2016-17 State of the Arts Report

State of the Arts Report Reflects Five Years of Progress in Arts Education Implementation in CPS.

After five years of implementation of the Arts Education Plan, Chicago Public Schools have reason to celebrate. According to the State of the Arts Report, principals and educators across the city are not only embracing the arts as a “nice to have,” but as a “must-have” in their school day.

Key Findings

With 97% participation in the survey (the highest participation rate to date), the data show:

• The percentage of schools rated Strong or Excelling in the arts increased by 128%, from 29% in 2012-13 to 66% in 2016-17
• The number of known arts instructors continued to increase (from 1,402 in 2015-16 to 1,491.5 in 2016-17), and the overall arts staffing ratio in every CPS network was better than the 1 instructor per 350 student goal set forth in the Arts Education Plan
• The percentage of elementary schools providing 120 minutes of weekly arts instruction increased by 50%, (from 40% in 2012-13 to 60% in 2016-17)
• Community arts partnerships per school increased by 41% (from 4.7 in 2012-13 to 6.7 in 2016-17)
• The estimated community and district investment in the arts totaled $158 million in 2016-17