Enrollment
247
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Jacksonville, IL
The Early Years
Federal NCES profile for The Early Years, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 172028004190
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Early Years earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Illinois schools.
- #7 of 7
- public schools in Jacksonville · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 27.4:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 247
- students enrolled
The Early Years has class sizes larger than 99% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Early Years ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Jacksonville, IL.
School address
District: Jacksonville Sd 117 · Illinois
NCES ID 172028004190 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.4:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+96% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Early Years compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Early Years
The Early Years is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Jacksonville, Illinois, enrolling 247 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.4:1 is larger than about 99% of Illinois schools and 96% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 247 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Two or More (16%) (diversity index 55/100).
Jacksonville Sd 117 also operates Jacksonville High School (890 students) and Jacksonville Middle School (680 students) alongside The Early Years.
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 The Early Years compares
The Early Years on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27.4:1 | ▲ 96% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 247 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.4:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
247
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
27.4:1
students per teacher
- 96% above state mean
Top 99% in Illinois - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$14,527
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 + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 64.0%
Two or More 15.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
African American 8.9%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 64.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.9, The Early Years is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jacksonville Sd 117, which includes The Early Years.
$14,527
Per student
-15%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.5%
State 46.4%
Federal 14.1%
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 The Early Years Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jacksonville Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Eisenhower Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Jacksonville Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Washington Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Early Years's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 890
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 680
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~247 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Early Years's federal record.
- Compare The Early Years against another school. Compare schools
- Jacksonville Sd 117'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 The Early Years
How many students attend The Early Years?
The Early Years has 247 students enrolled. It is a public school in Jacksonville, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Early Years?
The student-teacher ratio at The Early Years is 27.4:1, which is 96% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 75% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Early Years?
The largest demographic group at The Early Years is White at 64.0% of enrollment, in Jacksonville, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Early Years?
The Early Years has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does The Early Years rank among public schools in Jacksonville?
By Resource Investment Index, The Early Years ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Jacksonville, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Jacksonville on the city page.
Is The Early Years a good school?
The Early Years earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of 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 Jacksonville Sd 117?
Besides The Early Years, Jacksonville Sd 117 also operates Jacksonville High School (890 students), Jacksonville Middle School (680 students), and Eisenhower Elem School (349 students). See the Jacksonville Sd 117 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.