Ray Elementary School

5631 South Kimbark Avenue

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

PK, 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 student on March 22, 2022

Ray has let me down as a loyal student. Its a dirty school, and the lunch sucks. If I could give it a 0, I would. 1. Bad education, the teachers are mean.2. The bathrooms are dirty, there's writing on the walls, the cafeteria has crumbs everywhere and it isn't clean. The floor is dirty and whenever I go to eat the tables are filthy.3. The hot lunch. It has no nutritional value and looks like its pulled from a garbage can and then thrown carelessly into a microwave, and sometimes they serve uncooked food.And there are school fights almost everyday.And one time there was some creepy guy filming us at recess (like a complete stranger), we told the dean and they did nothing. The man continued to take pictures and videos.Please don't send your child here.
Submitted by student on March 22, 2022

This school is an awful place for your child to go. Yes, I am a student who has been to this school and seen this with my own eyes and ears.Let's begin.This school is a k-8 , and prek.The thing about this school it has awful handles with staff. And to mention indoor recess is awful with Screaming and yelling cursing and inappropriate behavior.Please think twice before sending your child here, also mentioning the students learn the same thing many times per year talking abou the same thing not learning something different. The bathrooms are disgusting and the lunchfood is also shipped but awful.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2018

Horrible experience.”, nothing great about this school
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2018

My family has been pleased with our experience at Ray. The student population changes dramatically at grade 7 as many students go to other schools at this juncture.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2017

Love the diversity of this school and how it incorporates the diversity in it's culture. My daughter has had excellent teachers, is learning and developing personally and academically. I feel she is being challenged. Lots of projects, parental involvement, after school programs and activities. My negatives about the school would be that it's bit old and outdated physically, pick up and drop off traffic and parking is the worst I've ever experienced and I would like to see more projects coming home from my daughter's magnet program courses.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2017

I am surprised at the "excellent" reviews. The only outstanding part of Ray is the diversity of students, many of whom have dedicated, educated parents who want a good public school but haven't HAD a good school. The new principal is...not at all remarkable. I have seen nothing that signals a change in any area of Ray's trajectory except keeping recess. I experience immature teachers and only a few seasoned, great teachers, a lack of organization and a true lack of innovation from a school located in the same neighborhood as the incredible University of Chicago. I would rather Ray parents lead Ray, with the most seasoned teachers in control. I am so saddened to report this after having my child at Ray for several years, and knowing so many exceptional parents with great children.
Submitted by other on October 11, 2017

Excellent. Great principal, dedicated and committed teachers. School is effective with and sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of its students.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2017

I give Ray a very high rating. I've experienced public and parochial schools and I am happy we chosen Ray for our children.
Submitted by parent on September 22, 2017

My daughter just started 4th grade at Ray. She had a fantastic third grade teacher and experience! She really grew both intellectually and socially. The 3rd grade teachers all really worked well together and there were a lot of fun activities including the third grade play (awesome), Pilot Light, Gardeniers, and the trolley field trip. Also, the opportunity to take extracurricular Latin is outstanding. The Principal is awesome! She is a true leader who understands the complicated process of building a great school. We have another terrific teacher in 4th grade and are looking forward to another great year at Ray!
Submitted by other on January 16, 2016

I realize choosing this school was one of the worst mistakes I've made as a parent. My child started this school with strong reading and writing skills due to having assistance at home. The problem with Ray is, the more advanced children are not taught according to their ability, they are not challenged at all. As a matter of fact, my child is learning the same material he learned two years ago! The teachers are not personable and have a wall up. The parents can't build a relationship with the staff, there's absolutely no partnership with the teachers. Furthermore the school staff is extremely unprofessional. My child has been exposed to harsh and unprofessional vocabulary coming from lunch and recess aides. The security is a joke! In addition, the facilities aren't up to standards, the children's bathrooms have urine all over. The children are rushed to eat their lunch, often times my child comes home with a full lunch claiming they had to leave the lunchroom early. The hot lunch option doesn't exist because it's so disorganized, by the time kids sit down to eat, they're rushed out. I could go on and on about Ray's failure. Honestly this school should be closed. My child won't spend another year here.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2015

Both my children love Ray school. I do too. The teachers are strong and make learning fun and engaging to the kids. My high energy children energize and are energized by group learning, projects, songs and great friends. I love the hour after school where kids are playing in the area surrounding the school. The diversity is great. The principal and ap are both stellar and and work hard strengthen the teachers and the school.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2015

