Enrollment
343
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 170993005919 Charter school
Polaris Elem Charter Academy — Chicago, IL
Federal NCES profile for Polaris Elem Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 75
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polaris Elem Charter Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (41/100), with class sizes larger than 93% of Illinois schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 41/100
- 18.3:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 343
- students enrolled
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polaris Elem Charter Academy compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Polaris Elem Charter Academy reports 343 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% above the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 17% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 343 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $21,050 per pupil district-wide, above the Illinois average of $17,042 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 52.8% from local sources (property taxes), 29.9% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Polaris Elem Charter Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Illinois state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▲ 25% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 45% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
18 smaller classes than 23% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
343 larger than 39% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 93% in Illinois — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$21,050
per pupil, district-wide
— above Illinois avg of $17,042
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 343 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
Enrollment 343 Top 45% in Illinois — larger than 55% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 170993005919
Student demographics
African American 88.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
White 1.2%
Largest group: African American at 88.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 343:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Polaris Elem Charter Academy.
$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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 4,487
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,099
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,268
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Chicago
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mount Greenwood Elem School
Standard public school
1,182 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Eberhart Elem School
Standard public school
1,011 students 15:1 students per teacher
Kipp One Academy
Standard public school
996 students 10.8:1 students per teacher
Lyon Elem School
Standard public school
988 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Kipp Chicago Chrtrs Bloom Campus
Standard public school
921 students 10.4:1 students per teacher
Bell Elem School
Standard public school
902 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Polaris Elem Charter Academy side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Polaris Elem Charter Academy
How many students attend Polaris Elem Charter Academy?
Polaris Elem Charter Academy has 343 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polaris Elem Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Polaris Elem Charter Academy is 18.3:1, which is 25% higher than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polaris Elem Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Polaris Elem Charter Academy is African American at 88.6%. The school serves a student body in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polaris Elem Charter Academy?
Polaris Elem Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Polaris Elem Charter Academy a good school?
Polaris Elem Charter Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (41/100), with class sizes larger than 93% of Illinois schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.