Enrollment
260
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mount Vernon, IL
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr
Federal NCES profile for J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 172734002902
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Mount Vernon · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 260
- students enrolled
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Mount Vernon, IL.
School address
District: Mount Vernon Sd 80 · Illinois
NCES ID 172734002902 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr is a mid-sized elementary school in Mount Vernon, Illinois, enrolling 260 students.
At 13:1, 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.
Enrollment of 260 puts it in the smaller 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 (48%) and African American (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 28.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Mount Vernon's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dr Nick Osborne Primary Center (562 students): J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 13.4:1).
Mount Vernon Sd 80 also operates Dr Nick Osborne Primary Center (562 students) and Zadok Casey Middle School (380 students) alongside J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr.
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 J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr compares
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 7% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 260 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
260
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 42% in Illinois - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$17,295
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.1 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 47.7%
African American 26.2%
Two or More 18.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 47.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.6, J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mount Vernon Sd 80, which includes J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr.
$17,295
Per student
+1%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 45.7%
Federal 28.9%
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 J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Nick Osborne Primary Center | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Zadok Casey Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dr Andy Hall Early Educ Ctr | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary schools in Mount Vernon
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 (~260 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr's federal record.
- Compare J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr against another school. Compare schools
- Mount Vernon Sd 80'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 J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr
How many students attend J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr?
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr has 260 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mount Vernon, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr?
The student-teacher ratio at J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr is 13:1, which is 7% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 17% 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 J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr?
The largest demographic group at J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr is White at 47.7% of enrollment, in Mount Vernon, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr?
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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 J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr rank among elementary schools in Mount Vernon?
By Resource Investment Index, J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Mount Vernon, 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 Mount Vernon on the city page.
Is J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr a good school?
J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also more 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 Mount Vernon Sd 80?
Besides J L Buford Intermediate Ed Ctr, Mount Vernon Sd 80 also operates Dr Nick Osborne Primary Center (562 students), Zadok Casey Middle School (380 students), and Dr Andy Hall Early Educ Ctr (243 students). See the Mount Vernon Sd 80 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.