Enrollment
1,777
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 170993000977
Mather High School — Chicago, IL
Federal NCES profile for Mather High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
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
Mather High School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (52/100), with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- C-
- Resource Index · 52/100
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 1,777
- students enrolled
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · 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)
125.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mather High 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
Mather High School reports 1,777 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 125.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 296 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $21,050 per pupil district-wide, above the Illinois average of $17,042 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 52.8% from local sources (property taxes), 29.9% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Mather High 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,777 | top 97% | — | — |
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)
14 smaller classes than 59% 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')
1,777 larger than 97% 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
14:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 56% in Illinois — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$21,050
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 296 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 76 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,777 Top 97% in Illinois — larger than 3% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 125.0
Students per teacher 14:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 170993000977
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.6%
Asian 20.7%
African American 15.0%
White 12.8%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 296:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 76
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Mather High School.
$21,050
Per student
+24%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 29.9%
Federal 17.4%
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
- 4,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 4,487
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,099
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,268
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar high schools in Chicago
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Curie Metropolitan High School
Standard public school
3,099 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Park High School
Standard public school
2,214 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Jones College Prep High School
Standard public school
1,954 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Thomas Kelly College Preparatory
Standard public school
1,762 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Hubbard High School
Standard public school
1,710 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Von Steuben Metro Science Hs
Standard public school
1,698 students 15.9:1 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 Mather High School
How many students attend Mather High School?
Mather High School has 1,777 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mather High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mather High School is 14:1, which is 4% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 11% 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 Mather High School?
The largest demographic group at Mather High School is Hispanic or Latino at 49.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mather High School?
Mather High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Mather High School a good school?
Mather High School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (52/100), 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.