Pedro Martinez Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools | Chicago Public Schools
Pedro Martinez Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools | Chicago Public Schools
In total, there were 22,098 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 22,097 were suspensions representing a rate of approximately 6.9 incidents per 100 of the district’s enrolled students. There was an additional case of a student being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.
Among in-school suspensions where a reason was specified, the most common cause was incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 2,690 recorded cases. There were also 947 incidents involving alcohol. Additionally, 5,662 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.
There were 13,586 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 8,508 incidents involved female students, while the three non-binary students were involved in three incidents.
Of all suspensions issued in the district, 8,179 involved elementary or middle school students, while 13,918 involved high school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 3,836 cases reported. Additionally, 3,382 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.
In terms of ethnicity, Black students, who made up 35% of the Chicago Public School District 299 student body, were suspended the most in the district, with 12,863 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by Hispanic students, who made up 47.1% of the student body, and received 8,062 suspensions.
Illinois has approved a 2025 budget that allocates $8.6 billion to K-12 education, a $350 million increase from the previous fiscal year—the minimum required under the state funding formula.
In 2024, Illinois registered a teacher retention rate of almost 90%. Yet, around 91% of superintendents reported having a 'serious' problem teacher shortage problem. In total, almost 4,100 teaching positions remained vacant by the end of the year.
“They’re putting a substitute in there, that’s somebody with a four-year degree that’s not in teaching. They’re using a retired teacher…or worse than that, they’re canceling the class, putting the kids in other classrooms, putting them in study hall, but those are strategies we have to use if there’s no qualified teacher,” said Beth Crider, regional superintendent of Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48.
| Type of Incident | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | 947 | 1,127 |
| Violence with injury | 522 | 3,059 |
| Violence without injury | 2,690 | 3,836 |
| Drug offenses | 94 | 237 |
| Firearm | 33 | 194 |
| Other dangerous weapons | 104 | 153 |
| Tobacco | 14 | 43 |
| Other reason | 5,662 | 3,382 |
| Total | 10,066 | 12,031 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | 3 | - |
| 1-2 days | 8,426 | 4,497 |
| 2-3 days | 1,368 | 4,226 |
| 3-4 days | 258 | 2,350 |
| 4-10 days | 11 | 892 |
| More than 10 days | - | 66 |
Alerts Sign-up