Sayre Elementary Language Academy

1850 North Newland Avenue

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
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 26, 2019

D- scores are low, discipline is lacking and too many out of the neighborhood kids.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2018

Need extensive improvement. This should be a level 1+ school, poor structure is causing mass exodus of students scoring above average.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2017

Sayre is doing an awesome job at meeting the needs of my children, Keep up the great work!
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2017

We have had our children at this school for over 9 years. They have had great teachers, we have met fantastic kids and families and their grades and test scores have always been excellent. The new principal has brought a fantastic vision, resources, energy, opportunities, commitment and enthusiasm that have been wonderful for the school community. This is a great neighborhood that is reflected in this great neighborhood school.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2017

Sayre is doing an awesome job at meeting the needs of my children, Keep up the great work!
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2017

We're proud to be a part of the Sayre community. A school is only as effective as the community involvement, and my family is encouraged by the growing number of students and parents taking an active role in the well-being of the school. We love the teachers, the administration and the enthusiasm that we're met with every day.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2017

My kids have been going to this school for 4 years. I love it's diverse environment and the commitment of the teachers and staff to provide a positive learning environment. Its new principal has made a huge difference in the culture of the school.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2017

These past 2 years, Sayre school has been able to grow academically. More involved parents and amazing teachers. Very proud to be part of Sayre
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2017

Sayre has done a complete 180. This school has made great strides to improve the student experience. My children enjoy coming to school everyday to be challenged by the rigiourous lessons being taught. They offer after school to meet different needs of the students as well as offer great mentoring programs to build my children's self esteem. I am thrilled to see the difference in Sayre from when we started. The student and teacher climate has drastically improved and believe my children are getting a quality education that they deserve!
Submitted by teacher on November 17, 2015

Terrible school!! A school where staff is not supported and verbally abused by the principal! This is not a positive environment for both students and staff. Stay away!!!
Submitted by teacher on September 03, 2015

The majority of the negative statements from members of this school community are unfortunately accurate.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2015

Horrible Principal. No discipline. I'm putting my children into private school next year. This school has gone down to the dumps over the last past five since since Ms. U has taken it over.
Submitted by other on March 22, 2015

The principal works to undermine the efforts of teachers who genuinely care. She is an outrageous bully who goes out of her way to demolish the self confidence of each and every teacher in the building. Her tactics include trying to divide the staff and pit them against one another, and undermining classroom management by indulging the students with the worst behavior by providing treats instead of discipline. The environment is so toxic that teachers leave at an alarming rate - often in the middle of the year. This once wonderful learning environment has steadily eroded, and has become completely out of control in the last two years. It is beyond me how CPS can allow such an incompetent individual to remain employed as a principal!
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2015

I am a parent, I have had 2 kids graduate and one still there. My 2 oldest kids at least got a good education but my last one comes home every day upset because of bullying and teachers that don't care. The teacher have to deal with fighting than teaching!
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2015

This school is too tolerate of fighting and disruptive classroom behaviors. I have heard about the fighting and repeated classroom disruption there and especially does this happen on the 3rd floor and in the lunch room. Administration doesn't seem to be able to squash this. They need trained people to handle these children. I don't feel it's a safe learning environment for my children due the prevalence of fighting.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2015

The principal is very rude and no people skills. Gave us a complete run around to enroll our children even though it's a our neighborhood school refused to except my child's 504 plan for dyslexia yet it's a federal program. Tried to say she gets to decide whether to accept it. She doesn't have a medical degree so would love to know on what basis she has to deny my child's 504 plan. There was a fight in the cafeteria while we were in enrolling. A child came running into the office out of breath to tell her there was a huge fight in the cafeteria she didn't even seem to care like it was no big deal. The staff we did meet was quite pleasant and much easier to deal with then then the overly rude principal
Submitted by other on November 28, 2014

I am a seventh grader at this school and Sayre is actually a pretty good school.I just feel like my school needs to work on suspending students more.There are these two students that go to this school that try and boss everyone around and My principal said if a student gets suspended more than five times then that person has to get expelled and these two students have gotten suspended for trying to do bad things to teachers and students and still haven't gotten expelled.After all,I think the Teachers really care about the students education and try their hardest to help us exceed and become something successful in life.So if youu would like to send one of your children to Sayre Language Academy,you really should.It is a great school!
Submitted by other on June 15, 2014

I hate this school. I've been going to this school since kindergarten and I'm in seventh grade now. I have noticed a huge difference since our old principal left and we got ms. U. Children are wildly crazy. The staff is horrible. I think we even have some type of mold coming from the ceiling on the third floor. With our old principal I loved going to school and didnt have to worry about kids calling me names and the principal not doing anything about it. For example there is this one girl in my class who lies,cheats,and scares older and little children. She has been suspended from school about six times and when she does go down to the office she comes back up with candy,chips,or some type of sodam I'm sick of this because its distracting me from my education. I dont know about anyone else but I want a big family and I want to be a psychologist. But I can't learn if I'm always worried if I'm about to get popped upsidey head.
Submitted by other on September 17, 2012

(PART 2) Yet these teachers are not being seen as so, in fact, many wonderful teachers have come to our school and have been relieved of their job for whatever reasoning. This school is no longer an environment that welcomes you. I am one of the many students who are lucky to get out now.
Submitted by other on September 15, 2012

I would love to give this school a higher rating because the teachers that are still there are wonderful and love their job. Unfortunately the administration there is making it next to impossible to be successful. Teachers are leaving at an alarming rate, some in the middle of the year. There is little staff support. The principal is borderline verbally abusive and rules with fear instead of creating a positive working environment. You can feel the tension from the moment you step foot in the building and get a taste of it once you try to have a conversation with the principal. As you can see from significant decrease in test scores that "leadership" (and I use that turn loosely) from someone without any real classroom experience has a negative effect on the learning environment. She is unable to relate to her staff members and is disconnected from her community. Teachers have left the building in ambulances due to work related stresses. This school was once something great and there is still a staff and community there that can make it wonderful once again. The equation is all there, now if only the negative variable were to be removed, the school could become great once again.