Prairie-Hills ESD 144 operates 9 public schools serving 2,511 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Illinois. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 other, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 2,473 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Cook County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,298 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 30.7% local, 53.0% state, and 16.3% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $67,594 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 43/100, ranked #267 of 763 in Illinois against a state average of 38 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
a 383:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 36.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 73.5% African American, 21.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% White across the district's schools.
Prairie-Hills Junior High School accounts for 31.0% of all Prairie-Hills ESD 144 student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Prairie-Hills ESD 144-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: middle. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 school enrollment varies 192× across entities
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 school enrollment ranges from 4 students (lowest) to 766 students (highest), a spread of 762 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 student-counselor ratio is 383:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 chronic absenteeism rate is 36.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 has 9 schools, including 1 middle, 7 other, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,511 students.
How much does Prairie-Hills ESD 144 spend per student?
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 spends $20,298 per student. The district has an equity score of 43/100, ranking #267 in Illinois.
What is the average teacher salary in Prairie-Hills ESD 144?
The average teacher salary in Prairie-Hills ESD 144 is $67,594 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Prairie-Hills ESD 144?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Cook County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Prairie-Hills ESD 144?
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 students are 73.5% African American, 21.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% White, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Prairie-Hills ESD 144?
Prairie-Hills ESD 144 has an equity score of 43/100, ranking #267 out of 763 districts in Illinois. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.