Enrollment
143
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Joliet, IL
Union Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Union Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 173966004004
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #2 of 20
- elementary schools in Joliet · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Illinois
- 143
- students enrolled
Union Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 73% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union Elementary School ranks #2 of 20 elementary schools in Joliet, IL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Elementary School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union Elementary School
Union Elementary School is a small elementary school in Joliet, Illinois, enrolling 143 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 143 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 led by Hispanic or Latino (46%) and White (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Union Sd 81 spends $40,623 per pupil, 138% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Joliet's elementary schools, it stands alongside Thomas Jefferson Elem Sch (646 students): Union Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 15.8:1).
Union Sd 81 operates only this one school, so Union Elementary School has no district-mates to compare against locally. At 143 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of Illinois's single-school districts.
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 Union Elementary School compares
Union 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 15% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 143 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
143
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 27% in Illinois - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$40,623
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
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
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
Hispanic or Latino 46.2%
White 35.7%
African American 9.1%
Two or More 9.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.3, Union Elementary School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Sd 81, which includes Union Elementary School.
$40,623
Per student
+138%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+145%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 83.4%
State 10.4%
Federal 6.2%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Joliet
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Thomas Jefferson Elem Sch
Standard public school
646 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Sator Sanchez Elem School
Standard public school
635 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Pershing Elem School
Standard public school
621 students 20:1 students per teacher
Lynne Thigpen Elem School
Standard public school
620 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Farragut Elem School
Standard public school
568 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Jones Elementary School
Standard public school
553 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~143 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Union Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Union Sd 81'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 Union Elementary School
How many students attend Union Elementary School?
Union Elementary School has 143 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Joliet, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 15% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 24% 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 Union Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Union Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 46.2% of enrollment, in Joliet, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Elementary School?
Union Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Union Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Joliet?
By Resource Investment Index, Union Elementary School ranks #2 of 20 elementary schools in Joliet, 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 Joliet on the city page.
Is Union Elementary School a good school?
Union Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Illinois schools. 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 Union Sd 81?
None reported; Union Sd 81 operates only Union Elementary School as a public school district in NCES's records.
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.