Enrollment
462
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wilmette, IL
Romona Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Romona Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 174260004279
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Romona Elem School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Wilmette · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 462
- students enrolled
Romona Elem School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Romona Elem School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Wilmette, IL.
School address
District: Wilmette Sd 39 · Illinois
NCES ID 174260004279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Romona Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Romona Elem School
Romona Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wilmette, Illinois, enrolling 462 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.8:1, Romona Elem School is leaner than roughly 91% of Illinois schools and 30% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 462 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 (55%) and Two or More (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Wilmette Sd 39 spends $23,544 per pupil, 38% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Wilmette Sd 39 also operates Wilmette Junior High School (766 students) and Highcrest Middle School (748 students) alongside Romona 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 Romona Elem School compares
Romona 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 30% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 462 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
462
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 9% in Illinois - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,544
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 54.8%
Two or More 19.0%
Asian 13.9%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
African American 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 54.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.4, Romona Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wilmette Sd 39, which includes Romona Elem School.
$23,544
Per student
+38%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.7%
State 24.4%
Federal 1.9%
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 Romona Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmette Junior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highcrest Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mckenzie Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harper Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Romona Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~462 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Romona Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Romona Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Wilmette Sd 39'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 Romona Elem School
How many students attend Romona Elem School?
Romona Elem School has 462 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wilmette, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Romona Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Romona Elem School is 9.8:1, which is 30% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 38% 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 Romona Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Romona Elem School is White at 54.8% of enrollment, in Wilmette, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Romona Elem School?
Romona Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher 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 Romona Elem School rank among public schools in Wilmette?
By Resource Investment Index, Romona Elem School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Wilmette, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wilmette on the city page.
Is Romona Elem School a good school?
Romona Elem School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Wilmette Sd 39?
Besides Romona Elem School, Wilmette Sd 39 also operates Wilmette Junior High School (766 students), Highcrest Middle School (748 students), and Central Elem School (485 students). See the Wilmette Sd 39 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.