Enrollment
343
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lake Forest, IL
Cherokee Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Cherokee Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 172175002447
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherokee Elem School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Illinois schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Lake Forest · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 343
- students enrolled
Cherokee Elem School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee Elem School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Lake Forest, IL.
School address
District: Lake Forest Sd 67 · Illinois
NCES ID 172175002447 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherokee Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherokee Elem School
Cherokee Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in Lake Forest, Illinois, enrolling 343 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.1:1, Cherokee Elem School is leaner than roughly 90% of Illinois schools and 28% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 343 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Lake Forest Sd 67 spends $30,179 per pupil, 77% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Lake Forest's elementary schools, it stands alongside Deer Path Middle Sch East (375 students): Cherokee Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.1:1 vs 10.7:1).
Lake Forest Sd 67 also operates Deer Path Middle Sch East (375 students) and Deer Path Middle Sch West (361 students) alongside Cherokee 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 Cherokee Elem School compares
Cherokee 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 28% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
343
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 10% in Illinois - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$30,179
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
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 + 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
White 86.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 2.3%
African American 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.4, Cherokee Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Forest Sd 67, which includes Cherokee Elem School.
$30,179
Per student
+77%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+82%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.0%
State 23.8%
Federal 3.2%
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 Cherokee Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Path Middle Sch East | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Deer Path Middle Sch West | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Everett Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sheridan Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherokee Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar elementary schools in Lake Forest
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~343 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherokee Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Cherokee Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Lake Forest Sd 67'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 Cherokee Elem School
How many students attend Cherokee Elem School?
Cherokee Elem School has 343 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lake Forest, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Elem School is 10.1:1, which is 28% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 36% 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 Cherokee Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Cherokee Elem School is White at 86.0% of enrollment, in Lake Forest, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherokee Elem School?
Cherokee Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Cherokee Elem School rank among elementary schools in Lake Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee Elem School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Lake Forest, 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 Lake Forest on the city page.
Is Cherokee Elem School a good school?
Cherokee Elem School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of 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 Lake Forest Sd 67?
Besides Cherokee Elem School, Lake Forest Sd 67 also operates Deer Path Middle Sch East (375 students), Deer Path Middle Sch West (361 students), and Everett Elem School (308 students). See the Lake Forest Sd 67 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.