Catalyst-Maria
K-12 School in Chicago, IL · 6727 S. California Avenue · 60629
At a glance
Catalyst-Maria is a 175,970-square-foot K-12 school at 6727 S. California Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1952. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 97 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 48.2 kBtu/ft² and 537 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 98% of the 365 scored K-12 school buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 97 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 48.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 60.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 537 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 293,567 kWh |
| Natural gas | 74,717 therms |
| Gross floor area | 175,970 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:172055:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 97 | -1 | 48.2 kBtu/ft² | 537 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 98 | +1 | 49.4 kBtu/ft² | 549 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 97 | -1 | 49.4 kBtu/ft² | 557 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 98 | +1 | 47.9 kBtu/ft² | 545 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 97 | +1 | 49.6 kBtu/ft² | 592 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 96 | +4 | 49.7 kBtu/ft² | 594 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 92 | ±0 | 78.8 kBtu/ft² | 886 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 92 | -7 | 78.9 kBtu/ft² | 895 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 99 | 50.5 kBtu/ft² | 649 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 6727 S. California Avenue
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60629
- Coordinates
- 41.79941, -87.59128
Within ~1 km
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- Two North LaSallescore 81
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- 110 NC LLCscore 87
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- Congress Centerscore 80
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Catalyst-Maria compare with other K-12 school buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 543 K-12 school buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Catalyst-Maria's ENERGY STAR score of 97 compares with an average of 45 across the 365 that report a score; it scores higher than 98% of them and lower than 2%. Its site EUI of 48.2 kBtu/ft² is about 34% below the average of 72.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 3.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about half of the group average of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 175,970 sq ft, it is about 44% above the average floor area of 121,824 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1952, 9 years later than the group's average year built (1943). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Catalyst-Maria's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Catalyst-Maria, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 99 in 2015 to 97 in 2023 (-2 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 99. Site EUI moved from 50.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 48.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 5% decrease. Reported emissions went from 649 tCO₂e to 537 tCO₂e over the same span (down 17%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 97 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 97 means the building performs better than about 97% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 97 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. In Chicago, 35% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. Catalyst-Maria's 48.2 kBtu/ft² across 175,970 sq ft works out to about 8.5 billion Btu (2,486 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 60.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 293,567 kWh of electricity and 74,717 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Catalyst-Maria to report its energy use?
Catalyst-Maria reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:172055:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More K-12 school buildings in Chicago
- Acero Schools - Veterans Memorial Campus· 174,999 sq ft · score 42 (D)
- MarOuette· 172,688 sq ft · score 58 (C)
- Chiarts HS· 171,400 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- Hibbard· 169,900 sq ft · score 59 (C)
- Resurrection College Prep High School· 169,870 sq ft · score 30 (D)
- Sor Juana· 169,086 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- K-12 School buildings in Chicago· 543 benchmarked
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is Catalyst-Maria's energy grade?
Catalyst-Maria scores 97 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Catalyst-Maria use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 48.2 kBtu/ft² (60.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 175,970 sq ft, including 293,567 kWh of electricity and 74,717 therms of natural gas.
What are Catalyst-Maria's carbon emissions?
Catalyst-Maria reported 537 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Catalyst-Maria?
Catalyst-Maria is at 6727 S. California Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois 60629. Its coordinates are 41.79941, -87.59128 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Catalyst-Maria and when was it built?
Catalyst-Maria has 175,970 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1952 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Catalyst-Maria covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Catalyst-Maria, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/catalyst-maria-9c84e33c (data as of October 2, 2026).