At Chicago's eight original sustainable community high schools, just 18% of 11th graders were proficient in reading and 8% in math—even though these schools spend 15% more per student than the districtwide average. A report published June 12, 2026 by the Illinois Policy Institute's Chicago Policy Center finds that the Chicago Teachers Union's preferred school model produces poor student outcomes while costing taxpayers more. The CTU recently secured 50 additional sustainable community schools in its latest contract with Chicago Public Schools, expanding a model that now includes 36 such schools, 15 of which are high schools.
The proficiency gap between sustainable community high schools and the district is stark. Reading proficiency at the eight schools that have used the model since 2018 trails the district average by 22 percentage points, while math proficiency lags by 18 points. Districtwide, 40% of 11th graders were proficient in reading and 25% in math in 2025. Chronic absenteeism is also significantly higher at these schools: 71% of students missed 10% or more of the school year, compared to 40% districtwide. Enrollment at the eight original sustainable community schools dropped 25% from 2018 to 2026, according to CPS 20th-day enrollment data, while high school enrollment districtwide fell just 8% over the same period. Seven additional high schools transitioned to the sustainable community model in the just-ended school year.
The report notes that enrollment at these eight high schools is overwhelmingly low-income, with that percentage higher than the already-high average at CPS high schools. According to the analysis, "these are the students for whom education matters the most, because education offers a pathway out of poverty." The report finds that no amount of additional programming promised by sustainable community schools can compensate for such a large share of students missing so many days. Author Hannah Schmid writes that the sustainable community schools model is expanding even as fewer families choose the schools, which should raise serious concerns about whether these schools are meeting community needs.
The CTU envisions sustainable community schools as community hubs that offer wraparound services for students and families, and union leadership argues they will uplift neighborhoods and provide students needed support services. But the report's data shows that higher spending hasn't translated into better academic outcomes at the eight schools examined. The 15% premium in per-student spending comes alongside proficiency rates that are less than half the district average in reading and less than a third in math. The chronic absenteeism rate of 71% means the vast majority of students at these schools are missing significant instructional time, undermining any potential benefit from additional services or resources.
The enrollment decline signals that families are voting with their feet, leaving sustainable community schools at more than three times the rate of other CPS high schools. The report concludes that if CTU were acting in the best interest of students, it wouldn't push to expand an education model that has failed abysmally. With 50 more sustainable community schools now approved in the union's latest contract, Chicago is doubling down on a model that costs more, delivers worse academic results, and is losing the confidence of the families it's meant to serve.