Is Cortland Elementary School a good school?

Cortland Elementary School ranks in the bottom 19.4% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Cortland Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 505 students attended Cortland Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Cortland Elementary School?

Students at Cortland Elementary School are 41% Hispanic, 40% White, 12% African American, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Cortland Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cortland Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Huntley Middle School High : DeKalb High School

Cortland Elementary School

Summary:

Cortland Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Cortland, Illinois, serving 519 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the DeKalb CUSD 428 district, which is ranked 747 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cortland Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of Illinois elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are significantly lower than the state and district averages, with only 14.2% of students proficient or better in ELA, compared to 41.2% statewide and 17.1% in the district. The school's performance in Science is slightly better, with 37.9% of students proficient or better, compared to 53.2% statewide and 36% in the district. Cortland Elementary also struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, with the school's rankings for subgroups such as Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students with low socioeconomic status in the bottom 25% of Illinois elementary schools. Additionally, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.7% in the 2019-2020 school year to 26.1% in the 2022-2023 school year, well above the state average of 18.5%.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 district, such as Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary, Tyler Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary, also struggle academically, with similar low proficiency rates and rankings. In contrast, the elementary schools in the Sycamore CUSD 427 district, which are located within a 5-7 mile radius of Cortland Elementary, consistently outperform Cortland and the DeKalb district schools in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates and better rankings.

Detail:

Public K-5

370 E Lexington Ave
Cortland, IL 60112-4417

(815) 754-2360

District: DeKalb CUSD 428

SchoolDigger Rank:
1667^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,737

Students who attend Cortland Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Huntley Middle School
High:	DeKalb High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.5

Number of students: 505

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.2%

White:

39.6%

African American:

11.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 63.4%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Cortland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cortland Elementary School ranks worse than 80.6% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 5^th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.5. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (41.2%), White (39.6%), African American (11.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 63.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cortland Elementary School is 12.5, which is the 2^nd best among 8 elementary schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 School District. (See more...)

Compare Cortland Elementary School employs 40.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cortland Elementary School is $20,737, which is the 3^rd highest among 8 elementary schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cortland Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cortland Elementary School 1667^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Cortland Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

DeKalb CUSD 428:

SchoolDigger ranks DeKalb CUSD 428 747^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Cortland Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	77.57	441^st	2020	78.2%
2004	75.69	495^th	2030	75.6%
2005	66.67	802^nd	2022	60.3%
2006	57.21	1137^th	2086	45.5%
2007	68.98	744^th	2095	64.5%
2008	68.50	784^th	2092	62.5%
2009	71.11	690^th	2120	67.5%
2010	62.52	981^st	2139	54.1%
2011	66.46	851^st	2147	60.4%
2012	50.94	1276^th	2166	41.1%
2013	49.25	1168^th	2167	46.1%
2014	45.50	1198^th	2093	42.8%
2015	31.50	1369^th	2052	33.3%
2016	25.14	1566^th	2046	23.5%
2017	28.92	1444^th	2044	29.4%
2018	32.17	1368^th	2037	32.8%
2019	29.45	1462^nd	2086	29.9%
2021	21.30	1531^st	1948	21.4%
2022	21.16	1630^th	2082	21.7%
2023	21.33	1633^rd	2077	21.4%
2024	20.50	1667^th	2067	19.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	27.61	616^th	718	14.2%
2019	25.13	672^nd	743	9.6%
2021	34.53	379^th	537	29.4%
2022	22.66	738^th	768	3.9%
2023	27.53	683^rd	788	13.3%
2024	25.12	733^rd	826	11.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	23.95	1008^th	1194	15.6%
2021	19.30	640^th	640	0.0%
2022	19.63	1101^st	1113	1.1%
2023	23.83	947^th	1156	18.1%
2024	26.04	921^st	1195	22.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.91	1479^th	1765	16.2%
2019	31.14	1337^th	1816	26.4%
2021	20.46	1379^th	1514	8.9%
2022	20.06	1579^th	1763	10.4%
2023	21.86	1580^th	1808	12.6%
2024	18.57	1645^th	1793	8.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.10	1356^th	1964	31.0%
2019	30.19	1408^th	2019	30.3%
2021	22.05	1324^th	1680	21.2%
2022	23.27	1509^th	1970	23.4%
2023	24.24	1471^st	1957	24.8%
2024	19.32	1616^th	1942	16.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	26.01	717^th	907	20.9%
2024	33.41	579^th	886	34.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.72	1261^st	1972	36.1%
2019	30.39	1394^th	2019	31.0%
2021	18.72	1437^th	1707	15.8%
2022	20.20	1591^st	1977	19.5%
2023	20.35	1585^th	1984	20.1%
2024	22.70	1515^th	1959	22.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	35.44	441^st	692	36.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	16.35	887^th	938	5.4%
2019	19.53	874^th	955	8.5%
2021	20.88	701^st	742	5.5%
2022	23.39	814^th	954	14.7%
2023	23.70	828^th	970	14.6%
2024	19.12	873^rd	959	9.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Cortland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.53	1008^th	1463	31.1%
2019	25.11	1158^th	1462	20.8%
2021	17.07	1186^th	1308	9.3%
2022	9.57	1367^th	1425	4.1%
2023	15.60	1274^th	1419	10.2%
2024	16.96	1233^rd	1392	11.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Cortland Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1994	64	0	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	65
1995	180	1	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	185
1996	180	1	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	185
1997	229	2	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	238
1998	205	4	4	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	225
1999	228	5	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	237
2000	220	2	2	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	230
2001	205	2	3	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	220
2002	207	2	1	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	224
2003	207	2	1	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	224
2004	183	2	2	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	208
2005	216	9	3	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	249
2006	226	22	4	29	0	n/a	n/a	3	284
2007	235	17	2	25	0	n/a	n/a	3	282
2008	235	37	3	25	0	n/a	n/a	7	307
2009	223	38	3	26	0	n/a	n/a	20	310
2010	270	61	7	39	0	n/a	n/a	36	413
2011	275	42	9	41	1	0	8	0	376
2012	283	34	8	189	3	0	17	0	534
2013	259	36	11	202	1	0	16	0	525
2014	273	24	9	228	2	0	12	0	548
2015	250	25	7	245	1	0	14	0	542
2016	260	25	8	271	4	0	16	0	584
2017	293	39	6	176	3	0	28	0	545
2018	308	31	4	176	4	0	30	0	553
2019	270	31	4	169	3	0	31	0	508
2020	210	48	2	199	1	0	37	0	497
2021	215	57	3	207	0	0	36	0	518
2022	211	55	2	202	0	0	34	0	504
2023	202	58	1	217	0	1	40	0	519
2024	200	59	0	208	0	0	38	0	505

