Enrollment
353
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 173030003140
Shepherd Middle School — Ottawa, IL
Federal NCES profile for Shepherd Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 34
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 →
School address
District: Ottawa Esd 141 · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shepherd Middle School 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
Shepherd Middle School reports 353 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 353 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ottawa Esd 141 spends $17,806 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $20,099 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 49.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.0% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Shepherd Middle School 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 353 | top 46% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 34% in Illinois — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,806
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $20,099
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 353 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
56
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 353 Top 46% in Illinois — larger than 54% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 173030003140
Student demographics
White 70.0%
Hispanic or Latino 19.5%
Two or More 5.1%
African American 4.0%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 353:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.3%
In-school suspensions 56
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ottawa Esd 141, which includes Shepherd Middle School.
$17,806
Per student
-11%
vs Illinois
Avg $20,099
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 49.6%
State 39.0%
Federal 11.4%
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
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
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.
Frequently asked questions about Shepherd Middle School
How many students attend Shepherd Middle School?
Shepherd Middle School has 353 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ottawa, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Middle School is 12.5:1, which is 14% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shepherd Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Shepherd Middle School is White at 70.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ottawa, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shepherd Middle School?
Shepherd Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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.