Namaste Elem Charter School

www.cps.edu

Charter School 364 Students

Elementary School K - 8th

School Overview

Namaste Charter School, located in the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago, is a unique public charter school known for its holistic approach to education. Established with a mission to integrate rigorous academics with physical and emotional wellness, the school operates on a philosophy that healthy children are more effective learners. To support this, Namaste incorporates daily physical activity, nutrition education, and mindfulness practices directly into the school day, aiming to address the "whole child" rather than focusing solely on standardized test metrics.

The school is also recognized for its dual-language immersion program, which fosters bilingualism and biliteracy in both English and Spanish. By emphasizing both language acquisition and social-emotional development, Namaste seeks to prepare a diverse student body for global citizenship. The campus on South Paulina Street serves as a community hub where the school’s core values—integrity, inclusivity, and intentionality—are integrated into a curriculum designed to close achievement gaps while nurturing students' physical and mental health.

364

Total Students

31.0

Full-Time Teachers

11.7

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Namaste Elem Charter School
Demographic	Student Count
White	20
Hispanic	325
Black	12
Asian	1
Two or More	5
American Indian	1

Hispanic
325 (89.3%)
White
20 (5.5%)
Black
12 (3.3%)
Two or More
5 (1.4%)
Asian
1 (0.3%)
American Indian
1 (0.3%)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Charter School
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Chicago Public Schools Dist 299
Phone:	(773)715-9558
Website:	http://www.cps.edu
Grade Range:	K - 8th
Total Students:	364
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	31.0
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	11.7
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	0
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	0

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Kindergarten 32

Grade 1 23

Grade 2 34

Grade 3 33

Grade 4 41

Grade 5 47

Grade 6 55

Grade 7 42

Grade 8 57

Grades Taught Data Table

Grades Taught and Student Counts for Namaste Elem Charter School
Grade	Student Count
Kindergarten	32
Grade 1	23
Grade 2	34
Grade 3	33
Grade 4	41
Grade 5	47
Grade 6	55
Grade 7	42
Grade 8	57

Gender Ratio

Student Gender Ratio Data Table

Student Gender Ratio for Namaste Elem Charter School
Gender	Student Count	Percentage
Female	184	50.5%
Male	180	49.5%

Nearby Elementary Schools (Within 10 Miles)