Enrollment
94
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palmyra, IL
Northwestern High School
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 173054003174
👥 S:T ratio 73
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwestern High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Illinois schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Illinois.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Palmyra · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.7:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 94
- students enrolled
Northwestern High School has class sizes smaller than 99% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Palmyra, IL.
School address
District: Northwestern Cusd 2 · Illinois
NCES ID 173054003174 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.7:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwestern High School
Northwestern High School is a small combined-grade school in Palmyra, Illinois, enrolling 94 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.7:1, Northwestern High School is leaner than roughly 99% of Illinois schools and 52% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Illinois schools, with 94 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 94 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Palmyra's public schools, it stands alongside Northwestern Elem School (189 students): Northwestern High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (6.7:1 vs 11.8:1).
Northwestern Cusd 2 also operates Northwestern Elem School (189 students) and Northwestern Jr High School (40 students) alongside Northwestern High 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 High School compares
Northwestern High 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 | 6.7:1 | ▼ 52% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 94 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.7:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
94
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
6.7:1
students per teacher
- 52% below state mean
Top 1% in Illinois - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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 94 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.6 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 97.8%
Two or More 2.2%
Largest group: White at 97.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.3, Northwestern High 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 High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwestern Jr High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwestern High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 189
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- 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 (~94 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwestern High School's federal record.
- Compare Northwestern High 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 High School
How many students attend Northwestern High School?
Northwestern High School has 94 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palmyra, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High School is 6.7:1, which is 52% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 57% 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 High School?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern High School is White at 97.8% of enrollment, in Palmyra, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern High School?
Northwestern High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 High School rank among public schools in Palmyra?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwestern High School ranks #2 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 High School a good school?
Northwestern High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Illinois schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Illinois. 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 High School, Northwestern Cusd 2 also operates Northwestern Elem School (189 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.