Enrollment
468
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 172862003005
Sugar Creek Elem School — Normal, IL
Federal NCES profile for Sugar Creek Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 64
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 →
The verdict
Sugar Creek Elem School earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 468
- students enrolled
School address
District: Mclean County Usd 5 · 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sugar Creek Elem 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
Sugar Creek Elem School reports 468 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 15.7:1, it is 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mclean County Usd 5 spends $14,528 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $17,042 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 63.3% from local sources (property taxes), 29.2% from the state, and 7.4% 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 3 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 Sugar Creek Elem 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 468 | top 65% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
14 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 61% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
468 larger than 57% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 53% in Illinois — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,528
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $17,042
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
15
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 468 Top 65% in Illinois — larger than 35% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 172862003005
Student demographics
White 39.3%
African American 32.9%
Two or More 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.2%
Asian 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 39.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.5%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mclean County Usd 5, which includes Sugar Creek Elem School.
$14,528
Per student
-15%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.3%
State 29.2%
Federal 7.4%
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
- 2,079
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,590
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
Similar other schools in Normal
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Sugar Creek Elem School
How many students attend Sugar Creek Elem School?
Sugar Creek Elem School has 468 students enrolled. It is a other school in Normal, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sugar Creek Elem School is 13.8:1, which is 5% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 12% 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 Sugar Creek Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Sugar Creek Elem School is White at 39.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Normal, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sugar Creek Elem School?
Sugar Creek Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Sugar Creek Elem School a good school?
Sugar Creek Elem School earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Illinois median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.