Chicago City Wire

Chicago Public Schools could save close to $200 million per year by closing more than 100 mostly empty schools it continues to operate and maintain.

Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire, analyzed CPS’ published school occupancy data and found that, by the district’s own admission, 304 of the 566 buildings it operates are “underutilized,” or at least 20 percent empty.

 Of the underutilized schools, 116 are more than 50 percent empty; 77 of those are more than 70 percent empty.

 Closing all schools that are less than 50 percent full, and moving their 41,825 students elsewhere, would save at least $181 million, according to the LGIS analysis.

The savings would come from eliminating 1,448 duplicative teachers, administrative and operational staff, like custodians, lunchroom attendants, and security guards, at CPS’ most underutilized schools, according to LGIS.

It would include $123,429,354 in salary and benefits for those staff members, before their pension contributions and another $58 million in various school operating expenses, or an estimated average of $500,000 per year, per school.

If it made the cuts, CPS would be left with 446 schools that have a capacity of 352,173, serving 347,028 students. 

Over the past 15 years, CPS has spent $6.6 billion more than it has received in tax revenue.

In 2016, it spent $6.1 billion and received $5.2 billion, a deficit of $900 million.

Rather than close schools, CPS has continued building new ones. Most recently, a published report suggested the district is building a new high school in the South Loop.

The South Loop's current high school is Phillips, 244 E. Pershing Road, which has 635 students and a capacity of 1,834.

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Which CPS schools are operating at below 50 percent capacity?

According to CPS, 116 schools are "underutilized." How many are in your neighborhood?

