Enrollment
396
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · South Chicago Heights, IL
Steger Primary Center
Federal NCES profile for Steger Primary Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 173768003884
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Steger Primary Center earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 396
- students enrolled
Steger Primary Center has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Steger Sd 194 · Illinois
NCES ID 173768003884 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Steger Primary Center compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Steger Primary Center
Steger Primary Center is a mid-sized combined-grade school in South Chicago Heights, Illinois, enrolling 396 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 396 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and African American (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among South Chicago Heights's public schools, it stands alongside U S Grant Elem School (147 students): Steger Primary Center is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.7:1 vs 10.5:1).
Steger Sd 194 also operates Columbia Central School (646 students) and Steger Intermediate Center (465 students) alongside Steger Primary 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 Steger Primary Center compares
Steger Primary 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 | 14.7:1 | ▲ 5% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
396
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Illinois - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
42.7%
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
$15,271
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 + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 39.1%
African American 30.3%
White 17.2%
Two or More 12.9%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 39.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.9, Steger Primary Center is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Steger Sd 194, which includes Steger Primary Center.
$15,271
Per student
-10%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.0%
State 49.8%
Federal 12.2%
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 Steger Primary Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Central School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Steger Intermediate Center | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Steger Primary Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other schools in South Chicago Heights
1 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 (~396 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Steger Primary Center's federal record.
- Compare Steger Primary Center against another school. Compare schools
- Steger Sd 194'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 Steger Primary Center
How many students attend Steger Primary Center?
Steger Primary Center has 396 students enrolled. It is a public school in South Chicago Heights, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Steger Primary Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Steger Primary Center is 14.7:1, which is 5% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Steger Primary Center?
The largest demographic group at Steger Primary Center is Hispanic or Latino at 39.1% of enrollment, in South Chicago Heights, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Steger Primary Center?
Steger Primary Center has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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).
Is Steger Primary Center a good school?
Steger Primary Center earns 24/100 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 Steger Sd 194?
Besides Steger Primary Center, Steger Sd 194 also operates Columbia Central School (646 students) and Steger Intermediate Center (465 students). See the Steger Sd 194 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.