Enrollment
361
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lake Forest, IL
Deer Path Middle Sch West
Federal NCES profile for Deer Path Middle Sch West, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 172175002449
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Deer Path Middle Sch West earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Illinois schools.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Lake Forest · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 361
- students enrolled
Deer Path Middle Sch West has class sizes smaller than 95% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Deer Path Middle Sch West ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Lake Forest, IL.
School address
District: Lake Forest Sd 67 · Illinois
NCES ID 172175002449 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Deer Path Middle Sch West compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Deer Path Middle Sch West
Deer Path Middle Sch West is a mid-sized middle school in Lake Forest, Illinois, enrolling 361 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9:1, Deer Path Middle Sch West is leaner than roughly 95% of Illinois schools and 36% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 361 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 (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
10.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Lake Forest Sd 67 spends $30,179 per pupil, 77% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Lake Forest Sd 67 also operates Deer Path Middle Sch East (375 students) and Cherokee Elem School (343 students) alongside Deer Path Middle Sch West.
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 Deer Path Middle Sch West compares
Deer Path Middle Sch West on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9:1 | ▼ 36% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 5% in Illinois - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
10.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
7
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 84.5%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 5.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 84.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.8, Deer Path Middle Sch West 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 Deer Path Middle Sch West.
$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 Deer Path Middle Sch West Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Path Middle Sch East | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cherokee Elem School | 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 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Deer Path Middle Sch West'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
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- 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 middle 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 (~361 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Deer Path Middle Sch West's federal record.
- Compare Deer Path Middle Sch West 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 Deer Path Middle Sch West
How many students attend Deer Path Middle Sch West?
Deer Path Middle Sch West has 361 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lake Forest, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Deer Path Middle Sch West?
The student-teacher ratio at Deer Path Middle Sch West is 9:1, which is 36% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 43% 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 Deer Path Middle Sch West?
The largest demographic group at Deer Path Middle Sch West is White at 84.5% of enrollment, in Lake Forest, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Deer Path Middle Sch West?
Deer Path Middle Sch West has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Deer Path Middle Sch West rank among public schools in Lake Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Deer Path Middle Sch West ranks #4 of 7 public 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 public schools in Lake Forest on the city page.
Is Deer Path Middle Sch West a good school?
Deer Path Middle Sch West earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Deer Path Middle Sch West, Lake Forest Sd 67 also operates Deer Path Middle Sch East (375 students), Cherokee Elem School (343 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.