Enrollment
475
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 174125004131
Jack Benny Middle School — Waukegan, IL
Federal NCES profile for Jack Benny Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 9
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
Jack Benny Middle School earns an F Resource Investment Index (32/100), with class sizes larger than 76% of Illinois schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 32/100
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 475
- students enrolled
School address
District: Waukegan Cusd 60 · 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
15.6:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jack Benny Middle 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
Jack Benny Middle School reports 475 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 238 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waukegan Cusd 60 spends $20,269 per pupil district-wide, above the Illinois average of $17,042 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 24.4% from local sources (property taxes), 63.4% from the state, and 12.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Jack Benny Middle 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 475 | top 66% | — | — |
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)
16 smaller classes than 43% 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')
475 larger than 58% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 76% in Illinois — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,269
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 238 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 475 Top 66% in Illinois — larger than 34% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 174125004131
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 75.2%
African American 9.9%
Asian 7.2%
White 4.0%
Two or More 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 238:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.2%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 49
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waukegan Cusd 60, which includes Jack Benny Middle School.
$20,269
Per student
+19%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.4%
State 63.4%
Federal 12.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,186
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 651
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
Similar middle schools in Waukegan
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
John R Lewis Middle School
Standard public school
721 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Miguel Juarez Middle School
Standard public school
651 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Robert E Abbott Middle School
Standard public school
585 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Edith M Smith Middle School
Standard public school
493 students 10.7:1 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.
Frequently asked questions about Jack Benny Middle School
How many students attend Jack Benny Middle School?
Jack Benny Middle School has 475 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waukegan, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jack Benny Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jack Benny Middle School is 15.6:1, which is 7% higher than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jack Benny Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Jack Benny Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 75.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waukegan, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jack Benny Middle School?
Jack Benny Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Jack Benny Middle School a good school?
Jack Benny Middle School earns an F Resource Investment Index (32/100), with class sizes larger than 76% of Illinois schools. 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.