Elementary school (grades K-5) · Park Forest, IL

Talala Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Talala Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 14/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 171125001349
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10014/100
👥 S:T ratio
13
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Talala Elementary School earns 14/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools.

#6 of 6
elementary schools in Park Forest · Resource Index
14
Resource Index · Lower
21.8:1
large classes for Illinois
305
students enrolled

Talala Elementary School has class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Talala Elementary School ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Park Forest, IL.

School address

Park Forest, IL 60466
District: Crete Monee Cusd 201u · Illinois

NCES ID 171125001349 Verify on NCES CCD record →

NCES CCD universe card

School universe 171125001349 · Park Forest, IL Elementary · SMALL · TRAD

305 enr · 21.8:1 · RII 14

Nearest enrollment peer: Crete-Monee High School (1,480 students)

Resource Investment Index #6 of 6 elementary schools in Park Forest. NCES Common Core of Data stamps for this campus. Read with this school → · District book → · Illinois schools → · Find another →

Talala Elementary School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Talala Elementary School reports 305 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Talala Elementary School compares

Talala Elementary 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 21.8:1 ▲ 56% 14:1 15.7:1
Enrollment 305 top 63% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

21.8:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
305
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Staffing depth
21.8:1
students per teacher - 56% above state mean
Top 97% in Illinois - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
40.3%
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
$22,610
per pupil, district-wide - above Illinois avg of $18,196
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

African American 59.3%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
Two or More 4.9%
White 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.3%

Largest group: African American at 59.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 53.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Talala Elementary School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Crete Monee Cusd 201u, which includes Talala Elementary School.

$22,610
Per student
+24%
vs Illinois
Avg $18,196
+28%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 54.1%
State 37.0%
Federal 8.8%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Talala Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Crete-Monee High School Larger No free-lunch data Lower S:T ratio
Crete-Monee Middle School Larger No free-lunch data Lower S:T ratio
Balmoral Elem Sch Larger No free-lunch data Lower S:T ratio
Crete Elementary School Similar size No free-lunch data Lower S:T ratio
Monee Elementary School Similar size No free-lunch data Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Talala Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Crete Monee Cusd 201u · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Park Forest

5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Illinois School
Standard public school
391 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Mohawk Primary Center
Standard public school
283 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Indiana Elem School
Standard public school
215 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Blackhawk Primary Center
Standard public school
167 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
21st Century Primary Center
Standard public school
152 students 11.7:1 students per teacher

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~305 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)

Frequently asked questions about Talala Elementary School

How many students attend Talala Elementary School?

Talala Elementary School has 305 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Park Forest, IL.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Talala Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Talala Elementary School is 21.8:1, which is 56% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Talala Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Talala Elementary School is African American at 59.3% of enrollment, in Park Forest, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Talala Elementary School?

Talala Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 14/100 (lower 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 Talala Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Park Forest?

By Resource Investment Index, Talala Elementary School ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Park Forest, 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 Park Forest on the city page.

What other schools are in Crete Monee Cusd 201u?

Besides Talala Elementary School, Crete Monee Cusd 201u also operates Crete-Monee High School (1,480 students), Crete-Monee Middle School (1,002 students), and Balmoral Elem Sch (472 students). See the Crete Monee Cusd 201u district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .

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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.