School	Type	Enrollment	Capacity	%	Address	Neighborhood
Camelot Safe	HS	14	150	9%	7877 S. Coles	South Shore
Hirsch	HS	150	1,080	14%	7740 S. Ingleside	Greater Grand Crossing
Robeson	HS	204	1,296	16%	6835 S. Normal	Englewood
Tilden	HS	311	1,968	16%	4747 S. Union	Canaryville
Manley	HS	248	1,536	16%	2935 W. Polk	East Garfield Park
Fenger	HS	271	1,560	17%	11220 S. Wallace	Roseland
Harper	HS	253	1,440	18%	6520 S. Wood	West Englewood
Orr	HS	405	2,112	19%	730 N. Pulaski	West Garfield Park
CICS- Hawkins	HS	170	816	21%	801 E. 133rd	Altgeld Gardens
Douglass	HS	234	984	24%	543 N. Waller	Austin
Chicago Vocational	HS	978	4,080	24%	2100 E. 87th	Calumet Heights
Clemente	HS	766	3,144	24%	1147 N. Western	Ukrainian Village
Crane	HS	497	1,956	25%	2245 W. Jackson	Near West Side
Marshall	HS	425	1,656	26%	3250 W. Adams	East Garfield Park
Austin Business	HS	102	384	27%	231 N. Pine	Austin
Marshall Middle	MS	56	210	27%	3900 N. Lawndale	Avondale
Hope	HS	199	744	27%	5515 S. Lowe	Englewood
Till	ES	367	1,350	27%	6453 S. Champlain	Woodlawn
Mason	ES	389	1,410	28%	1830 S. Keeler	Little Village
King Elementary	ES	241	810	30%	740 S. Campbell	North Lawndale
Holmes	ES	238	780	31%	955 W. Garfield	Englewood
Dodge	ES	122	390	31%	431 N. Troy	East Garfield Park
Frazier	ES	275	870	32%	3711 W. Douglas	North Lawndale
Richards	HS	276	864	32%	5009 S. Laflin	New City
Aldridge	ES	194	600	32%	630 W. 131st	Altgeld Gardens
Voise	HS	195	600	33%	231 N. Pine	Austin
Wells	HS	461	1,392	33%	936 N. Ashland	West Town
Libby	ES	360	1,080	33%	5338 S. Loomis	New City
Noble-Baker	HS	413	1,236	33%	2710 E. 89th	South Chicago
Perez	ES	332	990	34%	1241 W. 19th.	Pilsen
Drake	ES	419	1,230	34%	2710 S. Dearborn	Douglas
Esmond	ES	289	840	34%	1865 W. Montvale	Morgan Park
Uplift	ES	311	888	35%	900 W. Wilson
Gage Park	HS	406	1,152	35%	5630 S. Rockwell	Gage Park
Phillips	HS	643	1,824	35%	244 E. Pershing	Bronzeville
Mount Vernon	ES	244	690	35%	10540 S. Morgan	Morgan Park
Jennfer	ES	246	690	36%	1119 N. Cleveland	Old Town
Farragut	HS	916	2,544	36%	2345 S. Christiana	Little Village
Hyde Park	HS	807	2,232	36%	6220 S. Stony Island	Woodlawn
Austin Poly	HS	122	336	36%	231 N. Pine	Austin
Manierre	ES	349	960	36%	1119 N. Cleveland	Old Town
Reavas	ES	277	750	37%	834 E. 50th	Kenwood
Air Force	HS	328	888	37%	3630 S. Wells	Bridgeport
Dunbar	HS	761	2,016	38%	3000 S. King	Douglas
Woodson/U of C	ES	322	840	38%	4414 S. Evans	Bronzeville
Gresham	ES	345	900	38%	8254 S. Green	Auburn Gresham
North Lawndale	HS	397	1,032	38%	1615 S. Christiana	North Lawndale
Gale	ES	381	990	38%	1631 W. Jonquil	Rogers Park
Smyth	ES	474	1,230	39%	1059 W. 13th	Little Italy
Simpson	HS	74	192	39%	1321 S. Paulina	Little Italy
Robinson	ES	139	360	39%	4225 S. Lake Park	Oakland
Mann	ES	385	990	39%	8050 S. Chappel	South Shore
Fort Dearborn	ES	386	990	39%	9025 S. Throop	Brainerd
Bowen	HS	359	912	39%	2710 E. 89th	South Chicago
Field	ES	300	750	40%	7019 N. Ashland	Rogers Park
Caldewll	ES	277	690	40%	8456 S. Cregier	Avalon Park
Team Englewood	HS	272	672	40%	6201 S. Stewart	Englewood
Whistler	ES	269	660	41%	11533 S. Ada	Morgan Park
Cook	ES	416	1,020	41%	8150 S. Bishop	Auburn Gresham
Hendricks	ES	245	600	41%	4316 S. Princeton	Fuller Park
Avalon Park	ES	332	810	41%	8045 S. Kenwood	Avalon Park
Bright	ES	299	720	42%	10740 S. Calhoun	Trumbull Park
Corliss	HS	419	1,008	42%	821 E. 103rd	Pullman
Julian	HS	720	1,728	42%	10330 S. Elizabeth	Washington Heights
Faraday	ES	342	810	42%	3250 W. Monroe	East Garfield Park
Bond	ES	333	780	43%	7050 S. May	Englewood
Garvey	ES	269	630	43%	10309 S. Morgan	Fernwood
W. Brown	ES	271	630	43%	54 N. Hermitage	West Town
Lawndale	ES	388	900	43%	3500 W. Douglas	North Lawndale
Hearst	ES	337	780	43%	4640 S. Lamon	Vittum Park
Kozminski	ES	343	780	44%	936 E. 54th	Hyde Park
Harlan	HS	613	1,392	44%	9652 S. Michigan	Roseland
Mireles	ES	665	1,500	44%	9000 S. Exchange	South Chicago
Piccolo	ES	589	1,320	45%	1040 N. Keeler	Humboldt Park
Tilton	ES	349	780	45%	223 N. Keeler	West Garfield Park
Crown	ES	323	720	45%	2128 S. St. Louis	Little Village
Dett	ES	364	810	45%	2131 W. Monroe	Near West Side
Yates	ES	555	1,230	45%	1839 N. Richmond	Logan Square
Phoenix	HS	520	1,152	45%	145 S. Campbell	East Garfield Park
Raby	HS	479	1,056	45%	3545 W. Fulton	East Garfield Park
Bronzeville	HS	448	984	46%	4934 S. Wabash	Bronzeville
Chicago Arts	HS	605	1,320	46%	2714 W. Augusta	West Town
Parkside	ES	275	600	46%	6938 S. East End	South Shore
Woodston	ES	386	840	46%	4414 S. Evans	Bronzeville
King	HS	695	1,512	46%	4445 S. Drexel	North Kenwood
Gregory	ES	414	900	46%	3715 W. Polk	North Lawndale
Williams	HS	265	576	46%	4934 S. Wabash	Bronzeville
Brentano	ES	443	960	46%	2723 N. Fairfield	Logan Square
G. Carver	ES	485	1,050	46%	901 E. 133rd	Altgeld Gardens
Ashe	ES	320	690	46%	8505 S. Ingleside	Chatham
M. Davis	ES	279	600	47%	3014 W. 39th	Brighton Park
Sherman	ES	321	690	47%	1000 W. 52nd	New City
M. Jackson	ES	349	750	47%	917 W. 88th	Brainerd
Fulton	ES	419	900	47%	5300 S. Hermitage	Back of the Yards
Henderson	ES	338	720	47%	5650 S. Wolcott	West Englewood
Cather	ES	367	780	47%	2908 W. Washington	East Garfield Park
Schmid	ES	226	480	47%	9755 S. Greenwood	Pullman
Nash	ES	341	720	47%	4837 W. Erie	Austin
Darwin	ES	512	1,080	47%	3116 W. Belden	Logan Square
Neil	ES	313	660	47%	8555 S. Michigan	Chatham
Urban Prep- West	HS	342	720	48%	1326 W. 14th Pl.	Little Italy
Lewis	ES	499	1,050	48%	1431 N. Leamington	North Austin
Kellman	ES	371	780	48%	3030 W. Arthington	Homan Square
Bloom/Kipp	ES	257	540	48%	5515 S. Lowe	Englewood
U of Chicago- Woodlawn	HS	641	1,320	49%	6420 S. University	Woodlawn
Penn	ES	379	780	49%	1616 S. Avers	North Lawndale
Noble- Academy	HS	245	504	49%	1443 N. Ogden	Old Town
Graham	ES	482	990	49%	4436 S. Union	Canaryville
Bennett	ES	353	720	49%	10115 S. Prairie	Roseland
CICS- Chicago Quest	HS	225	456	49%	1443 N. Ogden	Old Town
Cooper	ES	548	1,110	49%	1624 W. 19th	Heart of Chicago
Joplin	ES	416	840	50%	7927 S. Honore	Auburn Gresham
Beethoven	ES	451	900	50%	25 W. 47th	Bronzeville
TOTALS		41,825	114,414	43%

Source: Chicago Public Schools