Chicago's Two-Tiered System
There are plenty of neighborhood schools in Chicago, well within walking distance of the kids who attend them. Their achievement scores and enrollment are declining. There are also plenty of magnet schools here, too, and their achievement scores and enrollment are increasing.
A few of the magnet schools here are among the best academically in the state, at the elementary and high school levels. They are diverse, well-supplied, and generally have the best sports programs. The neighborhood schools are among the worst academically in the state. They are overwhelming black or hispanic (the predominantly black schools are generally undercrowded; the predominantly hispanic schools are generally overcrowded), they struggle with obtaining adequate supplies, and they have a difficult time fielding teams for sports.
Much of the academic turnaround in the Chicago Public Schools has come from the establishment of magnet schools throughout the city. This has come at the expense of the neighborhood schools, and even many of the Catholic schools in the city.