Other / mixed grade configuration · Chicago, IL

Otis Elem School

Federal NCES profile for Otis Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170993001012
0/100100/10031/100
👥 S:T ratio
56
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
29
📋 Attendance
10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Otis Elem School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of Illinois schools.

#171 of 394
schools in Chicago · Resource Index
31
Resource Index · Lower
11.1:1
small classes for Illinois
356
students enrolled

Otis Elem School has class sizes smaller than 81% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Otis Elem School ranks #171 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL.

School address

Enrollment

356

Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

32.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

11.1:1

vs 14:1 Illinois avg

-21% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Otis Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Otis Elem School

Otis Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 356 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.

With 356 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and African American (29%) (diversity index 54/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 356 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

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): Otis Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.1:1 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 Otis 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 Otis Elem School compares

Otis 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 11.1:1 ▼ 21% 14:1 15.7:1
Enrollment 356 top 53% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
356
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Staffing depth
11.1:1
students per teacher - 21% below state mean
Top 19% in Illinois - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.0%
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
$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 356 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 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

Hispanic or Latino 60.7%
African American 29.2%
Asian 4.8%
White 4.5%
Two or More 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 54.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 54.2, Otis Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Otis 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 Otis 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 Otis Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

City Of Chicago Sd 299 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Chicago

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Otis Elem School's federal record.

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 Otis Elem School

How many students attend Otis Elem School?

Otis Elem School has 356 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chicago, IL.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Otis Elem School?

The student-teacher ratio at Otis Elem School is 11.1:1, which is 21% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 29% 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 Otis Elem School?

The largest demographic group at Otis Elem School is Hispanic or Latino at 60.7% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Otis Elem School?

Otis Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Otis Elem School rank among schools in Chicago?

By Resource Investment Index, Otis Elem School ranks #171 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.

Is Otis Elem School a good school?

Otis Elem School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of 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 City of Chicago Sd 299?

Besides Otis 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.