Enrollment
326
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Aurora, IL
Benavides Steam Academy
Federal NCES profile for Benavides Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 170468006318
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benavides Steam Academy earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- #6 of 10
- elementary schools in Aurora · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 326
- students enrolled
Benavides Steam Academy has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benavides Steam Academy ranks #6 of 10 elementary schools in Aurora, IL.
School address
District: Aurora East Usd 131 · Illinois
NCES ID 170468006318 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benavides Steam Academy compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benavides Steam Academy
Benavides Steam Academy is a mid-sized elementary school in Aurora, Illinois, enrolling 326 students.
At 13:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Illinois median, within a few percentage points of the 14:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 326 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Aurora's elementary schools, it stands alongside Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary (683 students): Benavides Steam Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 16.3:1).
Aurora East Usd 131 also operates East High School (4,020 students) and Henry W Cowherd Middle School (807 students) alongside Benavides Steam Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Benavides Steam Academy compares
Benavides Steam Academy on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 7% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 326 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
326
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 42% in Illinois - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,003
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 86.2%
African American 6.4%
White 4.0%
Asian 1.2%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.1, Benavides Steam Academy is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aurora East Usd 131, which includes Benavides Steam Academy.
$15,003
Per student
-12%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.0%
State 60.2%
Federal 19.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Benavides Steam Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry W Cowherd Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| C F Simmons Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| K D Waldo Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Olney C Allen Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benavides Steam Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,020
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 712
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary schools in Aurora
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary
Standard public school
683 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Reba O Steck Elementary School
Standard public school
669 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
The Wheatlands Elementary School
Standard public school
613 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Nancy Young Elementary School
Standard public school
574 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Homestead Elementary School
Standard public school
511 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Mccarty Elementary School
Standard public school
478 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~326 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benavides Steam Academy's federal record.
- Compare Benavides Steam Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Aurora East Usd 131's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Benavides Steam Academy
How many students attend Benavides Steam Academy?
Benavides Steam Academy has 326 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Aurora, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benavides Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Benavides Steam Academy is 13:1, which is 7% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benavides Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Benavides Steam Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 86.2% of enrollment, in Aurora, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benavides Steam Academy?
Benavides Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Benavides Steam Academy rank among elementary schools in Aurora?
By Resource Investment Index, Benavides Steam Academy ranks #6 of 10 elementary schools in Aurora, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Aurora on the city page.
Is Benavides Steam Academy a good school?
Benavides Steam Academy earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Aurora East Usd 131?
Besides Benavides Steam Academy, Aurora East Usd 131 also operates East High School (4,020 students), Henry W Cowherd Middle School (807 students), and C F Simmons Middle School (792 students). See the Aurora East Usd 131 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.