Ira F Aldridge Elementary School

Honestly, I’m pretty concerned about the conditions at Aldridge. I’ve heard from several other moms that the absenteeism is super high—like way over 20%—and you can really feel it in the culture. It feels like the school is constantly playing catch-up, and when so many kids are out, you have to wonder if it's the environment or just a lack of support. The building itself feels pretty dated and maintenance seems to be a struggle; the bathrooms aren't always great and the ventilation in some of the older classrooms is definitely suspect. I want to love the staff, but they seem totally burnt out and stretched thin with the high student-teacher ratios. If your kid has any kind of health issue or needs extra wellness support, you're going to have to be your own advocate because it feels like things just slip through the cracks here. It’s tough because I know they're trying, but the health and attendance data doesn't lie.

Aldridge has been pretty solid for my son this year. The school's been really on top of things since they started the accelerated curriculum stuff—it feels like they're putting more effort into keeping the building clean and keeping us parents in the loop. I get a notification pretty much right away if there's a stomach bug going through the classroom, which I appreciate so I can prep. The sick policy is standard for CPS, maybe a little strict, but honestly, it keeps the classrooms from becoming total germ zones. Only downside is the nurse isn't there every single day, which is a bit of a bummer if someone has a minor scrape on an 'off' day, but overall the staff handles the wellness stuff well.