- Enrollment
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wheeling, IL
Walt Whitman Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Walt Whitman Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 174221004238
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walt Whitman Elem School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Wheeling · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 378
- students enrolled
Walt Whitman Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walt Whitman Elem School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Wheeling, IL.
School address
District: Wheeling Ccsd 21 · Illinois
NCES ID 174221004238 Verify on NCES CCD record →
NCES CCD universe card
School universe 174221004238 · Wheeling, IL Other · SMALL · TRAD
378 enr · 12.2:1 · RII 49
Nearest enrollment peer: Cooper Middle School (732 students)
Resource Investment Index #3 of 4 schools in Wheeling. NCES Common Core of Data stamps for this campus. Read with this school → · District book → · Illinois schools → · Find another →
Walt Whitman Elem School in the enrollment neighbourhood
Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers
- Cooper Middle
Cooper Middle School
732 students
- Jack London Mi
Jack London Middle School
628 students
- Oliver W Holme
Oliver W Holmes Middle School
615 students
- Eugene Field E
Eugene Field Elem School
613 students
- Joyce Kilmer E
Joyce Kilmer Elem School
590 students
- This school
Walt Whitman Elem School
378 students
What this shows Walt Whitman Elem School reports 378 students on the CCD universe file.
How Walt Whitman Elem School compares
Walt Whitman 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 13% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 378 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
378
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 31% in Illinois - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.4%
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
$23,330
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 189 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 76.5%
White 13.2%
African American 3.7%
Asian 3.7%
Two or More 2.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.4, Walt Whitman Elem School is about as mixed as the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wheeling Ccsd 21, which includes Walt Whitman Elem School.
$23,330
Per student
+28%
vs Illinois
Avg $18,196
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 64.2%
State 26.2%
Federal 9.6%
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 Walt Whitman Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jack London Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oliver W Holmes Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eugene Field Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Joyce Kilmer Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walt Whitman Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 628
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 613
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools in Wheeling
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Nationwide other 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 (~378 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Frequently asked questions about Walt Whitman Elem School
How many students attend Walt Whitman Elem School?
Walt Whitman Elem School has 378 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wheeling, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walt Whitman Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walt Whitman Elem School is 12.2:1, which is 13% lower than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 22% 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 Walt Whitman Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Walt Whitman Elem School is Hispanic or Latino at 76.5% of enrollment, in Wheeling, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walt Whitman Elem School?
Walt Whitman Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Walt Whitman Elem School rank among schools in Wheeling?
By Resource Investment Index, Walt Whitman Elem School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Wheeling, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wheeling on the city page.
What other schools are in Wheeling Ccsd 21?
Besides Walt Whitman Elem School, Wheeling Ccsd 21 also operates Cooper Middle School (732 students), Jack London Middle School (628 students), and Oliver W Holmes Middle School (615 students). See the Wheeling Ccsd 21 district page for the complete list.
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.