Enrollment
1,260
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chicago, IL
Payton College Preparatory Hs
Federal NCES profile for Payton College Preparatory Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 170993003989
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Payton College Preparatory Hs earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Illinois schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Illinois.
- #40 of 130
- high schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.9:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 1,260
- students enrolled
Payton College Preparatory Hs has class sizes larger than 79% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Payton College Preparatory Hs ranks #40 of 130 high schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993003989 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
79.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Payton College Preparatory Hs compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Payton College Preparatory Hs
Payton College Preparatory Hs is a large high school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 1,260 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Illinois, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,260 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (32%) and Asian (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 28 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.5% 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 high schools, it stands alongside Curie Metropolitan High School (3,099 students): Payton College Preparatory Hs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.9:1 vs 16.1:1).
City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students) and Taft High School (4,487 students) alongside Payton College Preparatory Hs.
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 Payton College Preparatory Hs compares
Payton College Preparatory Hs on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▲ 14% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,260 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,260
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 79% in Illinois - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.5%
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 252 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 31.8%
Asian 27.4%
Hispanic or Latino 26.1%
African American 9.7%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 31.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.4, Payton College Preparatory Hs is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Payton College Preparatory Hs.
$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 Payton College Preparatory Hs 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Curie Metropolitan High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar 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 Payton College Preparatory Hs'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 high schools in Chicago
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Curie Metropolitan High School
Standard public school
3,099 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Park High School
Standard public school
2,214 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Jones College Prep High School
Standard public school
1,954 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Mather High School
Standard public school
1,777 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Thomas Kelly College Preparatory
Standard public school
1,762 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Hubbard High School
Standard public school
1,710 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,260 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Payton College Preparatory Hs's federal record.
- Compare Payton College Preparatory Hs 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 Payton College Preparatory Hs
How many students attend Payton College Preparatory Hs?
Payton College Preparatory Hs has 1,260 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Payton College Preparatory Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Payton College Preparatory Hs is 15.9:1, which is 14% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Payton College Preparatory Hs?
The largest demographic group at Payton College Preparatory Hs is White at 31.8% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Payton College Preparatory Hs?
Payton College Preparatory Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Payton College Preparatory Hs rank among high schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Payton College Preparatory Hs ranks #40 of 130 high 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 high schools in Chicago on the city page.
Is Payton College Preparatory Hs a good school?
Payton College Preparatory Hs earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Illinois schools. It is also one of the largest 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 City of Chicago Sd 299?
Besides Payton College Preparatory Hs, 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 June 2026.