Enrollment
245
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Oak Forest, IL
Ridge Early Childhood Center
Federal NCES profile for Ridge Early Childhood Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 171548001865
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ridge Early Childhood Center earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Oak Forest · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 245
- students enrolled
Ridge Early Childhood Center has class sizes larger than 82% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ridge Early Childhood Center ranks #2 of 3 schools in Oak Forest, IL.
School address
District: Forest Ridge Sd 142 · Illinois
NCES ID 171548001865 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ridge Early Childhood Center compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ridge Early Childhood Center
Ridge Early Childhood Center is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Oak Forest, Illinois, enrolling 245 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 245 puts it in the smaller 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 (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Oak Forest's public schools, it stands alongside Walter F Fierke Ed Center (443 students): Ridge Early Childhood Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.3:1 vs 14.3:1).
Forest Ridge Sd 142 also operates Jack Hille Middle School (490 students) and Kerkstra Elem School (407 students) alongside Ridge Early Childhood Center.
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 Ridge Early Childhood Center compares
Ridge Early Childhood Center on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 16% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
245
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 82% in Illinois - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,159
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
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 49.8%
Hispanic or Latino 33.9%
African American 10.2%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 2.9%
Largest group: White at 49.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.5, Ridge Early Childhood Center is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Ridge Sd 142, which includes Ridge Early Childhood Center.
$14,159
Per student
-17%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.8%
State 46.1%
Federal 11.0%
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 Ridge Early Childhood Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Hille Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kerkstra Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lee R Foster Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ridge Early Childhood Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Oak Forest
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~245 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ridge Early Childhood Center's federal record.
- Compare Ridge Early Childhood Center against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Ridge Sd 142'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 Ridge Early Childhood Center
How many students attend Ridge Early Childhood Center?
Ridge Early Childhood Center has 245 students enrolled. It is a public school in Oak Forest, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ridge Early Childhood Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Ridge Early Childhood Center is 16.3:1, which is 16% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ridge Early Childhood Center?
The largest demographic group at Ridge Early Childhood Center is White at 49.8% of enrollment, in Oak Forest, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ridge Early Childhood Center?
Ridge Early Childhood Center 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 Ridge Early Childhood Center rank among schools in Oak Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Ridge Early Childhood Center ranks #2 of 3 schools in Oak Forest, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Oak Forest on the city page.
Is Ridge Early Childhood Center a good school?
Ridge Early Childhood Center earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Forest Ridge Sd 142?
Besides Ridge Early Childhood Center, Forest Ridge Sd 142 also operates Jack Hille Middle School (490 students), Kerkstra Elem School (407 students), and Lee R Foster Elem School (397 students). See the Forest Ridge Sd 142 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.