Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) have announced an expansion of the Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) model in Chicago. The initiative will increase the number of participating schools from 20 to 36 across the city.
The SCS model was first launched in 2018 as a partnership between CPS and CTU. It focuses on connecting schools with community-based organizations to provide services such as health and wellness support, trauma-informed care, restorative justice practices, and after-school learning opportunities.
“As a former educator and community organizer, I understand the power of schools that are deeply connected to the neighborhoods they serve,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The expansion of the Sustainable Community Schools model is an investment in our children, our families, and the future of our city. It reflects our shared belief that every student deserves access to a supportive, inclusive, and opportunity-rich learning environment.”
Dr. Macquline King, CPS Interim CEO/Superintendent, emphasized the district’s focus on equity through this initiative. “The expansion of Sustainable Community Schools reflects the District’s commitment to equity and community voice,” King said. “We know that students do best when schools are equipped to support their academic, emotional, and social well-being. This model recognizes and supports our schools as the anchors they are for students, staff and families.”
Sixteen additional schools will begin implementing this approach starting in the 2025–26 school year. These new SCS sites will receive resources aimed at enhancing student learning outcomes while promoting family engagement.
In December 2023, the Board of Education passed a resolution making Community Schools a strategic priority within CPS’s five-year plan known as Success 2029: Together We Rise. The goal is for each school to function as a community hub where educators, families, students, and partners work together for collective well-being.
“Expanding this model allows us to build on the strengths of our communities and ensure that every child has access to the resources they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom,” said Chicago Board of Education President Sean Harden. “This is how we create lasting change based on community leadership and shared responsibility.”
“Sustainable Community schools are more than a place where lessons are taught. It’s where a child gets a hot meal, a health checkup, a trauma counselor and the wrap-around services they need to grow, thrive and achieve,” said Stacy Davis Gates, CTU president. “With 16 new schools joining the Sustainable Community Schools family, we are deepening our commitment to equity and it comes at a time when students and their families need it the most.”
According to officials involved in planning efforts for these newly selected SCS sites—including Ira Aldridge Elementary School; Austin College and Career Academy High School; Belmont-Cragin Elementary School; James H. Bowen High School; Cesar E. Chavez Multi-Cultural Academic Center; George W. Collins Academy STEAM High School; James R. Doolittle Elementary School; Englewood STEM High School; Stephen F. Gale Community Academy; Harold Washington Elementary School; Gurdon S. Hubbard High School; Stephen T. Mather High School; McCutcheon STEAM Elementary School; Richard J. Oglesby Elementary School; Telpochcalli Dual-Language Elementary School; George Washington High School—planning activities have started with full implementation set for next year.
The expansion prioritizes historically underserved areas in line with CPS’s equity framework designed to close opportunity gaps for students throughout Chicago.
A full list of current SCS sites includes Oscar DePriest Elementary School; Herbert Spencer Technology Academy; Charles Steinmetz College Prep; Brighton Park Elementary School; Thomas Kelly Preparatory School; Donald L. Morrill Math & Science Specialty School; John B. Drake Elementary School; Jacob Beidler Elementary School; Daniel R. Cameron Magnet School of the Arts; Carl Schurz High School among others.
More information about this strategic priority can be found on both CPS’s website (https://www.cps.edu/about/vision/success-2029/) as well as CTU's Sustainable Community Schools Page (https://www.ctulocal1.org/issues/sustainable-community-schools/).