Enrollment
515
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Naperville, IL
Prairie Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 172771002941
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Elem School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- #15 of 27
- elementary schools in Naperville · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 515
- students enrolled
Prairie Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Elem School ranks #15 of 27 elementary schools in Naperville, IL.
School address
District: Naperville Cusd 203 · Illinois
NCES ID 172771002941 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Elem School
Prairie Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in Naperville, Illinois, enrolling 515 students.
At 13.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Illinois median, within a few percentage points of the 14:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 515 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 44/100).
12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Naperville Cusd 203 spends $21,103 per pupil, 24% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Naperville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Elmwood Elem School (726 students): Prairie Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 16.1:1).
Naperville Cusd 203 also operates Naperville Central High School (2,589 students) and Naperville North High School (2,467 students) alongside Prairie 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 Prairie Elem School compares
Prairie 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 1% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 515 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
515
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 55% in Illinois - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$21,103
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 73.2%
Asian 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 2.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.4, Prairie Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Naperville Cusd 203, which includes Prairie Elem School.
$21,103
Per student
+24%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.9%
State 25.6%
Federal 4.4%
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 Prairie Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naperville Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Naperville North High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kennedy Junior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Jr High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Jr High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,589
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,467
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary schools in Naperville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Elmwood Elem School
Standard public school
726 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
May Watts Elementary School
Standard public school
668 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Steeple Run Elem School
Standard public school
622 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Beebe Elem School
Standard public school
619 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Mill Street Elem School
Standard public school
600 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Mary Lou Cowlishaw Elementary
Standard public school
589 students 13.7:1 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 (~515 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Naperville Cusd 203'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 Prairie Elem School
How many students attend Prairie Elem School?
Prairie Elem School has 515 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Naperville, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Elem School is 13.9:1, which is 1% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 11% 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 Prairie Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Elem School is White at 73.2% of enrollment, in Naperville, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Elem School?
Prairie Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Prairie Elem School rank among elementary schools in Naperville?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Elem School ranks #15 of 27 elementary schools in Naperville, 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 Naperville on the city page.
Is Prairie Elem School a good school?
Prairie Elem School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. 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 Naperville Cusd 203?
Besides Prairie Elem School, Naperville Cusd 203 also operates Naperville Central High School (2,589 students), Naperville North High School (2,467 students), and Kennedy Junior High School (937 students). See the Naperville Cusd 203 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.