Enrollment
399
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 173912004645
Unity West — Tolono, IL
Federal NCES profile for Unity West, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 28
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 →
School address
District: Tolono Cusd 7 · 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Unity West 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
Unity West reports 399 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 15.9:1, it is 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 399 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tolono Cusd 7 spends $14,414 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $20,099 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.3% from local sources (property taxes), 46.3% from the state, and 9.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Unity West 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 12% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 55% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 39% in Illinois — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,414
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $20,099
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 399 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 399 Top 55% in Illinois — larger than 45% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 173912004645
Student demographics
White 83.7%
Two or More 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
African American 2.8%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 83.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 399:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.8%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tolono Cusd 7, which includes Unity West.
$14,414
Per student
-28%
vs Illinois
Avg $20,099
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 46.3%
Federal 9.5%
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
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 367
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
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 Unity West
How many students attend Unity West?
Unity West has 399 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Tolono, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Unity West?
The student-teacher ratio at Unity West is 12.8:1, which is 12% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Unity West?
The largest demographic group at Unity West is White at 83.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tolono, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Unity West?
Unity West has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.