Is Chicago Public Schools a good company to work for?

Chicago Public Schools has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5, based on over 2,913 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months. 61% of employees would recommend working at Chicago Public Schools to a friend and 38% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Chicago Public Schools have been left by employees working as Teacher Assistant Or SECA (Special Education Teacher Assistant) , School Social Worker and Assistant Principal .

Does Chicago Public Schools pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Chicago Public Schools employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Chicago Public Schools. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Chicago Public Schools?

61% of Chicago Public Schools employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Chicago Public Schools 3.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Chicago Public Schools?

Teacher (595) , Substitute Teacher (144) , Special Education Teacher (134) , English Teacher (56) , Educator (33) , SECA (33) , Special Education Paraprofessional (33) , High School Teacher (25) , Special Education Classroom Assistant (25) , Elementary Teacher (23) , School Counselor (23) , Teacher Assistant (23) , Teacher Assistant Or SECA (Special Education Teacher Assistant) (22) , Speech Language Pathologist (21) , Assistant Principal (19)

What are the pros of working at Chicago Public Schools according to real employee reviews?

"Good hours and pay." ((in 237 reviews)); "Good benefits and good for experience" ((in 217 reviews)); "Salary is good for the area" ((in 99 reviews)); "Great place to learn and build data skills People are great!" ((in 59 reviews)); "Great coworkers and students in schools" ((in 48 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Chicago Public Schools according to real employee reviews?

"Huge system that has multiple levels of incompetent leadership." ((in 42 reviews)); "Long hours and necessity for flexibility." ((in 24 reviews)); "Poor communication, Can be inconsiderate at times, and last minute assignments" ((in 23 reviews)); "No work/life balance" ((in 22 reviews)); "Lack of respect by students and sometimes other staff." ((in 14 reviews))

What are employees saying about Chicago Public Schools layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Chicago Public Schools layoffs and their outlook for job security at Chicago Public Schools in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Chicago Public Schools locations?

Chicago , Chicago , North Chicago , Chicago Ridge , Evanston , Milwaukee , Madison , Berwyn , Broadview , Calumet City , Carol Stream , Dolton , Glencoe , Matteson , Oak Forest , Oak Lawn , Park Forest , Riverside , Western Springs , Lawndale , Kansas City , Laveen , Gillette , Asheville , Houston , Minneapolis , Conway , Hammond , Taft , Los Angeles

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Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Public Schools reviews

3.4

61% would recommend to a friend

(2,747 total reviews)

Dr. Macquline King

56% approve of CEO

38% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Career opportunities

3.3

Work/Life balance

3.0

Culture & values

2.6

Senior management

Chicago Public Schools has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 2,747 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Chicago Public Schools employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

3K reviews

2.0

Nov 4, 2022

New teacher looking to get out

Teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay, holidays, summers off, wonderful kids

Cons

You are expected to work a unpaid days on the weekend and lectured about how if you were a dedicated teacher you would not mind working an additional 2-3 hours per day literally everyday. Summers are off because teachers are burned out and truthfully worked enough hours during the 10-months to cover the hours that would have been worked over the summer. Zero work-life balance Horrible, demanding, nasty, and rude principals. It seems to be a chronic issue. This is my second year teaching and first year teaching at CPS and I can truly say to aspiring teachers, RUN. The children are great, but administrations will suck the life out of your dreams of helping in underserved community schools. I came in really wanting to make a difference and am good at teaching. The focus in the schools is on how good administration looks and that comes from all the red-tape paperwork and minutiae that is demanded of teachers.

3.0

Jul 15, 2022

Nice Enough Stepping Stone

Special education paraprofessional

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- great starting pay - consistent hours - can be easy going - relaxed dress code

Cons

- systematic problems unaddressed - hierarchical - nasty, unhelpful, incompetent Human Resource Dept. - incompetent managers - terrible dental insurance - small wage increases per year Chicago Public Schools is a nice enough place to work for a few years. No more than 3 years, honestly. There's room for growth but it's terribly hierarchical. Expect to be ignored and condescended to if you don't have a glamorous or splashy job. The money is nice when you start, but once you see that no one is genuinely interested in correcting recurring issues or treating employees better it starts to not seem like enough. It's a stepping stone. Uncomfortable enough to leave but well placed and reliable to help you move on.

5.0

Aug 26, 2018

substitute teacher

Substitute teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

excellent enviroment. everybody at the schools will treat you right and will give you your place as an educator and will provide the tools to conduct your class properly. the kids are well behaved at the most schools and the main teachers always left lesson planss for you to follow. you have 45 min lunch and 1 hour of "prep" but since you dont need to prepare anything you can spend the time doing anything else, so you only need to be in front of the group 5.25 hrs. also if you want to keep growing and become a teacher you will find orientation to accomplish that goal, the cps community is very supportive.

Cons

day by day teachers don't have any benefits. if you are new you will find the hard way whichs school's are good and the groups on those schools that are the best to work with

Viewing 1 - 3 of 2,747 Reviews

Jobs at Chicago Public Schools

Hourly

Chicago, IL

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Senior Payroll Specialist

School Clerk Assistant

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New teacher looking to get out

Nice Enough Stepping Stone

substitute teacher

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