I’ve railed against the effect of good schools on real estate values in the surrounding neighborhood and how it becomes difficult for many homebuyers to move into an area with high-quality public schools. But I must say that it’s nice to see a good school move into a community that is struggling.
At the end of August, the University of Chicago is opening a charter school for kids in grades six to 12 in Woodlawn on the South Side, giving enrollment priority to kids who live in the immediate neighborhood. University officials tells us they are doing this because they are concerned that only about 48 percent of African American boys in Chicago graduate from high school and the graduation rate for girls isn’t much higher.
The University of Chicago Charter School, Woodlawn High School campus will be located at 6420 S University Ave. Now watch the real estate values rise in that area.