Enrollment
232
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Machesney Park, IL
Ralston Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Ralston Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 171824002107
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ralston Elem School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Machesney Park · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 232
- students enrolled
Ralston Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ralston Elem School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Machesney Park, IL.
School address
District: Harlem Ud 122 · Illinois
NCES ID 171824002107 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ralston Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ralston Elem School
Ralston Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in Machesney Park, Illinois, enrolling 232 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 232 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 (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 39/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Machesney Park's elementary schools, it stands alongside Machesney Elem School (361 students): Ralston Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.2:1 vs 13.9:1).
Harlem Ud 122 also operates Harlem High School (1,884 students) and Harlem Middle School (1,330 students) alongside Ralston 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 Ralston Elem School compares
Ralston 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 13% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 232 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
232
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 31% in Illinois - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.6%
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
$18,860
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 76.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.8%
Two or More 8.2%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 76.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.6, Ralston Elem School is about as mixed as the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harlem Ud 122, which includes Ralston Elem School.
$18,860
Per student
+11%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.1%
State 46.8%
Federal 12.1%
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 Ralston Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlem High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlem Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Donald C Parker Early Educ Center | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Machesney Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Windsor Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ralston Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,884
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,330
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 571
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 315
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar elementary schools in Machesney Park
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~232 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ralston Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Ralston Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Harlem Ud 122'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 Ralston Elem School
How many students attend Ralston Elem School?
Ralston Elem School has 232 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Machesney Park, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ralston Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ralston Elem School is 12.2:1, which is 13% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 22% 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 Ralston Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Ralston Elem School is White at 76.7% of enrollment, in Machesney Park, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ralston Elem School?
Ralston Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Ralston Elem School rank among elementary schools in Machesney Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Ralston Elem School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Machesney Park, 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 Machesney Park on the city page.
Is Ralston Elem School a good school?
Ralston Elem School earns 42/100 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 Harlem Ud 122?
Besides Ralston Elem School, Harlem Ud 122 also operates Harlem High School (1,884 students), Harlem Middle School (1,330 students), and Donald C Parker Early Educ Center (571 students). See the Harlem Ud 122 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.