Enrollment
168
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 170017602389
Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School — Cowden, IL
Federal NCES profile for Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 43
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 →
School address
District: Cowden-Herrick Cusd 3a · 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.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.7:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
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
Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School reports 168 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% below the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 45% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 168 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cowden-Herrick Cusd 3a spends $19,010 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $20,099 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.4% from local sources (property taxes), 54.4% from the state, and 19.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School 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 | 8.7:1 | ▼ 40% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 168 | top 13% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
8.7:1
students per teacher
— 40% below state mean
Top 4% in Illinois — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$19,010
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $20,099
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 168 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 168 Top 13% in Illinois — larger than 87% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 8.7:1 -40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 170017602389
Student demographics
White 97.6%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 97.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 168:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.6%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cowden-Herrick Cusd 3a, which includes Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School.
$19,010
Per student
-5%
vs Illinois
Avg $20,099
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.4%
State 54.4%
Federal 19.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 175
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
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.
Frequently asked questions about Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School
How many students attend Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School?
Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School has 168 students enrolled. It is a other school in Cowden, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School is 8.7:1, which is 40% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School is White at 97.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cowden, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School?
Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.