Enrollment
794
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chicago, IL
Mcpherson Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Mcpherson Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170993000959
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcpherson Elem School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #21 of 394
- schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 794
- students enrolled
Mcpherson Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mcpherson Elem School ranks #21 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993000959 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcpherson Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mcpherson Elem School
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Mcpherson Elem School is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Illinois schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Counselor caseload is the clearest capacity constraint
Mcpherson Elem School reports roughly 794 students for each counselor, well beyond the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark. Unlike total teacher staffing, that measure speaks specifically to academic planning, crisis response, and student guidance; a middle-range Resource Investment Index can conceal the bottleneck. The ratio is calculated from federal full-time-equivalent staffing and does not show how the district shares counselors across buildings or schedules their time.
Mcpherson Elem School is a large combined-grade school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 794 students.
At 13.7:1, 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 794 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and White (33%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 794 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $21,050 per pupil, 24% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chicago's public schools, it stands alongside Lane Technical High School (4,604 students): Mcpherson Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.7:1 vs 17.8:1).
City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students) and Taft High School (4,487 students) alongside Mcpherson 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 Mcpherson Elem School compares
Mcpherson 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 2% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 794 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
794
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Illinois - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$21,050
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 794 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 46.8%
White 33.3%
African American 8.1%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.6, Mcpherson Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Mcpherson Elem 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.
How Mcpherson Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Technical High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Curie Metropolitan High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kenwood Academy High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Young Magnet High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mcpherson Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 4,487
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 3,099
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,268
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Chicago
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lane Technical High School
Standard public school
4,604 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Taft High School
Standard public school
4,487 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Kenwood Academy High School
Standard public school
2,268 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Young Magnet High School
Standard public school
2,223 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Disney Elem Magnet School
Standard public school
1,384 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Morgan Park High School
Standard public school
1,349 students 19:1 students per teacher
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 (~794 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mcpherson Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Mcpherson Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- City of Chicago Sd 299'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 Mcpherson Elem School
How many students attend Mcpherson Elem School?
Mcpherson Elem School has 794 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcpherson Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcpherson Elem School is 13.7:1, which is 2% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 13% 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 Mcpherson Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Mcpherson Elem School is Hispanic or Latino at 46.8% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcpherson Elem School?
Mcpherson Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mcpherson Elem School rank among schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcpherson Elem School ranks #21 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chicago on the city page.
What other schools are in City of Chicago Sd 299?
Besides Mcpherson Elem School, City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students), Taft High School (4,487 students), and Curie Metropolitan High School (3,099 students). See the City of Chicago Sd 299 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 July 2026.