Enrollment
273
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, IL
Tri-City Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Tri-City Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 173945004859
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tri-City Elem School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 273
- students enrolled
Tri-City Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tri-City Elem School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Buffalo, IL.
School address
District: Tri City Cusd 1 · Illinois
NCES ID 173945004859 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tri-City Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tri-City Elem School
Tri-City Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, Illinois, enrolling 273 students.
At 13:1, 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 273 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Tri City Cusd 1 spends $11,875 per pupil, 30% below the Illinois average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Tri City Cusd 1 also operates Tri-City High School (154 students) and Tri-City Jr High School (137 students) alongside Tri-City Elem 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 Tri-City Elem School compares
Tri-City Elem 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 7% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
273
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 42% in Illinois - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,875
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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 93.8%
Two or More 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.9, Tri-City Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tri City Cusd 1, which includes Tri-City Elem School.
$11,875
Per student
-30%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.7%
State 32.5%
Federal 10.8%
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 Tri-City Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-City High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tri-City Jr High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tri-City Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 137
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~273 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tri-City Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Tri-City Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Tri City Cusd 1'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 Tri-City Elem School
How many students attend Tri-City Elem School?
Tri-City Elem School has 273 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tri-City Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tri-City Elem School is 13:1, which is 7% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 17% 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 Tri-City Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Tri-City Elem School is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Buffalo, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tri-City Elem School?
Tri-City Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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).
How does Tri-City Elem School rank among public schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Tri-City Elem School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Buffalo, 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 Buffalo on the city page.
Is Tri-City Elem School a good school?
Tri-City Elem School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. It is also less 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 Tri City Cusd 1?
Besides Tri-City Elem School, Tri City Cusd 1 also operates Tri-City High School (154 students) and Tri-City Jr High School (137 students). See the Tri City Cusd 1 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.