Enrollment
234
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Springfield, IL
Black Hawk Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Black Hawk Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 173708003815
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Black Hawk Elem School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #11 of 18
- elementary schools in Springfield · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 234
- students enrolled
Black Hawk Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Black Hawk Elem School ranks #11 of 18 elementary schools in Springfield, IL.
School address
District: Springfield Sd 186 · Illinois
NCES ID 173708003815 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Black Hawk Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Black Hawk Elem School
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Black Hawk Elem School is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Illinois schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Black Hawk Elem School's 72.6% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Black Hawk Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in Springfield, Illinois, enrolling 234 students.
At 13.8:1, 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.
Enrollment of 234 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by African American (50%) and White (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 72.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Springfield's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dubois Elem School (469 students): Black Hawk Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.8:1 vs 16.8:1).
Springfield Sd 186 also operates Springfield High School (1,308 students) and Springfield Southeast High Sch (1,229 students) alongside Black Hawk Elem School.
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 Black Hawk Elem School compares
Black Hawk Elem School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▼ 1% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 234 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
234
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 53% in Illinois - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
72.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,554
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $18,196
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
African American 50.4%
White 20.5%
Two or More 19.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 50.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.8, Black Hawk Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Springfield Sd 186, which includes Black Hawk Elem School.
$21,554
Per student
+18%
vs Illinois
Avg $18,196
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 35.9%
Federal 18.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Black Hawk Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Springfield Southeast High Sch | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lanphier High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Benjamin Franklin Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Early Learning Center | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Black Hawk Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,308
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,229
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,117
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Springfield
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Dubois Elem School
Standard public school
469 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Lindsay School
Standard public school
438 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Iles Elem School
Standard public school
414 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Springfield Ball Charter School
Standard public school
394 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Butler Elem School
Standard public school
367 students 16:1 students per teacher
Owen Marsh Elem School
Standard public school
324 students 15.4:1 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 (~234 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Black Hawk Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Black Hawk Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Springfield Sd 186'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 Black Hawk Elem School
How many students attend Black Hawk Elem School?
Black Hawk Elem School has 234 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Springfield, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Black Hawk Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Black Hawk Elem School is 13.8:1, which is 1% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 12% 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 Black Hawk Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Black Hawk Elem School is African American at 50.4% of enrollment, in Springfield, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Black Hawk Elem School?
Black Hawk Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Black Hawk Elem School rank among elementary schools in Springfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Black Hawk Elem School ranks #11 of 18 elementary schools in Springfield, 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 Springfield on the city page.
What other schools are in Springfield Sd 186?
Besides Black Hawk Elem School, Springfield Sd 186 also operates Springfield High School (1,308 students), Springfield Southeast High Sch (1,229 students), and Lanphier High School (1,117 students). See the Springfield Sd 186 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.