User Guide
THIS KEY RESOURCE PROVIDES QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION & DISCUSSION AS YOU READ THE ARA.
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OVERVIEW
WHAT IS THE ARA?
The Annual Regional Analysis (ARA) is a report produced by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) every year to aid in district planning and support its mission of providing a high-quality school in every neighborhood.
It is a consistent set of information on enrollment, student demographics, school quality, school choice, and program offerings organized by region. It demonstrates improvements over time while also illuminating areas for district intervention and collective action. The report presents data, but does not make recommendations or action steps, instead serving as an input to community engagement and joint solution development.
How is the 2nd edition different from the 1st release of the ARA?
Critical enhancements to categories of information were added based on community feedback and were designed to drive an equity focus throughout the system. These enhancements include:
Comprehensive information on Pre-K and Options/Alternative students in addition to all other CPS students.
Inclusion of commute time (in addition to distance traveled)
Improved student choice data (new GoCPS high school application data)
More programmatic variety data
“I was tremendously impressed with the report and grateful to have the resource. It will be crucial for our strategy moving forward.”
DIGGING DEEPER
HOW IS IT ORGANIZED?
The report includes a district overview section along with an analysis of each of 16 regions. CPS utilized the 16 regions aligned to the city planning department’s Chicago Neighborhoods Now initiative.
For each section the report includes data aligned around four main questions:
Quality: How many Level 1+/1 seats are there?
Quantity: How many seats are there for the student population?
Choice: Are students choosing schools in their region? An indication of the availability of attractive options.
Variety: Do students have access to the variety of schools and programs offered?
SECTIONS INCLUDE
DISTRICT ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & FINDINGS
QUALITY
QUANTITY
SCHOOL CHOICE
PROGRAM AVAILABILITY & VARIETY
ANALYSIS BY 16 REGIONS
SELECT THE TILE BELOW TO EXPLORE A REGION OR THE DISTRICT OVERVIEW.
In order to help you navigate the report and all of it's information , we've provided snapshots of each region and the district overview including downloadable PDFs.
far
Northwest side
Greater milwaukee avenue
Pilsen/
little village
bronzeville/
south lakefront
northwest
side
West
SIDE
greater
stockyards
greater
stony island
north
lakefront
near
west side
greater
midway
far
southwest side
GREATER Lincoln
PARK
CENTRAL
AREA
south
side
greater
calumet
CONTACT US
Kids First Chicago is dedicated to supporting families, educators, community leaders, and other stakeholders in digesting and utilizing the information included in the Annual Regional Analysis (ARA). Please use the form below to let us know how we can support you in using the ARA in your area.
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UPCOMING ARA WORKSHOPS
PRESS STATEMENT
Released in September of 2018, CPS’s inaugural Annual Regional Analysis (ARA) was celebrated as an accessible, comprehensive, and critical source of district and school performance data. Designed to provide community leaders, policymakers, parents, and educators with the information they need to make informed decisions about Chicago’s public schools, the newly updated and just released ARA 2018-19 is now expanded to support more equity-focused priorities.