About Us

Kelly High School is located at 4136 South California Avenue in the heart of Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood on the city's southwest side. As a regular CPS neighborhood school Kelly serves the educational needs of nearly 3,200 students within its attendance boundaries. Despite severe overcrowding, students make remarkable gains in cohort growth during their four years at Kelly and it is considered one of the safest high schools in the city.

Students

Kelly students are 96% low income and predominantly hispanic, primarily of Mexican descent. Approximately 8% of students are Asian (mostly of Chinese heritage), 3% are caucasian, and 2% African-American. Students are active in school leadership, in the local community and extracurricular activities, and raise tens of thousands of dollars each year to support school programs and a variety of both local and international charitable causes.

Academics

Kelly offers a broad and extensive range of coursework including Advanced Placement (AP), honors, and vocational classes as well as respected International Baccalaureate (IB) and AVID programs. Tutoring programs are available before and after school, free of charge, to all students throughout the school year.

Extracurricular

The school hosts dozens of extracurricular programs and multiple athletic teams, extensive award winning music programs, drama and improv clubs, top notch debate teams, After School Matters paid internships in sports and the arts, academic clubs of all varieties, cultural organizations, student advocacy groups like Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE), social justice clubs, Red Cross, lifeguarding, a competitive chess team, arts opportunities and community development sponsored by the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC), and more.

Teachers

Kelly employs a strong mix of young and veteran educators serious about student success and academic support. There are National Board Certified Teachers in each academic discipline and Kelly's annual teacher retention rates are the highest among Chicago's high schools--over 90% every year.

Community

The high school is an anchor in the community through a partnership with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) which brings in needed health and social services and youth and community development via the Chicago Community Schools Initiative. The school building is also utilized for multiple park and recreation programs for children. ?>