are so many students out there who are in desperate need of an education like this but are not served because the school can take so few students.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2013

I love the school. Great education, strong and very creative PTA. My daughter is very happy there. Administration staff, teachers and Parents are very friendly willing to help and answer any question. The Kindergarten teacher (Ms. W) is amazing, she knows how to implement an advance curriculum to young children, keeping them highly motivated, and gives individual instruction when is requiered. The big kids (5th and 6th grade) are very protective, they are always watching over the little ones in the bus or at school. It's small enough to give you the chance to know everybody.
Submitted by parent on August 01, 2013

My son was accepted for the incoming 2013 Kindergarten class, so I'm not terribly qualified to review the school, but here are my thoughts so far. The meetings and open houses I've attended so far do give the sense that rule breaking (or even rule bending!) is not tolerated at Decatur. However, I don't see this as being cruelly restrictive. My son, like all Decatur students, is bright, and, like most kids, he tries to negotiate, argue, or weasel his way out of any undesired activity. So, for our family, the strict but fair approach is highly attractive. The school is clean and well-maintained, but small. The parents are extraordinarily involved. My only fear is that, as a working mother of two, I may not be able to keep up with the volunteering that is encourage and that I would love to do. Recently, there was some concern over a "shaming" by the principal. While I am concerned about this, I'm willing to give Mrs. K the benefit of the doubt. We don't know the relationships or circumstances behind what happened, and she apologized (which I appreciate greatly in a person of authority), so it is impossible to judge. I'm excited for my guy to be challenged in new ways.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2012

While the teachers are amazing at Decatur, the administration is not what you would expect given the accolades this school receives. The principal, asst principal and some of the front office staff, including the security guard, are anything but friendly, warm and welcoming. They go out of their way to make things difficult for parents through their lack of flexibility, talk to you in a condescending tone when you do ask questions and make you wait in line outside in the cold for school assemblies. There are limited after school activities which is unfortunate. My son is learning quite a bit and enjoying school but I wish the administration would be happy to have the parents around as much as they want the kids to help them stay #1 in the rankings.