Public schools in Ottawa, IL
Ottawa has 9 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 1 high, 2 middle, 6 elementary, enrolling 3,504 students. They are run by 5 districts and agencies; Ottawa Elementary School District runs 5 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 5 districts and agencies that run Ottawa's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Ottawa | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Elementary School District | 5 | 1,745 | $18,290 |
| Ottawa Township High School District | 1 | 1,261 | $17,974 |
| Wallace Grade School | 1 | 396 | $16,561 |
| Rutland CCSD 230 | 1 | 63 | $31,476 |
| Deer Park CCSD 82 | 1 | 47 | $32,000 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
One high school in Ottawa, 1,223 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Township High School | 1,223 | 13.7 | not reported | Ottawa Township High |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in Ottawa, 692 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Middle School | 353 | 11.5 | All free (CEP) | Ottawa Elementary |
| Central Intermediate School | 339 | 12.3 | All free (CEP) | Ottawa Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
6 elementary schools in Ottawa, 1,589 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace Elementary School | 420 | 14.8 | not reported | Wallace Grade School |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 387 | 13.1 | All free (CEP) | Ottawa Elementary |
| McKinley Elementary School | 364 | 14.9 | All free (CEP) | Ottawa Elementary |
| Jefferson Elementary School | 304 | 13.3 | All free (CEP) | Ottawa Elementary |
| Rutland Elementary School | 70 | 6.4 | not reported | Rutland CCSD 230 |
| Deer Park C C Elementary School | 44 | 6.3 | not reported | Deer Park CCSD 82 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Ottawa's public schools compare with Illinois's
The median Ottawa school has 13.1 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the Illinois median of 13.1. 67% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 54% across the state. Its median school enrolls 353 students (state 374).
| Ottawa | Illinois | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| Median school size (students) | 353 | 374 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 67% | 54% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 56% | 53% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 3.4% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 9 Ottawa schools and the 3,817 Illinois schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Ottawa
- Ottawa Elementary School DistrictRuns 5 of Ottawa's 9 public schools and spent $18,290 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,290
- Ottawa Township High School, the largest high school in Ottawa1,223 students in 2024-25, 13.7 per teacher.1,223
- Compare Ottawa Elementary School District with Ottawa Township High School DistrictOttawa's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in IllinoisIllinois's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an Ottawa addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Illinois
- Chicago629 schools
- Aurora47 schools
- Rockford44 schools
- Naperville41 schools
- Peoria33 schools
- Joliet31 schools
- Springfield31 schools
- Plainfield29 schools
Questions about schools in Ottawa
How many public schools are in Ottawa, IL?
9 public schools with an address in Ottawa were open in 2024-25: 1 high, 2 middle, 6 elementary, enrolling 3,504 students.What is the largest high school in Ottawa?
Ottawa Township High School, with 1,223 students in 2024-25 (Ottawa Township High School District).Which districts run Ottawa's schools?
Ottawa Elementary School District (5 schools), Ottawa Township High School District (1 school), Wallace Grade School (1 school), Rutland CCSD 230 (1 school), and 1 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25