Fairfield Elementary Academy

Honestly, I’m pretty frustrated with the health situation at Fairfield. The chronic absenteeism here is super high—last I checked it was over 40%—and you can really feel it in the classrooms. It feels like there's always a bug going around and not enough support to keep things sanitized. Communication from the office about illness outbreaks is basically non-existent, so you never know if your kid is walking into a germ factory until they come home with a fever. The school is older and while they talk about 'modern' labs, the actual day-to-day cleanliness of the hallways and bathrooms leaves a lot to be desired. Just feels like the kids are constantly falling behind because everyone is always out sick.

My youngest is in 1st grade over at Fairfield and I’ve been pretty happy with how they handle hygiene stuff. The school feels a lot more modern and cleaner than some of the other CPS buildings around here, especially with the newer labs and tech areas. Whenever there’s a stomach bug or a flu case going around the classroom, the teacher or the office is usually quick to send out a blast so we can keep an eye out for symptoms at home. They’re fairly strict about the 24-hour fever-free rule, which is annoying when you have to call out of work, but honestly, it keeps the whole class from getting sick. Only downside is the nurse isn't there every single day, which is just a typical city school thing, but the staff handles the minor scrapes and bumps just fine.