ElementaryChicago, ILHealth profile

Harold Washington Elementary School

Harold Washington Elementary School is a Chicago neighborhood school focused on the 'whole child,' offering dedicated health and wellness resources including crisis intervention services.

A place to learn, thrive, and stay well.

Harold Washington Elementary School (HWES) is a neighborhood public school located at 9130 S University Ave in the Burnside community of Chicago. As a neighborhood school, it is committed to serving all students within its attendance area, focusing on developing the "whole child" through a curriculum that emphasizes scholarship and citizenship. In alignment with its mission to support student well-being, the school collaborates on various health and wellness initiatives. Available services include crisis intervention and specialized support programs designed to foster a safe and supportive learning environment. The school's approach integrates these wellness resources to ensure students are prepared both academically and socially. Harold Washington Elementary is notable for its community-centric mission and its commitment to providing essential health resources directly on campus. Parents may find value in the school’s dedicated focus on crisis intervention and its collaborative efforts to maintain a healthy, stable environment for its students.

  • Common Cold
    4/1/2026
    Mild FeverSneezing
    Severity: moderate

Health reviews

3.0
2 reviews
  • Honestly, I’m pretty frustrated with the health environment at Harold Washington. My biggest concern is the cleanliness; I saw in some official notes that they've been dealing with broken equipment like vacuums that actually leak water, and you can definitely tell when you walk through the halls. Between the high chronic absenteeism—which is around 28%—and the fact that we’re sitting at a 30:1 student-to-teacher ratio, the staff is just way too stretched thin to keep a lid on germs. It feels like every time one kid gets a sniffle, it rips through the whole class because they can't manage the hygiene protocols or the ventilation well enough. It's hard to feel good about sending your kid to a building where the basic maintenance seems to be falling apart and the kids are missing so much school.

    5/11/2026

  • Honestly, I’ve been pretty happy with how Harold Washington handles things. They really do try to focus on the 'whole child' like they say. Whenever there’s a bug going around the classroom, the teacher is usually pretty quick to shoot out an email or a NoteHome so we can keep an eye out for symptoms. The school is generally clean, though you can tell it’s an older building, but the janitorial staff definitely puts in the work. My only gripe is that the sick-child policy can be a bit strict about when they can come back after a fever, but I guess that’s why my kindergartner didn’t get nearly as sick this year as he did in daycare!

    3/30/2026

Live map

Where it sits in the neighborhood

StrepFluRSVColdHFMD / RashStomach

No food inspection records on file for this school.

No environmental records on file for this school's area.

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