Enrollment
580
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Island Lake, IL
Cotton Creek School
Federal NCES profile for Cotton Creek School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 174119001454
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cotton Creek School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Illinois schools.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 580
- students enrolled
Cotton Creek School has class sizes larger than 73% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wauconda Cusd 118 · Illinois
NCES ID 174119001454 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cotton Creek School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cotton Creek School
Cotton Creek School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Island Lake, Illinois, enrolling 580 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 580 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 580 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Wauconda Cusd 118 also operates Wauconda High School (1,452 students) and Robert Crown School (776 students) alongside Cotton Creek 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 Cotton Creek School compares
Cotton Creek 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 9% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 580 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
580
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 73% in Illinois - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$18,618
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 580 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 580 Top 22% in Illinois - larger than 78% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible -
NCES ID 174119001454
Student demographics
White 56.6%
Hispanic or Latino 34.0%
African American 3.8%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.1, Cotton Creek School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 580:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.4%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wauconda Cusd 118, which includes Cotton Creek School.
$18,618
Per student
+9%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.8%
State 35.0%
Federal 6.2%
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 Cotton Creek School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wauconda High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robert Crown School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wauconda Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Matthews Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wauconda Grade School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cotton Creek School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,452
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cotton Creek School's federal record.
- Compare Cotton Creek School against another school. Compare schools
- Wauconda Cusd 118'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 Cotton Creek School
How many students attend Cotton Creek School?
Cotton Creek School has 580 students enrolled. It is a public school in Island Lake, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cotton Creek School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cotton Creek School is 15.2:1, which is 9% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cotton Creek School?
The largest demographic group at Cotton Creek School is White at 56.6% of enrollment, in Island Lake, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cotton Creek School?
Cotton Creek School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Cotton Creek School a good school?
Cotton Creek School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Wauconda Cusd 118?
Besides Cotton Creek School, Wauconda Cusd 118 also operates Wauconda High School (1,452 students), Robert Crown School (776 students), and Wauconda Middle School (506 students). See the Wauconda Cusd 118 district page for the complete list.