After a real struggle with poor interrim principals etc. in the past two years, Ray is now again the fantastic school that it used to be when my oldest daughter first went to Ray kindergarten in 2009. Our children, now in 1st, 4th, and 5th grade, all love going to school, an accomplishment of great teachers that work in a stimulating environment. We owe this to our new principal, Megan Thole, who restored all the things that the children, and the parents, appreciated so much about Ray, including: *) diverse curriculum that is NOT teach-to-the-test based, *) appreciation of physical activity during recess and PE and play-based education in younger grades, *) differentiated learing (walk to math, walk to reading), *) spanish, *) involvement of University of Chicago volunteers (tutors etc.), *) childrens' choir, and *) many many more great things...
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2015

Ray Elementary has a rich environment for academic, social and cultural learning. It is truly an amazing place to become learning partners with people from all over the world and all the various demographic groups in Chicago as well. The diversity strength is also a challenge...how to unify the school and meet all the various needs? The teachers are incredible and the administration has renewed energy to take on the tough issues that face Chicago Public Schools. Many parents are involved in various volunteer capacities to help guide positive change.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2015

Ray is on the right path in 2015! After a few difficult years under a couple of less than stellar principals, the school is finally on the right track! Principal Megan Thole and Assistant Principal Gayle Neely are terrific leaders and are working overtime to return to Ray to its former excellence. We have had wonderful and dedicated teachers all along, but no guidance at the top. With the new administration, we have seen a surge in parent enthusiasm and involvement and the atmosphere of cooperation in the building is evident. Teachers are happy. Students are better behaved. We've increased physical education time and arts instruction. We are among a minority of schools in CPS that still has a librarian. My son's special classes include Spanish, art, music, library and PE. Ray also has incredible before and after school programming, including Chicago Children's Choir, robotics, coding club, ArtShould (a U of C student-led arts enrichment program), chess, athletics, Lango, dance, Ray Progressive Ensemble and more! Last but not least, Ray School offers your child the opportunity to interact with a truly diverse community of students. Come to Ray! You will love our school.
Submitted by parent on June 01, 2014

This year this school is a joke! Classroom management bad, some of the teachers is terrible, and the principle worth of them all.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2014

This school is the worst school since 2010. The principal do not care less about the special education students. Please think again about sending your child to this school
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2014

Preschool is going well for my twins, love to teachers! Communuication efforts have been awesome.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2013

While we ended up not having the pre-K program here as planned, I wanted to say a few good words about Ray's new principal. She was completely communicative, considerate, and proactive during the process of determining what might have to the tuition based pre_k. She went out of her way to return multiple phone calls, reach out via email, and get info from CPS admin for parents. I was VERY impressed with her engagement for parents.
Submitted by parent on July 07, 2013

I cannot believe that more parents have not posted poor ratings for this school. My child never felt that any of the adults at the school cared about the children.. My child suffered greatly academically but received high grades, possibly because there was such little expectation for the students in terms of growh and capabilities. There were practically NO hands on projects, material in language class was too advanced for younger children, and the librarian showed too many movies. The new leadership's plan to crack the whip academically does not include a plan for nurturing children, fostering a love for learning, and creating an environment where children will feel that they have a voice. I think the school is a disgrace. As in most schools, it's possible to luck up and get a good teacher here and there, but even they are stressed and barely able to focus on reaching each child in the class. If you have other choices, definitely try them before Ray. Also, NOT a nurturing environment for black children...boys in particular.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2013

My daughter is currently in the 6th grade and has been at Ray school since she was in 1st grade. Her first 4 years at the school were excellent - not perfect - but on par with any strong elementary school in the country. This exprience significantly changed when a new principal was hired for the 2011-2012 school year. The administration initially appeared to be energetic, visionary and intelligent. However, it was clear that her "visionary" goals for the school lacked planning, funds and overall competency. The principal has become a divisive figure in the school and the now defunct Ray University has nearly exhausted all school funds. Teachers report significant discontent to LSC and CPS board members and parents feel unwelcomed in the school. My strong hope is that a new administration will be able to lead the school back to previous strength and parents and students who left because of the poor leadership will consider returning to the school. Otherwise, I do believe that the school will continue to decline