Enrollment
287
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bloomington, IL
Pepper Ridge Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pepper Ridge Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 172862000765
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pepper Ridge Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Illinois schools.
- #3 of 11
- elementary schools in Bloomington · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 287
- students enrolled
Pepper Ridge Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pepper Ridge Elementary School ranks #3 of 11 elementary schools in Bloomington, IL.
School address
District: Mclean County Usd 5 · Illinois
NCES ID 172862000765 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pepper Ridge Elementary School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pepper Ridge Elementary School
Pepper Ridge Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Bloomington, Illinois, enrolling 287 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Pepper Ridge Elementary School is leaner than roughly 85% of Illinois schools and 24% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 287 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 57/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Bloomington's elementary schools, it stands alongside Benjamin Elem School (607 students): Pepper Ridge Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.6:1 vs 17.9:1).
Mclean County Usd 5 also operates Normal Community High School (2,079 students) and Normal Community West High School (1,590 students) alongside Pepper Ridge Elementary 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 Pepper Ridge Elementary School compares
Pepper Ridge Elementary 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 24% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 287 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
287
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 15% in Illinois - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.3%
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
$14,528
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat 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
11
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 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 61.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
African American 12.9%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 61.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.0, Pepper Ridge Elementary School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mclean County Usd 5, which includes Pepper Ridge Elementary School.
$14,528
Per student
-15%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.3%
State 29.2%
Federal 7.4%
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 Pepper Ridge Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Community High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Normal Community West High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Evans Junior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kingsley Jr High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benjamin Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pepper Ridge Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,079
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,590
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools in Bloomington
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Benjamin Elem School
Standard public school
607 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Northpoint Elementary School
Standard public school
472 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Oakland Elementary School
Standard public school
446 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Cedar Ridge Elem School
Standard public school
418 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Bent Elem School
Standard public school
389 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Washington Elem School
Standard public school
379 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~287 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pepper Ridge Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pepper Ridge Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mclean County Usd 5'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 Pepper Ridge Elementary School
How many students attend Pepper Ridge Elementary School?
Pepper Ridge Elementary School has 287 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bloomington, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pepper Ridge Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pepper Ridge Elementary School is 10.6:1, which is 24% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 32% 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 Pepper Ridge Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pepper Ridge Elementary School is White at 61.7% of enrollment, in Bloomington, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pepper Ridge Elementary School?
Pepper Ridge Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pepper Ridge Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Bloomington?
By Resource Investment Index, Pepper Ridge Elementary School ranks #3 of 11 elementary schools in Bloomington, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Bloomington on the city page.
Is Pepper Ridge Elementary School a good school?
Pepper Ridge Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Mclean County Usd 5?
Besides Pepper Ridge Elementary School, Mclean County Usd 5 also operates Normal Community High School (2,079 students), Normal Community West High School (1,590 students), and Evans Junior High School (778 students). See the Mclean County Usd 5 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.