Enrollment
327
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · East Saint Louis, IL
Dunbar Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Dunbar Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 171332004987
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dunbar Elem School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in East Saint Louis · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 327
- students enrolled
Dunbar Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dunbar Elem School ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in East Saint Louis, IL.
School address
District: East St Louis Sd 189 · Illinois
NCES ID 171332004987 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dunbar Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dunbar Elem School
Dunbar Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in East Saint Louis, Illinois, enrolling 327 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 327 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding East St Louis Sd 189 spends $25,739 per pupil, 51% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among East Saint Louis's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mason/Clark Middle Sch (540 students): Dunbar Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.6:1 vs 9.8:1).
East St Louis Sd 189 also operates East St Louis Senior High School (1,288 students) and Mason/Clark Middle Sch (540 students) alongside Dunbar 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 Dunbar Elem School compares
Dunbar 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 10% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 327 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
327
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 37% in Illinois - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
60.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$25,739
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
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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
African American 98.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 98.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.4, Dunbar Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East St Louis Sd 189, which includes Dunbar Elem School.
$25,739
Per student
+51%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+55%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.7%
State 62.1%
Federal 22.2%
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 Dunbar Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East St Louis Senior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mason/Clark Middle Sch | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wyvetter Younge Sch of Excellence | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Katie Harper-Wright Elem | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vivian Adams Early Child Ctr | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dunbar Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,288
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar elementary schools in East Saint Louis
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 (~327 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dunbar Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Dunbar Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- East St Louis Sd 189'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 Dunbar Elem School
How many students attend Dunbar Elem School?
Dunbar Elem School has 327 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in East Saint Louis, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dunbar Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dunbar Elem School is 12.6:1, which is 10% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 20% 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 Dunbar Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Dunbar Elem School is African American at 98.8% of enrollment, in East Saint Louis, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dunbar Elem School?
Dunbar Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Dunbar Elem School rank among elementary schools in East Saint Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Dunbar Elem School ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in East Saint Louis, 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 East Saint Louis on the city page.
Is Dunbar Elem School a good school?
Dunbar Elem School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 East St Louis Sd 189?
Besides Dunbar Elem School, East St Louis Sd 189 also operates East St Louis Senior High School (1,288 students), Mason/Clark Middle Sch (540 students), and Wyvetter Younge Sch of Excellence (534 students). See the East St Louis Sd 189 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.