Chicago to invest 15 mln USD to build magnet schools

CHICAGO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) plan to transform three neighborhood schools into magnet schools through a 15 million U.S. dollars federal grant and open two new classical schools, according to a statement of the CPS Office of Communications.

The new schools are to help meet demand for rigorous elementary programming, according the statement released on the CPS website on Monday.

All three neighborhood schools are elementary schools in south and west sides of Chicago, where unemployment rate is higher than other parts of the city.

"Across Chicago we are expanding quality school options, ensuring every student has access to a world-class academic experience and providing every family with a range of quality options for their children," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the statement.

Emanuel mentioned that CPS students are leading the country in academic gains, and these new magnet and classical schools will help continue to grow that record progress.

The three magnet schools will focus on science, technology, engineering and math, CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said, adding that "every family in Chicago deserves accessible, high quality options, and these investments will help make that a reality for even more of our families."

CPS, officially classified as City of Chicago School District No. 299, is the fourth largest school district in the United States by enrollment. For the 2014 to 2015 school year, CPS reported overseeing 660 schools, and serving over 396,000 students. Enditem