K-12 School buildings in Chicago
543 k-12 school buildings benchmarked under Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, graded by ENERGY STAR score.
At a glance
543 K-12 school buildings in Chicago disclose their energy use under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, 14% of the city's 3,852 benchmarked buildings and its 2nd-largest property type. They average an ENERGY STAR score of 45 (median 43) and a site EUI of 72.7 kBtu/ft². The top scorer is SouthLoopBrn-CPS, at 100.
Top of the class
Most efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| SouthLoopBrn-CPS | A100 | 3.5 kBtu/ft² | 209,160 sq ft |
| Prodigy Wood-CPS | A100 | 5.7 kBtu/ft² | 136,727 sq ft |
| Dugan-CPS | A100 | 3.6 kBtu/ft² | 86,786 sq ft |
| 2929 W 83rd St | A100 | 21.1 kBtu/ft² | 85,634 sq ft |
| Belding Earl-CPS | A100 | 5.0 kBtu/ft² | 69,480 sq ft |
| Carroll-Rose-CPS | A99 | 22.6 kBtu/ft² | 85,634 sq ft |
| Catalyst-Maria | A97 | 48.2 kBtu/ft² | 175,970 sq ft |
| Hanson Park | A97 | 29.6 kBtu/ft² | 132,816 sq ft |
| Mount Carmel High School | A96 | 28.3 kBtu/ft² | 150,110 sq ft |
| School_HolyAngelsSchoolAnnex | A96 | 36.6 kBtu/ft² | 105,351 sq ft |
| Irving Park Middle -CPS | A95 | 29.0 kBtu/ft² | 207,520 sq ft |
| Taft HS | A94 | 37.4 kBtu/ft² | 388,970 sq ft |
| HighSchool_LeoHS | A94 | 54.0 kBtu/ft² | 111,882 sq ft |
| StStan_School | A93 | 38.0 kBtu/ft² | 96,858 sq ft |
| British School | A93 | 24.3 kBtu/ft² | 82,901 sq ft |
Penalty exposure
Least efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitney Young -CPS | D3 | 154.0 kBtu/ft² | 430,443 sq ft |
| Northside Prep HS | D3 | 129.9 kBtu/ft² | 222,600 sq ft |
| Dyett HS -CPS | D3 | 179.6 kBtu/ft² | 162,840 sq ft |
| New Field | D3 | 122.5 kBtu/ft² | 85,500 sq ft |
| Haines | D3 | 97.5 kBtu/ft² | 75,558 sq ft |
| Daniel C. Beard Elementary School | D3 | 141.2 kBtu/ft² | 58,224 sq ft |
| National Teachers | D4 | 110.4 kBtu/ft² | 156,400 sq ft |
| Noble Network of Charter Schools | D4 | 101.1 kBtu/ft² | 90,742 sq ft |
| Chicago World Language Academy | D4 | 122.1 kBtu/ft² | 74,135 sq ft |
| Kanoon | D4 | 71.8 kBtu/ft² | 67,900 sq ft |
| Beasley | D5 | 121.8 kBtu/ft² | 140,200 sq ft |
| Cardenas | D5 | 70.0 kBtu/ft² | 65,670 sq ft |
| Orr HS / Kipp-One | D6 | 96.0 kBtu/ft² | 303,310 sq ft |
| Chicago Agriculture HS | D6 | 117.2 kBtu/ft² | 192,250 sq ft |
| Urban Prep - Englewood HS | D6 | 121.1 kBtu/ft² | 188,800 sq ft |
Scale
Largest
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Tech HS | B73 | 60.6 kBtu/ft² | 713,935 sq ft |
| Schurz HS | D41 | 84.2 kBtu/ft² | 455,800 sq ft |
| Whitney Young -CPS | D3 | 154.0 kBtu/ft² | 430,443 sq ft |
| Curie HS | D21 | 72.5 kBtu/ft² | 415,577 sq ft |
| Steinmetz HS | B83 | 51.1 kBtu/ft² | 398,320 sq ft |
| Taft HS | A94 | 37.4 kBtu/ft² | 388,970 sq ft |
| Jones HS | C58 | 52.9 kBtu/ft² | 383,631 sq ft |
| Kennedy HS - Kinzie | D37 | 78.3 kBtu/ft² | 345,406 sq ft |
| Lincoln Park HS | B73 | 63.6 kBtu/ft² | 341,821 sq ft |
| Roosevelt HS | B79 | 56.4 kBtu/ft² | 319,900 sq ft |
How do Chicago's K-12 school buildings compare with the rest of the city?
Their average ENERGY STAR score of 45 is about 25% below the citywide average of 60. Average site EUI is 72.7 kBtu/ft², about 14% below the city's 84.4 kBtu/ft² across all property types. Emissions intensity averages 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft², about 17% below the citywide 7.5. 14% of the scored K-12 school buildings reach 75 or higher, the ENERGY STAR certification threshold. Together they reported 274,117 tCO₂e in their latest years, 5% of the city's disclosed building emissions.
How do Chicago's K-12 school buildings compare nationally?
Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers there are 6,548 K-12 school buildings, averaging an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft². Chicago has the 3rd-most K-12 school buildings of the 14 jurisdictions with at least 25. By average ENERGY STAR score it ranks 11th of 13; California leads at 74.
How big and how old are Chicago's K-12 school buildings?
The average K-12 school building here has 121,824 sq ft of floor area, about half of the citywide average of 244,008 sq ft. Together they cover 44.6 million square feet. The average year built is 1943, against 1967 for all disclosed buildings in the city. The largest is Lane Tech HS, at 713,935 sq ft.
More on Chicago's buildings
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 buildings
- Office buildings in Chicago· 387 buildings
- Residential buildings in Chicago· 327 buildings
- Commercial buildings in Chicago· 133 buildings
- College/University buildings in Chicago· 92 buildings
- Hotel buildings in Chicago· 88 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in New York City· 2,301 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in California· 2,128 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Washington, DC· 333 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Philadelphia· 295 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Denver· 192 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Boston· 175 buildings
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
How efficient are Chicago's K-12 school buildings?
The 543 benchmarked K-12 school buildings in Chicago average an ENERGY STAR score of 45 and a site energy-use intensity of 72.7 kBtu/ft² in their latest disclosures under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
Which K-12 school building in Chicago has the best energy grade?
SouthLoopBrn-CPS leads with an ENERGY STAR score of 100 across 209,160 sq ft.
How many K-12 school buildings in Chicago could qualify for ENERGY STAR certification?
14% of the 365 scored K-12 school buildings report a score of 75 or higher, the threshold for certification eligibility; certification itself is a separate, verified application.
What is the largest K-12 school building in Chicago?
Lane Tech HS, with 713,935 sq ft of gross floor area in its latest disclosure.
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, “K-12 School buildings in Chicago”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/type/k-12-school (data as of October 2, 2026).