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cortland Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	65	3.0	21.7	n/a
1995	185	7.5	24.7	n/a
1996	185	7.5	24.7	n/a
1997	238	9.5	25.1	n/a
1998	225	11.0	20.5	n/a
1999	237	11.5	20.6	n/a
2000	230	11.5	20.0	n/a
2001	220	14.0	15.7	n/a
2002	224	13.0	17.2	20.5
2003	224	13.0	17.2	20.5
2004	208	13.0	16.0	19.7
2005	249	15.0	16.6	19.3
2006	284	16.0	17.8	24.6
2007	282	16.0	17.6	20.1
2008	307	16.0	19.2	23
2009	310	17.0	18.2	25.9
2010	413	22.0	18.7	33.7
2011	376	20.0	18.8	30.1
2012	534	30.5	17.5	62.5
2013	525	46.1	11.3	59.6
2014	548	30.5	17.9	58.9
2015	542	34.0	15.9	65.5
2016	584	33.0	17.6	65.4
2017	545	34.6	15.7	57.1
2018	553	36.1	15.3	56.8
2019	508	35.5	14.2	58.5
2020	497	35.8	13.8	57.3
2021	518	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	504	36.6	13.7	60.9
2023	519	37.0	14.0	64.5
2024	505	40.2	12.5	63.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cortland Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	65	3.0	21.7	n/a
1995	185	7.5	24.7	n/a
1996	185	7.5	24.7	n/a
1997	238	9.5	25.1	n/a
1998	225	11.0	20.5	n/a
1999	237	11.5	20.6	n/a
2000	230	11.5	20.0	n/a
2001	220	14.0	15.7	n/a
2002	224	13.0	17.2	20.5
2003	224	13.0	17.2	20.5
2004	208	13.0	16.0	19.7
2005	249	15.0	16.6	19.3
2006	284	16.0	17.8	24.6
2007	282	16.0	17.6	20.1
2008	307	16.0	19.2	23
2009	310	17.0	18.2	25.9
2010	413	22.0	18.7	33.7
2011	376	20.0	18.8	30.1
2012	534	30.5	17.5	62.5
2013	525	46.1	11.3	59.6
2014	548	30.5	17.9	58.9
2015	542	34.0	15.9	65.5
2016	584	33.0	17.6	65.4
2017	545	34.6	15.7	57.1
2018	553	36.1	15.3	56.8
2019	508	35.5	14.2	58.5
2020	497	35.8	13.8	57.3
2021	518	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	504	36.6	13.7	60.9
2023	519	37.0	14.0	64.5
2024	505	40.2	12.5	63.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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