Enrollment
426
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Franklin Park, IL
Hester Jr High School
Federal NCES profile for Hester Jr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 171578001887
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hester Jr High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Franklin Park · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 426
- students enrolled
Hester Jr High School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hester Jr High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Franklin Park, IL.
School address
District: Franklin Park Sd 84 · Illinois
NCES ID 171578001887 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hester Jr High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hester Jr High School
Hester Jr High School is a mid-sized middle school in Franklin Park, Illinois, enrolling 426 students.
At 12.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Illinois median, within a few percentage points of the 14:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 426 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 led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (22%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 426 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Franklin Park Sd 84 also operates Passow Elementary School (387 students) and Dan H Pietrini Elem School (242 students) alongside Hester Jr High 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 Hester Jr High School compares
Hester Jr High 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 8% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 426 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
426
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 41% in Illinois - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.4%
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
$18,435
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 426 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 72.8%
White 21.8%
Asian 4.0%
African American 0.9%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.1, Hester Jr High School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin Park Sd 84, which includes Hester Jr High School.
$18,435
Per student
+8%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 26.7%
Federal 7.3%
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 Hester Jr High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passow Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dan H Pietrini Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hester Jr High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 199
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~426 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hester Jr High School's federal record.
- Compare Hester Jr High School against another school. Compare schools
- Franklin Park Sd 84'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 Hester Jr High School
How many students attend Hester Jr High School?
Hester Jr High School has 426 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Franklin Park, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hester Jr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hester Jr High School is 12.9:1, which is 8% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 18% 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 Hester Jr High School?
The largest demographic group at Hester Jr High School is Hispanic or Latino at 72.8% of enrollment, in Franklin Park, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hester Jr High School?
Hester Jr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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).
How does Hester Jr High School rank among public schools in Franklin Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Hester Jr High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Franklin Park, 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 Franklin Park on the city page.
Is Hester Jr High School a good school?
Hester Jr High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. 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 Franklin Park Sd 84?
Besides Hester Jr High School, Franklin Park Sd 84 also operates Passow Elementary School (387 students), Dan H Pietrini Elem School (242 students), and North Elem School (199 students). See the Franklin Park Sd 84 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.