City of Chicago Invests $500K in Rogers Park School Expanding Classrooms for Youth With Autism

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/West Rogers Park · March 31, 2026

West Rogers Park's neighboring Rogers Park corridor just landed a major win for inclusive education. PACTT School, located at 7225 N. Greenview Ave., has been awarded a $500,000 City of Chicago Community Development Grant to fund a $3 million expansion that will create six new classrooms for youth with autism — a transformative investment for families across the Far North Side who rely on specialized educational settings close to home.

The grant comes through Mayor Brandon Johnson's Department of Planning and Development, which announced $33 million in awards across 58 neighborhood improvement projects citywide. PACTT's expansion is one of the most directly community-serving investments in the entire North Side package — and for a neighborhood as family-dense and culturally diverse as West Rogers Park, having a world-class autism education facility just blocks away is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade for countless residents.

This kind of investment reflects exactly what makes the Far North Side special: real, resident-centered infrastructure that grows with the community's needs. Stay tuned to PACTT School's website for updates on the expansion timeline, and visit the West Ridge Community Organization at westridgecommunity.org to learn about more neighborhood resources and opportunities to get involved this spring.

Sources:
1. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2026/january/community-development-grants.html