Near South High School

Watch the video regarding the proposed Near South High School below

NSHS Overview

Chicago Public Schools continues to engage with all residents and stakeholders who are interested or impacted by the prospect of a new high school serving the South Loop, Chinatown, Bridgeport, and Bronzeville communities. This proposed Near South High School has the potential to be a first-of-its-kind development. Colocated with CHA housing, and diverse by design, the school can serve as a model for how diverse districts with varying needs can thoughtfully develop a plan for a new school.

The proposal we are recommending took a deep look at various demographic, enrollment, and programmatic trends. Near South is a region that has seen continued growth in the elementary student population over the last decade, and the District predicts that we may see an increase growth in the high school student population as those students matriculate to high school.

Improving Student Experience

• Easier commute: The new school would reduce the average distance students have to travel to their assigned school by up to 2.5 miles.

• A neighborhood anchor: Black high school students make up roughly 31 percent of the proposed boundary. Currently, there are 687 Black high school students in the area attending 95 high schools across the city. Asian high school students make up roughly 39 percent of the proposed boundary. Currently, there are 882 Asian high school students in the area attending 36 high schools across the city.

• Diverse by design: 81% of our Black students in the region attend majority single-race high schools; 36% of our Asian students in the region attend majority single-race schools

  
  

The new school would reduce the average distance students have to travel to their assigned school by up to 2.5 miles.

Demographics

• Approximately 42% of students living in the proposed boundary attend selective enrollment high schools

• The Black student population would potentially benefit with a new neighborhood high school. Currently, of the 687 Black students living within the proposed boundary, 70% attend 22 high schools, a majority of which are under enrolled or underutilized.

The Location is Central to All Students in the Region

24th and State is centrally located in the Near South. It is currently part of the South Bridge Development, which includes the former Ickes Housing site. The District is requesting to enter into a 95-year lease with CHA and purchase two parcels of land that CHA will manage. In July, the CHA board approved to grant CPS a 95-year lease for the land to build the new school. The CPS Board must approve a few key items in order for this to advance.

South Bridge, has multiple phases and will ultimately include 877 total units, including 244 for CHA families from the CHA’s waiting list. Work is currently underway to begin construction.

Engagements

The list below includes the engagements held to date as well as upcoming engagements. CPS is currently working on partnering with LSC Chairs to host a town hall for the various school communities.

At the September 28, 2022 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) board meeting, CPS took a critical first step to continue exploring the possibility of developing a new neighborhood high school to serve the Near South region, a diverse community that includes the South Loop, Chinatown, Bridgeport, and the Bronzeville communities. CPS remains dedicated to ensuring the input, collaboration and voice of students, families and community members are vital to the success of this proposed school. The proposed Near South High School will offer a comprehensive high-quality 9th through 12th grade education with rigorous college and career-prep programming. We remain committed to ensuring that members of these communities continue to collaborate with us through our design and development process as this neighborhood school is intended to serve the needs of the growing student population of these communities. We remain dedicated to continuing to engage with families about their hopes, aspirations, concerns and questions regarding this proposed school. Our information and engagement sessions are ongoing.