Enrollment
542
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Galesburg, IL
Steele School
Federal NCES profile for Steele School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 171608001918
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Steele School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #4 of 4
- elementary schools in Galesburg · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 542
- students enrolled
Steele School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Steele School ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Galesburg, IL.
School address
District: Galesburg Cusd 205 · Illinois
NCES ID 171608001918 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Steele School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Steele School
Steele School is a mid-sized elementary school in Galesburg, Illinois, enrolling 542 students.
At 13.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Illinois median, within a few percentage points of the 14:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 542 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and African American (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 542 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Galesburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lombard Middle School (534 students): Steele School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.6:1 vs 13.3:1).
Galesburg Cusd 205 also operates Galesburg Senior High School (1,158 students) and Lombard Middle School (534 students) alongside Steele 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 Steele School compares
Steele 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 3% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 542 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
542
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in Illinois - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$14,227
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 542 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 48.5%
African American 26.6%
Two or More 13.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 48.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.5, Steele School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Galesburg Cusd 205, which includes Steele School.
$14,227
Per student
-17%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.2%
State 45.9%
Federal 14.9%
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 Steele School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galesburg Senior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lombard Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| King School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Silas Willard Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bright Futures Pre-K Prog | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Steele School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,158
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 176
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Galesburg
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 (~542 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Steele School's federal record.
- Compare Steele School against another school. Compare schools
- Galesburg Cusd 205'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 Steele School
How many students attend Steele School?
Steele School has 542 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Galesburg, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Steele School?
The student-teacher ratio at Steele School is 13.6:1, which is 3% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 13% 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 Steele School?
The largest demographic group at Steele School is White at 48.5% of enrollment, in Galesburg, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Steele School?
Steele School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Steele School rank among elementary schools in Galesburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Steele School ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Galesburg, 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 Galesburg on the city page.
Is Steele School a good school?
Steele School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. 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 Galesburg Cusd 205?
Besides Steele School, Galesburg Cusd 205 also operates Galesburg Senior High School (1,158 students), Lombard Middle School (534 students), and King School (510 students). See the Galesburg Cusd 205 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.