Enrollment
510
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 172771002932
Highlands Elem School — Naperville, IL
Federal NCES profile for Highlands Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 68
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 →
The verdict
Highlands Elem School earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 510
- students enrolled
School address
District: Naperville Cusd 203 · 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highlands Elem 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
Highlands Elem School reports 510 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Naperville Cusd 203 spends $21,103 per pupil district-wide, above the Illinois average of $17,042 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 69.9% from local sources (property taxes), 25.6% from the state, and 4.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Highlands Elem 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 2% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 510 | top 71% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 50% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
510 larger than 63% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 69% in Illinois — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$21,103
per pupil, district-wide
— above Illinois avg of $17,042
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 510 Top 71% in Illinois — larger than 29% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 172771002932
Student demographics
White 62.5%
Asian 23.3%
Two or More 8.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
African American 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Naperville Cusd 203, which includes Highlands Elem School.
$21,103
Per student
+24%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.9%
State 25.6%
Federal 4.4%
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
- 2,589
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,467
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Naperville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Elmwood Elem School
Standard public school
726 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
May Watts Elementary School
Standard public school
668 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Steeple Run Elem School
Standard public school
622 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Beebe Elem School
Standard public school
619 students 14:1 students per teacher
Mill Street Elem School
Standard public school
600 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Mary Lou Cowlishaw Elementary
Standard public school
589 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Highlands Elem School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Highlands Elem School
How many students attend Highlands Elem School?
Highlands Elem School has 510 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Naperville, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highlands Elem School is 14.9:1, which is 2% higher than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highlands Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Highlands Elem School is White at 62.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Naperville, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highlands Elem School?
Highlands Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Highlands Elem School a good school?
Highlands Elem School earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Illinois median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.