Enrollment
500
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chicago, IL
Ward J Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Ward J Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170993001143
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ward J Elem School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Illinois schools.
- #110 of 394
- schools in Chicago · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 500
- students enrolled
Ward J Elem School has class sizes larger than 76% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ward J Elem School ranks #110 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL.
School address
District: City of Chicago Sd 299 · Illinois
NCES ID 170993001143 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ward J Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ward J Elem School
Ward J Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 500 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 500 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by Asian (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding City of Chicago Sd 299 spends $21,050 per pupil, 24% above the Illinois average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Chicago's public schools, it stands alongside Lane Technical High School (4,604 students): Ward J Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.6:1 vs 17.8:1).
City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students) and Taft High School (4,487 students) alongside Ward J 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 Ward J Elem School compares
Ward J 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 500 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
500
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 76% in Illinois - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$21,050
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 500 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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
Asian 76.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.4%
African American 6.4%
White 4.4%
Two or More 2.0%
Largest group: Asian at 76.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.3, Ward J Elem School is about as mixed as the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City of Chicago Sd 299, which includes Ward J Elem School.
$21,050
Per student
+24%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 29.9%
Federal 17.4%
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 Ward J Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Technical High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Curie Metropolitan High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenwood Academy High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Young Magnet High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ward J Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,604
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 4,487
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 3,099
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,268
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,223
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Chicago
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lane Technical High School
Standard public school
4,604 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Taft High School
Standard public school
4,487 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Kenwood Academy High School
Standard public school
2,268 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Young Magnet High School
Standard public school
2,223 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Disney Elem Magnet School
Standard public school
1,384 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Morgan Park High School
Standard public school
1,349 students 19:1 students per teacher
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 (~500 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ward J Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Ward J Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- City of Chicago Sd 299'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 Ward J Elem School
How many students attend Ward J Elem School?
Ward J Elem School has 500 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chicago, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ward J Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ward J Elem School is 15.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ward J Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Ward J Elem School is Asian at 76.8% of enrollment, in Chicago, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ward J Elem School?
Ward J Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ward J Elem School rank among schools in Chicago?
By Resource Investment Index, Ward J Elem School ranks #110 of 394 schools in Chicago, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chicago on the city page.
Is Ward J Elem School a good school?
Ward J Elem School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 City of Chicago Sd 299?
Besides Ward J Elem School, City of Chicago Sd 299 also operates Lane Technical High School (4,604 students), Taft High School (4,487 students), and Curie Metropolitan High School (3,099 students). See the City of Chicago Sd 299 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.