Enrollment
380
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Western Springs, IL
John Laidlaw Elem School
Federal NCES profile for John Laidlaw Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 174182004189
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John Laidlaw Elem School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Illinois schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Western Springs · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 380
- students enrolled
John Laidlaw Elem School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John Laidlaw Elem School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Western Springs, IL.
School address
District: Western Springs Sd 101 · Illinois
NCES ID 174182004189 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John Laidlaw Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at John Laidlaw Elem School
John Laidlaw Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Western Springs, Illinois, enrolling 380 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 380 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Western Springs's public schools, it stands alongside Forest Hills Elem School (289 students): John Laidlaw Elem School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.9:1 vs 11.1:1).
Western Springs Sd 101 also operates Mcclure Jr High School (469 students) and Forest Hills Elem School (289 students) alongside John Laidlaw Elem 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 John Laidlaw Elem School compares
John Laidlaw Elem 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 22% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 380 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
380
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 17% in Illinois - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
3.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$16,940
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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 85.3%
Two or More 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 85.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.2, John Laidlaw Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Western Springs Sd 101, which includes John Laidlaw Elem School.
$16,940
Per student
-1%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.7%
State 26.4%
Federal 6.0%
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 John Laidlaw Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcclure Jr High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest Hills Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Field Park Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John Laidlaw Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 278
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar other schools in Western Springs
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~380 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John Laidlaw Elem School's federal record.
- Compare John Laidlaw Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Western Springs Sd 101'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 John Laidlaw Elem School
How many students attend John Laidlaw Elem School?
John Laidlaw Elem School has 380 students enrolled. It is a public school in Western Springs, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Laidlaw Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at John Laidlaw Elem School is 10.9:1, which is 22% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 31% 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 John Laidlaw Elem School?
The largest demographic group at John Laidlaw Elem School is White at 85.3% of enrollment, in Western Springs, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John Laidlaw Elem School?
John Laidlaw Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 John Laidlaw Elem School rank among schools in Western Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, John Laidlaw Elem School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Western Springs, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Western Springs on the city page.
Is John Laidlaw Elem School a good school?
John Laidlaw Elem School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% 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 Western Springs Sd 101?
Besides John Laidlaw Elem School, Western Springs Sd 101 also operates Mcclure Jr High School (469 students), Forest Hills Elem School (289 students), and Field Park Elem School (278 students). See the Western Springs Sd 101 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.