Recognized across the city
Ma y o r B r a ndon J ohn s on g r ee ts L el a nd stu den ts on t he fi rst d a y of s chool .
P r inci p a l F r a nklin -A llen w elcome s a M ust a ng .
On the first day of school , Leland ' s welcome committee was something to see . The Mayor , Chicago Board of Education President Sean Harden , CPS CEO Dr . Macquline King , and CPAA ' s own President Kia Banks all came out to greet Leland students at the door . That tells you something . What Ms . Franklin - Allen and her team are building at Leland isn ' t just recognized by CPAA , or by CPS … it ' s recognized by the city . The school Leland sits at 512 S . Lavergne Avenue , serving about 453 students from pre - K through 8 th grade . It ' s a STEM school … every student , kindergarten through 8 th grade , works in its STEM lab . There ' s digital arts , dance , music , and sports through CPS Score , too .
Principal Franklin - Allen about her Mustangs , and she lights up .
connect with Urban Initiatives , BUILD , Inc ., Project Exploration , and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago .
“ Le l a n d ha s som e o f t he be st stu de nts i n t he ci ty o f Chicag o . O ur M ust a n g s lov e to be c r ea t i v e , c omp e t e , a n d sp e n d t i m e i n s ch ool m a k i n g lon g - l a st i n g m e mor ie s w i t h t hei r t eache rs a n d sp ecia l f r ie n d s . O ur 8 t h g r ade stu de nts a tt e n d A l geb r a a n d F r e n ch c l a ss e s ac ross t he str ee t a t our n eighb or i n g high s ch ool , Miche l e C l a rk . O ur stu de nts p a rt ici p a t e i n C ul i n a ry A rts , S p a n i s h c l a ss e s , STEM , Da n ce a n d so mu ch mor e , begi nn i n g i n P r eK .” — PRINCIPAL FRANKLIN-ALLEN It takes a village… and Leland built one Leland is a community school , and it acts like one . After the last bell , students
U r b a n I n i t i a t i v e s
BUILD, I n c .
P ro jec t E xp l or a t i on
B ig B rot he rs B ig S i st e rs o f C hic a g o
Principal Franklin - Allen knows it ’ s not always one big thing … it ’ s several small things that make it big . The school playground illustrates that story . In 2014, Leland unveiled a rebuilt yard with outdoor classrooms and turf fields , part of the Space to Grow pilot that turned old asphalt lots into green space for students and neighbors alike . A school that opens its doors to the neighborhood … because the Leland team believes showing up for the neighborhood is a big part of what they do .
The school ' s motto says it all : “ It ' s a Great Day to Be a Mustang !” Ask
14 • CPAA Magazine | October 2026 • One Union | One Voice | One Direction
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