Enrollment
189
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palmyra, IL
Northwestern Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 173054004785
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern Elem School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Palmyra · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 189
- students enrolled
Northwestern Elem School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern Elem School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Palmyra, IL.
School address
District: Northwestern Cusd 2 · Illinois
NCES ID 173054004785 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwestern Elem School
Northwestern Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palmyra, Illinois, enrolling 189 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 189 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 189 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Palmyra's public schools, it stands alongside Northwestern High School (94 students): Northwestern Elem School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.8:1 vs 6.7:1).
Northwestern Cusd 2 also operates Northwestern High School (94 students) and Northwestern Jr High School (40 students) alongside Northwestern 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 Northwestern Elem School compares
Northwestern 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 189 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
189
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 26% in Illinois - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$17,840
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 189 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 95.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: White at 95.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.1, Northwestern Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwestern Cusd 2, which includes Northwestern Elem School.
$17,840
Per student
+5%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.3%
State 49.6%
Federal 13.1%
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 Northwestern Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwestern Jr High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 6.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 40
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar other schools in Palmyra
1 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 (~189 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Northwestern Cusd 2'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 Northwestern Elem School
How many students attend Northwestern Elem School?
Northwestern Elem School has 189 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palmyra, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern Elem School is 11.8:1, which is 16% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 25% 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 Northwestern Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern Elem School is White at 95.8% of enrollment, in Palmyra, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern Elem School?
Northwestern Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Northwestern Elem School rank among public schools in Palmyra?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern Elem School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Palmyra, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Palmyra on the city page.
Is Northwestern Elem School a good school?
Northwestern Elem School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Illinois schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Northwestern Cusd 2?
Besides Northwestern Elem School, Northwestern Cusd 2 also operates Northwestern High School (94 students) and Northwestern Jr High School (40 students). See the Northwestern Cusd 2 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.