Jose de Diego Community Academy

I'm honestly pretty concerned about the health environment at Jose de Diego. With a GreatSchools rating of 2/10, it definitely feels like the school is struggling to keep up with basic wellness and safety. The chronic absenteeism in CPS schools like this one is always a worry because it usually means there's a lot of illness going around or kids just aren't motivated to be there. I've also had some really frustrating encounters with the staff outside during drop-off; the crossing guards and some of the personnel can be pretty rude, which doesn't exactly make it feel like a welcoming or 'wellness-focused' community. It’s hard to feel good about the school's hygiene or mental health support when the general vibe is so stressed and the ratings are this low.

Honestly, being at Jose De Diego right now is a bit of a struggle for us. The building itself feels really old and it's clear it needs more than just the random 'capital improvements' they post about. Between the high chronic absenteeism and the fact that it feels like kids are constantly passing around bugs, I'm pretty frustrated. The ratios are tough too—it often feels like the staff is just too stretched thin to really stay on top of daily cleanliness or check in on kids who aren't feeling 100%. Communicating about illnesses feels like it's an afterthought most of the time. It’s hard to feel great about the wellness culture when the attendance is so shaky.