Enrollment
337
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 170471000157
Nicholson Elem School — Montgomery, IL
Federal NCES profile for Nicholson Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 8
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
Nicholson Elem School earns an F Resource Investment Index (30/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% of Illinois schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 30/100
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 337
- students enrolled
School address
District: Aurora West Usd 129 · 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicholson Elem 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
Nicholson Elem School reports 337 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Aurora West Usd 129 spends $15,437 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $17,042 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 51.3% from local sources (property taxes), 37.9% from the state, and 10.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Nicholson Elem 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 18% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 337 | top 44% | — | — |
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)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 79% 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')
337 larger than 38% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 18% below state mean
Top 26% in Illinois — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.8%
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
$15,437
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $17,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 337 Top 44% in Illinois — larger than 56% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 170471000157
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 74.2%
White 12.2%
African American 9.8%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aurora West Usd 129, which includes Nicholson Elem School.
$15,437
Per student
-9%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.3%
State 37.9%
Federal 10.8%
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
- 3,641
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
Similar elementary schools in Montgomery
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Nicholson Elem School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Nicholson Elem School
How many students attend Nicholson Elem School?
Nicholson Elem School has 337 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Montgomery, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicholson Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicholson Elem School is 11.9:1, which is 18% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 24% 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 Nicholson Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Nicholson Elem School is Hispanic or Latino at 74.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Montgomery, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholson Elem School?
Nicholson Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Nicholson Elem School a good school?
Nicholson Elem School earns an F Resource Investment Index (30/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 74% 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.