Enrollment
748
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wilmette, IL
Highcrest Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Highcrest Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 174260001195
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highcrest Middle School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Illinois schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Wilmette · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.7:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 748
- students enrolled
Highcrest Middle School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highcrest Middle School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Wilmette, IL.
School address
District: Wilmette Sd 39 · Illinois
NCES ID 174260001195 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highcrest Middle School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highcrest Middle School
Highcrest Middle School is a large elementary school in Wilmette, Illinois, enrolling 748 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.7:1, Highcrest Middle School is leaner than roughly 85% of Illinois schools and 24% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 748 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 49/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Wilmette Sd 39 spends $23,544 per pupil, 38% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Wilmette's elementary schools, it stands alongside Central Elem School (485 students): Highcrest Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.7:1 vs 14.7:1).
Wilmette Sd 39 also operates Wilmette Junior High School (766 students) and Central Elem School (485 students) alongside Highcrest Middle 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 Highcrest Middle School compares
Highcrest Middle 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 24% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 748 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
748
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 15% in Illinois - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,544
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
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 68.9%
Two or More 13.2%
Asian 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 68.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.2, Highcrest Middle School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilmette Sd 39, which includes Highcrest Middle School.
$23,544
Per student
+38%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.7%
State 24.4%
Federal 1.9%
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 Highcrest Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmette Junior High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Romona Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckenzie Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harper Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highcrest Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 462
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools in Wilmette
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 (~748 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highcrest Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Highcrest Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Wilmette Sd 39'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 Highcrest Middle School
How many students attend Highcrest Middle School?
Highcrest Middle School has 748 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wilmette, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highcrest Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highcrest Middle School is 10.7:1, which is 24% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 32% 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 Highcrest Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Highcrest Middle School is White at 68.9% of enrollment, in Wilmette, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highcrest Middle School?
Highcrest Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Highcrest Middle School rank among elementary schools in Wilmette?
By Resource Investment Index, Highcrest Middle School ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Wilmette, 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 Wilmette on the city page.
Is Highcrest Middle School a good school?
Highcrest Middle School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Wilmette Sd 39?
Besides Highcrest Middle School, Wilmette Sd 39 also operates Wilmette Junior High School (766 students), Central Elem School (485 students), and Romona Elem School (462 students). See the Wilmette Sd 39 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.