Ravenswood Elementary School

4332 North Paulina 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 February 18, 2023

School places strong emphasis on academic excellence, including regular homework assignments, weekly quizzes and tests. Teachers are involved and very supportive,. New principal - Mr. Guerrero is successful in promoting academic discipline and parents' involvement. There is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. My two children attend Ravenswood Elementary and I have seen steady improvement in school's academic ranking over the years.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2022

We are so happy that our child is able to attend Ravenswood. It is a warm, welcoming community; the children are respected and valued and the school's social emotional learning and positive discipline approach is woven through all aspects of school life. Our child is thriving, and we feel extremely confident in the skill and care of their teachers. The BASA program has also been a great experience for us.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2020

My experience at this school has been terrible. I'm so sad that I moved to have my daughter placed into this school. The BASA program and staff is so amazing so I expected the same from the school but Ravenswood Elementary has been nothing but a complete disappointment.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2019

Ravenswood is a great community and an excellent school.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2019

I have nothing but positive things to say about Ravenswood. We've been at the school for only two years, but I can't imagine sending my daughter anywhere else. From the emphasis on social-emotional learning, to the integrated arts education, to the rigorous academics and the true community atmosphere (among students/parents/families), it truly is a diamond in the rough. Go Rams!
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2018

Ravenswood is an absolutely incredible school. We've been so happy with our experiences here. My children have had incredible teachers every year. The programming is incredible, the options offered are fantastic, and the staff and administration goes out of their way to build a strong community. The support / friends of network is also very strong and really helps support communications and events. We're looking forward to another great year.
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2017

The staff is amazing! The principal goes out of his way to help make things better for the kids!!
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2015

We were lucky enough to be accepted into Ravenswood via the lottery for magnet clusters. We love this school! The most important aspect of the curriculum for us is the social-emotional learning. There is a school-wide focus on positive discipline, even a community-wide focus, since there is a large effort to educate parents in what the whole concept of positive discipline means. We also love the integration of the arts in the entire curriculum, including in the after-school classes. The parent community is active and very welcoming - it is so easy to get involved here and be a part of this wonderful community.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2015

We chose to move into this neighborhood after hearing rave reviews first hand from other parents about Ravenswood. Our school has a strong sense of community that is difficult to find in a public school. Despite funding issues, our strong community persistently strives to raise money in innovative ways for our children's education. The fact that the school is an arts magnet is perfect for my children and I am so pleased with art integration in the classroom. Each of the teachers we have had have been so caring and spent time with me as a parent one-on-one to discuss my children's progress. I have also found that they are open to suggestions and focus strongly on the social-emotional development of my children. The administration is enthusiastic and Principal Manaen makes certain that he is easily accessible for children and parents alike. His dedication to our school encourages all of us.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2014

The staff is extremely friendly and always ready to help in any way. Parents are so involved in activities, as well as the school makes sure to have us well informed. The principal is so attentive with his students as as with the parents.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2014

Wonderful school- deeply committed to students and families. My oldest son graduated from Ravenswood and was very prepared for Honors level classes. My youngest still attends and has made huge improvements- especially with Mr. Garcia- who is a WONFERFUL EDUCATOR.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2014

Ravenswood is definitely getting better and better each year. A great neighborhood school for our kids, they love it!
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2014

We have two children at Ravenswood and couldn't be happier. When my son was struggling with reading comprehension, his teacher identified it right away. She reached out to me, explained her observations, outlined a strategy for us to work together at school and at home, and kept in touch with me regularly to compare observations and adjust our approach. Sure enough, his year-end assessments demonstrated amazing growth. I am convinced this happened because of Ravenswood's top-notch staff, the school's commitment to smaller class sizes and their "balanced literacy" approach to differentiated instruction. In addition, Ravenswood also offers an amazing arts integration program, inquiry-based learning, and employs the Positive Discipline model. The new playground and outdoor campus that will be built this summer (as a result of strong parent and community involvement) is just icing on the cake for this gem of a neighborhood school.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2013

