Enrollment
326
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lewistown, IL
Central Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Central Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170015302515
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elem School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 326
- students enrolled
Central Elem School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lewistown Cusd 97 · Illinois
NCES ID 170015302515 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Elem School
Central Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lewistown, Illinois, enrolling 326 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 326 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
15.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Lewistown's public schools, it stands alongside Lewistown Jr/Sr High School (262 students): Central Elem School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.6:1 vs 12.5:1).
Its district, Lewistown Cusd 97, also runs Lewistown Jr/Sr High School (262 students).
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 Central Elem School compares
Central 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 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
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 24% in Illinois - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,324
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 326 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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
White 95.4%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 95.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.8, Central Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lewistown Cusd 97, which includes Central Elem School.
$15,324
Per student
-10%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.0%
State 38.0%
Federal 8.0%
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 Central Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewistown Jr/Sr High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools in Lewistown
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Lewistown Cusd 97'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 Central Elem School
How many students attend Central Elem School?
Central Elem School has 326 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lewistown, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elem School is 11.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 26% 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 Central Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elem School is White at 95.4% of enrollment, in Lewistown, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elem School?
Central Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Central Elem School a good school?
Central Elem School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools. 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 Lewistown Cusd 97?
Besides Central Elem School, Lewistown Cusd 97 also operates Lewistown Jr/Sr High School (262 students). See the Lewistown Cusd 97 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.