2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 172058004928

Carl Sandburg Elementary — Joliet, IL

Federal NCES profile for Carl Sandburg Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.

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0/100100/10025/100
👥 Class size
26
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
26
📋 Attendance
19
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →

The verdict

Carl Sandburg Elementary earns an F Resource Investment Index (25/100), with class sizes larger than 94% of Illinois schools.

F
Resource Index · 25/100
18.6:1
large classes for Illinois
371
students enrolled

School address

Joliet, IL 60435
District: Joliet Psd 86 · Illinois

Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.

Enrollment

371

Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

20.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.6:1

vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg

+27% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Carl Sandburg Elementary compares with Illinois and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median
0:135:118.6:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.

What this school's NCES data tells you

Carl Sandburg Elementary reports 371 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% above the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.

Counselor coverage works out to roughly 371 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

On the finance side, the surrounding Joliet Psd 86 spends $17,920 per pupil district-wide, above the Illinois average of $17,042 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 24.4% from local sources (property taxes), 63.0% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Carl Sandburg Elementary compares

Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Illinois state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.

Metric This school vs Illinois Illinois avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 18.6:1 ▲ 27% 14.6:1 15.7:1
Enrollment 371 top 50% — —

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

Class size vs. every US school

Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)

19 smaller classes than 21% of 92,598 US schools

0–2: 295 US schools (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 597 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,033 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,939 US schools (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 4,805 US schools (5%). Below this entry. 10–12: 11,082 US schools (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 16,971 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 14–16: 18,959 US schools (20%). Below this entry. 16–18: 13,660 US schools (15%). Below this entry. 18–20: 8,300 US schools (9%). This entry sits in this band. 20–22: 5,448 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 22–24: 4,007 US schools (4%). Above this entry. 24–26: 2,663 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 26–28: 1,131 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 28–30: 504 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 307 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 189 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 141 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 93 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 94 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 59 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 42–44: 46 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 44–46: 56 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 46–48: 58 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 48–50: 34 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 50–52: 37 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 52–54: 30 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 54–56: 15 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 56–58: 25 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 58–60: 20 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 60 every US school, by class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

School size vs. every US school

Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')

371 larger than 43% of 95,891 US schools

0–150: 14,035 US schools (15%). Below this entry. 150–300: 16,928 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 300–450: 21,633 US schools (23%). This entry sits in this band. 450–600: 17,006 US schools (18%). Above this entry. 600–750: 10,042 US schools (10%). Above this entry. 750–900: 5,568 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 900–1,050: 3,006 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 1,050–1,200: 1,826 US schools (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,350: 1,220 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,350–1,500: 908 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,650: 692 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,650–1,800: 607 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,950: 502 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,950–2,100: 432 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,100–2,250: 346 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,250–2,400: 252 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,400–2,550: 203 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,550–2,700: 163 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,700–2,850: 115 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,850–3,000: 85 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 3,000 every US school, by enrollment, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

What the federal data reveals about equity at this school

Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.

Staffing depth
18.6:1
students per teacher — 27% above state mean
Top 94% in Illinois — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,920
per pupil, district-wide — above Illinois avg of $17,042
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 371 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

Enrollment 371 Top 50% in Illinois — larger than 50% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 18.6:1 +27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 172058004928

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 44.5%
African American 42.3%
White 7.0%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.5% of enrollment.

Programs & staff

Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 371:1

Discipline & special education

Chronically absent 32.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 8

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joliet Psd 86, which includes Carl Sandburg Elementary.

$17,920
Per student
+5%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.4%
State 63.0%
Federal 12.5%

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.

Other Schools in This District

Joliet Psd 86 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Joliet

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Thomas Jefferson Elem Sch
Standard public school
646 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Sator Sanchez Elem School
Standard public school
635 students 14:1 students per teacher
Pershing Elem School
Standard public school
621 students 18:1 students per teacher
Lynne Thigpen Elem School
Standard public school
620 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Farragut Elem School
Standard public school
568 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Jones Elementary School
Standard public school
553 students 15.3:1 students per teacher

Educator & family resources

In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.

Understanding NCES data

How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.

Choose a school district

Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.

How schools are funded

Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.

Chronic absenteeism

Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.

Magnet vs charter vs traditional

Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.

School discipline data

What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.

Before you act on this record

Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.

  • Compare Carl Sandburg Elementary side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
  • Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
  • Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide

Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.

Frequently asked questions about Carl Sandburg Elementary

How many students attend Carl Sandburg Elementary?

Carl Sandburg Elementary has 371 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Joliet, IL.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Carl Sandburg Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Carl Sandburg Elementary is 18.6:1, which is 27% higher than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carl Sandburg Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Carl Sandburg Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 44.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Joliet, IL.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Carl Sandburg Elementary?

Carl Sandburg Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.

Is Carl Sandburg Elementary a good school?

Carl Sandburg Elementary earns an F Resource Investment Index (25/100), with class sizes larger than 94% of Illinois schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type — administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — universe of U.S. public schools and districts. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — discipline, absenteeism, and AP-course participation. ocrdata.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey — per-pupil expenditure and revenue sources. nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency
  • USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. fns.usda.gov/nslp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic and socioeconomic context for school catchment areas. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • U.S. Department of Education ESSA Title I — federal Title I program participation. ed.gov