Enrollment
544
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Plainfield, 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 dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 173174003335
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 61
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 near the Illinois median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #11 of 16
- elementary schools in Plainfield · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 544
- students enrolled
Central Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elem School ranks #11 of 16 elementary schools in Plainfield, IL.
School address
District: Plainfield Sd 202 · Illinois
NCES ID 173174003335 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-3% 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
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Central 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.
No single support indicator dominates
Central Elem School's available federal support indicators do not reveal an extreme in advanced-course access, specialist staffing, chronic absence, or IDEA enrollment. The most responsible reading is therefore component by component rather than a sweeping verdict: current counseling availability, health support, program schedules, and attendance policy still warrant direct confirmation. Missing or middle-range federal fields are not evidence that services are either strong or weak.
Central Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in Plainfield, Illinois, enrolling 544 students.
At 13.6:1, 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 544 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).
15.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Plainfield's elementary schools, it stands alongside Orenic Intermediate School (812 students): Central Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.6:1 vs 11.9:1).
Plainfield Sd 202 also operates Plainfield North High School (2,399 students) and Plainfield South High School (2,323 students) alongside Central 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 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 3% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in Illinois - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,896
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $18,196
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
15
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 55.1%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
African American 9.7%
Asian 4.4%
Two or More 4.2%
Largest group: White at 55.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.3, Central Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plainfield Sd 202, which includes Central Elem School.
$15,896
Per student
-13%
vs Illinois
Avg $18,196
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 50.4%
State 43.1%
Federal 6.6%
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 Central Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield North High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plainfield South High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plainfield East High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plainfield High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| John F Kennedy Middle Sch | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher 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
- 2,399
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 2,323
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 912
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary schools in Plainfield
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Orenic Intermediate School
Standard public school
812 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Grande Park Elem Sch
Standard public school
687 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Wallin Oaks Elementary School
Standard public school
677 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Charles Reed Elementary Sch
Standard public school
641 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Walkers Grove Elementary School
Standard public school
634 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Meadow View Elementary School
Standard public school
627 students 17.4:1 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 (~544 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Plainfield Sd 202'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 544 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Plainfield, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elem School is 13.6:1, which is 3% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 13% 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 55.1% of enrollment, in Plainfield, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.
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 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 Central Elem School rank among elementary schools in Plainfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elem School ranks #11 of 16 elementary schools in Plainfield, 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 Plainfield on the city page.
What other schools are in Plainfield Sd 202?
Besides Central Elem School, Plainfield Sd 202 also operates Plainfield North High School (2,399 students), Plainfield South High School (2,323 students), and Plainfield East High School (1,825 students). See the Plainfield Sd 202 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.