The Ravenswood Elementary community is incredibly supportive and conducive to a positive learning environment. The Drama, Art, and Physical Education teachers are amazing and my child, and all of her friends, love each of these teachers. I know that north side parents rave about Coonley, Bell, and Waters, but Ravenswood with its diversity and focus on the arts is THE neighborhood school.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2013

The principal can run hot and cold with parents. Of course, if you are actively involved in the parent group and fundraise for the school, the principal will love you. If your child has an issue, the principal will dodge you like the plague. (which is not a quality I want in a principal) To her defense, due to cut backs, her vice principal is teaching, so she is doing it all! Ravenswood has a positive discipline approach. The principal is excellent at using the positive discipline apporach with the children, & she has a positive presence in the school. Academics are not as high as they need to be. The school is working hard to improve. The school has a very active parent group with emails going out to inform parents of what is happening. And the parents have a buddy system to match up CPS experienced parents with parents new to the system. The parents are very active in fundraising for the school.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2012

As one of the first Tuition-based PreK parents I approached Ravenswood with some hesitation. After all I'd been told only magnets were good enough. But I knew two parents who had sent their children there so I took the leap. We've been so pleased. She has the attention she needs with smaller classes. She loves art & needs to move so a school with art & music AND now drama as well as 2 days of PE, wow! I'm sad the library had to die but unfortunately non-magnet schools don't get enough funds for everything. My child's scores have not been part of the stellar, but we also don't hear much sniping about "those sped kids bringing down our scores." She is accepted and incorporated by other kids. When we thought of moving I decided against it because I didn't think starting over would be good for her, nor did I think, where we were looking to live, that we would find another school like this. When we moved here very few people who lived in the area sent their kids here, now most kids on our block go to Ravenswood.
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2012

Four things I love about Ravenswoood: 1. Art Integration through out the curriculum. Students are learning to think about their process of creating, and asking others about theirs. 2.Project based inquiry-students are learning critical thinking skills,where to look to find answers and how to work together. 3. Commitment to small class size. 4. Strong sense of community.Teachers and administration all working with the same educational philosophy. Strong parent involvement. Even within the individual classrooms, a strong community is created among the students. It is warm, welcoming school community. Such a great, great school!
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2012

I am so happy with Ravenswood. My son has been here since PreK and is now in 3rd grade. They use great curriculums (balanced literacy and Everyday Math) to teach reading and math, but my son more often comes home talking about science and how much he has learned about life cycles (3rd grade curriculum). I love that the teachers find time to give science and social studies their due, along with lit and math. Ravenswood is so committed to lower class sizes (the most he's had is 25), which is a bonus for my son, who might not get his due in a large class because he's a quiet kid. Last but definitely not least, Ravenswood provides quality Arts education--art, music and drama every week! I have been impressed with all of the teachers--they go above and beyond to make Ravenswood a true community!
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2012

Our son has been at Ravenswood since Pre-K and is now going into second grade. He has continued to thrive is this school. The sense of community and parent involvement is fantastic. The Friends of Ravenswood is a welcoming parent group that has really helped with communication in the population. We are thrilled to have our son in this program.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2012

My 2 kids have been at Ravenswood for 4 years and I couldn't be happier. I am also a teacher and I absolutely CHOSE this school because of the fantastic instruction and philosophy that the school values. The students are challenged and engaged in authentic learning that is completely differentiated. The staff is extremely talented and the administration is top notch. Our school community is really strong and the amount of events that bring us together is unbelievable. I think the best part of this school that sets it apart from the rest is the unbelievable arts integration program that the kids are involved with. The knowledge my kids have around the process of art, drama and music is more than I could have hoped for as a parent. I would highly encourage anyone who values instruction to look at this school beyond test scores. What a wonderful experience Ravenswood has been for my kids.