ESD 159

Public school district · Cook County · Illinois · NCES district ID 1736300

ESD 159 spent $23,994 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 85% of the other Illinois districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $18,127). Its 5 schools enrolled 1,653 students in 2024-25; 30.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $27,813 per student, up 15.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Illinois districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to ESD 159 in enrollment (1,665 to 1,695 students) and ESD 159 itself.

Current spending per student, Illinois districts closest in size to ESD 159, FY23Lake Forest SD 67 $30,131; Skokie SD 68 $24,120; ESD 159 $23,994; Rantoul City SD 137 $20,067; Queen Bee SD 16 $19,754; Roxana CUSD 1 $19,531; Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208 $19,053; Herscher CUSD 2 $16,729; Clinton CUSD 15 $16,560; Monticello CUSD 25 $13,828; State median, 1,000+ students $18,127.10k15k20k25k30k35kLake Forest SD 67$30,131Skokie SD 68$24,120ESD 159$23,994Rantoul City SD 137$20,067Queen Bee SD 16$19,754Roxana CUSD 1$19,531Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208$19,053Herscher CUSD 2$16,729Clinton CUSD 15$16,560Monticello CUSD 25$13,828State median, 1,000+ students $18,127
Current spending per student, Illinois districts closest in size to ESD 159, FY23Lake Forest SD 67 $30,131; Skokie SD 68 $24,120; ESD 159 $23,994; Rantoul City SD 137 $20,067; Queen Bee SD 16 $19,754; Roxana CUSD 1 $19,531; Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208 $19,053; Herscher CUSD 2 $16,729; Clinton CUSD 15 $16,560; Monticello CUSD 25 $13,828; State median, 1,000+ students $18,127.10k15k20k25k30k35kLake Forest SD 67$30,131Skokie SD 68$24,120ESD 159$23,994Rantoul City SD 137$20,067Queen Bee SD 16$19,754Roxana CUSD 1$19,531Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208$19,053Herscher CUSD 2$16,729Clinton CUSD 15$16,560Monticello CUSD 25$13,828State median, 1,000+ students $18,127
Current spending per student, Illinois districts closest in size to ESD 159, FY23Lake Forest SD 67 $30,131; Skokie SD 68 $24,120; ESD 159 $23,994; Rantoul City SD 137 $20,067; Queen Bee SD 16 $19,754; Roxana CUSD 1 $19,531; Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208 $19,053; Herscher CUSD 2 $16,729; Clinton CUSD 15 $16,560; Monticello CUSD 25 $13,828; State median, 1,000+ students $18,127.10k20k30k35kLake Forest SD 67$30,131Skokie SD 68$24,120ESD 159$23,994Rantoul City SD 137$20,067Queen Bee SD 16$19,754Roxana CUSD 1$19,531Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208$19,053Herscher CUSD 2$16,729Clinton CUSD 15$16,560Monticello CUSD 25$13,828State median, 1,000+ students $18,127
Current spending per student, Illinois districts closest in size to ESD 159, FY23Lake Forest SD 67 $30,131; Skokie SD 68 $24,120; ESD 159 $23,994; Rantoul City SD 137 $20,067; Queen Bee SD 16 $19,754; Roxana CUSD 1 $19,531; Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208 $19,053; Herscher CUSD 2 $16,729; Clinton CUSD 15 $16,560; Monticello CUSD 25 $13,828; State median, 1,000+ students $18,127.10k20k30k35kLake Forest SD 67$30,131Skokie SD 68$24,120ESD 159$23,994Rantoul City SD 137$20,067Queen Bee SD 16$19,754Roxana CUSD 1$19,531Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208$19,053Herscher CUSD 2$16,729Clinton CUSD 15$16,560Monticello CUSD 25$13,828State median, 1,000+ students $18,127

Where the money came from

$53,476,000 in revenue: 30.8% state, 59.7% local and 9.5% federal. Total spending including $4,882,000 of capital outlay was $48,554,000, or $28,918 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

ESD 159 revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $16,487,000; Local $31,916,000; Federal $5,073,000; total $53,476,000.
  • State$16,487,000 31%
  • Local$31,916,000 60%
  • Federal$5,073,000 9%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 377 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

1,679 students in 2022-23, 1,648 students in 2023-24, 1,653 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

ESD 159 enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,679, 2023-24: 1,648, 2024-25: 1,65305001k1.5k2k2022-231,6792023-241,6482024-251,653
ESD 159 enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,679, 2023-24: 1,648, 2024-25: 1,65305001k1.5k2k2022-231,6792023-241,6482024-251,653
ESD 159 enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,679, 2023-24: 1,648, 2024-25: 1,65305001k1.5k2k2022-231,6792023-241,6482024-251,653
ESD 159 enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,679, 2023-24: 1,648, 2024-25: 1,65305001k1.5k2k2022-231,6792023-241,6482024-251,653

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,679118.314.2
2023-241,648127.013.0
2024-251,653129.012.8

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in ESD 159 scored proficient or above: 23% in reading, against 29.9% in reading across Illinois. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Illinois, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtIllinoisStudents tested
Reading and language arts23%29.9%1,128

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

4 elementary schools, 1,089 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Marya Yates Elementary School28411.0All free (CEP)Schoolwide program
Sieden Prairie Elementary School27914.2All free (CEP)Schoolwide program
Neil Armstrong Elementary School26613.5All free (CEP)Schoolwide program
Woodgate Elementary School26012.0All free (CEP)Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 564 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Colin Powell Middle School56413.4All free (CEP)Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact ESD 159

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about ESD 159

  1. Illinois districts by spending per studentESD 159 ranks 57 of 377 Illinois districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($23,994).#57 of 377
  2. Every school district in IllinoisESD 159 is the number 240 by size of 865 Illinois districts, with 1,679 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#240 of 865
  3. Clinton CUSD 15The next larger Illinois district: 1,684 students in fall 2022, $16,560 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,560
  4. Rantoul City SD 137The next smaller Illinois district: 1,676 students in fall 2022, $20,067 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$20,067
  5. Compare ESD 159 with Clinton CUSD 15Enrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about ESD 159

  1. How many schools and students are in ESD 159?
    5 schools were open in 2024-25 (4 elementary, 1 middle), enrolling 1,653 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does ESD 159 spend per student?
    $23,994 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Illinois median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $18,127 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $27,813 per student, up 15.9% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does ESD 159's money come from?
    $53,476,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 30.8% state, 59.7% local and 9.5% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in ESD 159 live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 394 of the 1,959 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 20.1%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How do students in ESD 159 do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in ESD 159 scored proficient or above: 23% in reading, against 29.9% in reading across Illinois. Illinois's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  6. What is ESD 159's NCES district ID?
    1736300. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .