CPS To Open Nine New Schools After Closing Sixteen

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Mar 13, 2009 8:40PM

Chicago Public Schools today announced that they will open nine new schools and expand two existing schools, just weeks after the CPS school board voted to close 16 schools based on low enrollment and low performance. The CPS will create seven high schools, three elementary schools and one middle school. They've proposed for some of the schools to fill the spaces that are currently occupied by the 14 elementary schools and two high schools that the CPS has decided to close.

These changes are all part of the Renaissance 2010 initiative that seeks to create 100 new schools and place them under the control of private groups. Some people believe that these changes overwhelming hurt poor neighborhoods more, and often changes to the schools systems can cause disruptions in the gang communities that can lead to an escalation of violence.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago found that the students affected by school closings over the last two years have largely Latino and African-American. The study found that while housing prices in many of these neighborhoods boomed, many economically disadvantages families were priced out.

Below find a map of the changes coming to CPS. Blue markers indicate the proposed locations of the new and enhanced schools. The red markers indicate where schools are being closed, consolidated or phased out.