Enrollment
425
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Aurora, IL
Smith Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Smith Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170471000168
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith Elem School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Illinois schools.
- #14 of 21
- schools in Aurora · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 425
- students enrolled
Smith Elem School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smith Elem School ranks #14 of 21 schools in Aurora, IL.
School address
District: Aurora West Usd 129 · Illinois
NCES ID 170471000168 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith Elem School
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Smith Elem School is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Illinois schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Smith Elem School's 30.8% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Smith Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Aurora, Illinois, enrolling 425 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 425 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 41/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Aurora's public schools, it stands alongside Olney C Allen Elem School (712 students): Smith Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.5:1 vs 16.6:1).
Aurora West Usd 129 also operates West Aurora High School (3,641 students) and Washington Middle School (690 students) alongside Smith 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 Smith Elem School compares
Smith 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 18% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 425 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
425
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 23% in Illinois - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.8%
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
$15,437
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
11
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 75.8%
African American 10.1%
White 8.0%
Asian 4.2%
Two or More 1.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.7, Smith Elem School is about as mixed as the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aurora West Usd 129, which includes Smith Elem School.
$15,437
Per student
-9%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.3%
State 37.9%
Federal 10.8%
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 Smith Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Aurora High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Herget Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Freeman Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smith Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,641
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in Aurora
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Olney C Allen Elem School
Standard public school
712 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
C M Bardwell Elem School
Standard public school
679 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Prairie Children Preschool
Standard public school
643 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Nicholas a Hermes Elem School
Standard public school
607 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Freeman Elem School
Standard public school
529 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Greenman Elem School
Standard public school
528 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~425 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Smith Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Aurora West Usd 129'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 Smith Elem School
How many students attend Smith Elem School?
Smith Elem School has 425 students enrolled. It is a public school in Aurora, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Elem School is 11.5:1, which is 18% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 27% 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 Smith Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Smith Elem School is Hispanic or Latino at 75.8% of enrollment, in Aurora, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Elem School?
Smith Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Smith Elem School rank among schools in Aurora?
By Resource Investment Index, Smith Elem School ranks #14 of 21 schools in Aurora, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Aurora on the city page.
What other schools are in Aurora West Usd 129?
Besides Smith Elem School, Aurora West Usd 129 also operates West Aurora High School (3,641 students), Washington Middle School (690 students), and Herget Middle School (594 students). See the Aurora West Usd 129 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 July 2026.