Hamilton Elementary School

1650 West Cornelia Avenue

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 August 10, 2024

Both my children attended from pre-K through 8th grade. Their teachers were great and helpful the entire time. The Administration was competent and ran the school well. Both my children learned everything necessary to meet the requirements of a Special Enrollment high school but got killed by the Tier socioeconomic metric. Both applied for IB or Double Honors programs and got accepted. They did well on the SAT and got into their university of choice. It all started for them at Hamilton and followed all the way through.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2023

My daughters transferred into Hamilton Elementary in 8th grade. It was a big change during a challenging time (13 is never easy) and my hopes for the year were far exceeded. The leadership and administration are top notch. They consistently make themselves available to the parents and the students, creating a safe and supportive community for the kids. The teachers delivered the same level of care and turned both of my daughters into students that excelled by helping them build an internal drive to be the best they can be. I've never seen them so motivated and work so hard. I will always be grateful to the Hamilton team!
Submitted by student on July 19, 2020

Good for the younger grades bad for the older kids. I know many kids who have left in middle school because of how they handle those grades poorly the people at the school.
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2019

Outstanding school, couldn't recommend it highly enough! The teachers and staff are excellent!
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2019

We are extremely happy with our child's experience with the staff and community at Hamilton, we moved from another school in the area this year. Communication and the curriculum has been wonderful. Our 5th grader has seemed happier and more eager to attend and participate.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2018

My experience at Hamilton has been nothing short of amazing. The teachers and staff genuinely care about the well-being of the students and I feel that they work hard to meet the needs of students of all abilities.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2015

A hidden GEM! The staff at Hamilton are amazing, approachable and they genuinely are passionate about what they do! I am so happy that my children attend Hamilton. They are setting these kids up for academic success and not stress! Test scores are not the focal point...building the child's confidence to succeed on their own is! That is priceless! Love Hamilton!
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2014

My boys are now in fifth and second grade and have been at Hamilton since pre-school. We are a neighborhood family and thrilled with how the school has grown. There is a strong commitment to building a well-rounded curriculum that includes technology, fine arts and physical activity. We have one child in the gifted program, but both boys are challenged academically and love their school. For neighborhood families, I would encourage you to send your children to this wonderful neighborhood school. It is an under-apprecaited gem in the community.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2014

The teachers are very dedicated. I do have concerns as to children with special needs and how services are being reduced and sometimes removed, when it's obvious in some cases that services shouldn't be taken away. This is happening within the school lately . I think there should be innovation to help these children thrive socially as well as academically no matter the budget. Perhaps now that the school is doing well and enrollment numbers are not an issue they prefer not to allocate money into special education resources. In the past they accepted several students with special needs that were not from the neighborhood because they were needed to help the doors stay open. Now they are no longer needed. Never the less it doesn't take away from the great teachers and initiative the school has taken to keep the students physically active.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2014

The leadership at this school is wonderful. The principal and VP are a great team and provide the teachers and parents ability to determine the sort of school we want. They do tend to the needs and self esteem of the entire child. I have a child in the accelerated program and a child in the standard program. Both children are thriving and are being stretched. I love the dance and PE everyday, both of those specials teachers are enthusiastic and engaged. Music teacher is excellent. The spirit of the school is small school and big parent involvement. The only criticism I would have is the math could be stronger, more drilling of fundamentals so they can better respond to testing environments.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2014

I have been though the CPS wringer. 3 schools in 3 years and I can say it was all so I would end up at Hamilton. Great, engaged teachers. Strong, approachable leadership. An arts program that remained strong despite severe budget cuts and PE 5 days a week. I am so grateful to be part of this school community.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2013

It's an amazing school. The curriculum, teachers, and every thing about this school is extra ordinary. My kid and I love everything about it. It is a small school but has everything it is to suppose to have.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2013

We love this school. It runs like a well oiled machine. The teachers are amazing and work really hard. They work long hours and really know the kids. The principal and assistant principal are an amazing team. They address any concerns while keeping things positive. The gifted program gets a lot of notice, but Hamilton's middle school is the best part about the school. The kids are pushed in the classroom and taught to be a part of the school community. My child really loves going to school. We feel lucky to be at Hamilton!
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2013

We love Hamilton! We have one kid in and one kid entering in the fall. We TURNED DOWN DECATUR to stay here because our child is excelling in the gifted program. The teachers and principal are warm and nurturing while being challenging so the kids get as much as they can out of their educations. The after school programs are awesome - something for everyone. Parents are really invited to be as involved as they would like/can be. It's been an awesome experience so far.
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2013

Under the leadership of Principal Gray and Vice-Principal Luna-Mroz, this school is going from good to great in a hurry. They are both very high energy, and have fostered a great community with excellent parent involvement. The few teachers that were marginal have been swiftly removed - showing that the school is committed to the kids as well as the teachers.
Submitted by parent on February 17, 2013

My son comes home from Hamilton everyday and tells me how much he loves his school. That to me is the most important, to see my son happy. He is in their 2nd grade Gifted Classroom. I look forward to my child's continued quality education at Hamilton. This school in my opinion has far surpassed my expectations and is one of the few schools that supports the Arts and encourages Project-based learning. Thank you Hamilton!
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2012

Hamilton is an incredible little school with caring teachers, supportive staff and administrators, involved parents and awesome kids. Both of my kids attend and I'm so happy to see how much they love going to school. The school now has a full-time dance teacher and several parents volunteered to build a professional dance floor. The kids love it! Honestly, we feel lucky to be a part of it.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2012

My children have attended Hamilton for 9 years and while we loved it when we started, we love it even more now. The middle school curriculum is a block schedule which is a great way for students to learn time management at an early age. From Advanced Lit to hands on Science to dance the students are challenged and supported and are doing amazing things. We are so fortunate to have amazing leadership from our Principal and AP as well as a wonderful teaching staff. Combine that with a dedicated parent community Hamilton truly represents what education should be.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2012

Our family loves Hamilton. Our children just completed their third year and have really flourished. This has been a truly great start to education for them, thanks to amazing teachers, a great administration and very nice students. There are clearly good and bad things about being at a small school but in this case the good far outweighs the bad. The teachers and staff know all the students, and many of the parents, which creates a really friendly and supportive community. We couldn't have made a better choice for our children, or for us.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2012

My son is just finishing his first year at Hamiliton in kindergarten. I can not say enough good things about this school. The principal, teachers, parents, community are all doing an excellent job. I was very nervous to send my child to a CPS school. I have worked in the system for many years and unfortunately haven't gotten the best impression. Hamilton has changed that for me. This is a warm, caring school with lots of emphasis on learning, character development and inclusion. The fine and performing arts program is terrific. My son has multi-cultural studies 2 days a week and always comes home with interesting projects. Parent participation is huge. Parents are encouraged and welcomed into the school. I also love all that Hamilton does for the environment. They do a wonderful job with recycling, reusing and composting. I am so comfortable and confident sending my son to school each day. But the best part is probably how much he loves school. Another selling point for Hamilton is the after-school Y program. The counselors do a fantastic job keeping the students busy, working on homework and having a good time. Most days, I can't get my son to leave!