Is Riverdale School a good school?

Riverdale School ranks 1140 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Riverdale School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 131 students attended Riverdale School.

What is the racial makeup of Riverdale School?

Students at Riverdale School are 93% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Riverdale School attend?

Students who attend Riverdale School usually go on to attend: Middle : Washington Junior High High : Thornton Township High School

Riverdale School

Summary:

Riverdale School is an elementary school located in Riverdale, Illinois, serving grades K-4 with a total enrollment of 138 students. It is part of the Dolton School District 148, which is ranked 763 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Riverdale School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 1140 out of 2067 schools and a 2-star rating.

Riverdale School faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 37.5% to 54.5% over the past few years, and consistently low academic performance, with only 27.7% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA) in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 41.2% statewide and 19.4% in the Dolton School District. The school's performance also varies significantly by student subgroup, with African American students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds performing relatively well compared to their peers in the district, while female and male students at Riverdale lag behind their statewide counterparts.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending of $25,147 at Riverdale School, the school's academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving student performance. The school's performance is generally on par with or slightly better than the other Dolton School District 148 elementary schools, but the nearby Gen George Patton Elementary School, which is in a different district, performs somewhat better on ELA assessments. Addressing the challenges at Riverdale School will likely require a multifaceted approach involving the school, district, and community stakeholders.

Detail:

Public K-4

325 W 142nd St
Riverdale, IL 60827-2344

(708) 849-7153

District: Dolton School District 148

SchoolDigger Rank:
1140^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $27,885

Students who attend Riverdale School usually attend:

Middle:	Washington Junior High
High:	Thornton Township High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.7

Number of students: 131

Racial breakdown:

African American:

93.1%

Hispanic:

5.3%

Two or more races:

1.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99.2%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Riverdale School ranks worse than 55.2% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks first among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Dolton School District 148! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.49. (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 Riverdale School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Dolton School District 148. Racial makeup is: African American (93.1%), Hispanic (5.3%), two or more races (1.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 99.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Riverdale School is 11.7, which is the 2^nd best among 6 elementary schools in the Dolton School District 148. (See more...)

Compare Riverdale School employs 11.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Riverdale School is $27,885, which is the 2^nd highest among 6 elementary schools in the Dolton School District 148.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Riverdale School:

SchoolDigger ranks Riverdale School 1140^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Riverdale School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Male students:

African American students:

Dolton School District 148:

SchoolDigger ranks Dolton School District 148 763^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Riverdale School

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Rank History for all students at Riverdale School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2006	7.49	1938^th	2086	7.1%
2007	9.77	1924^th	2095	8.2%
2008	5.85	1989^th	2092	4.9%
2009	5.54	2028^th	2120	4.3%
2010	11.83	1949^th	2139	8.9%
2011	23.60	1772^nd	2147	17.5%
2012	7.92	2062^nd	2166	4.8%
2013	26.15	1674^th	2167	22.8%
2014	2.33	2079^th	2093	0.7%
2015	9.93	2002^nd	2052	2.4%
2016	13.67	1865^th	2046	8.8%
2017	21.08	1651^st	2044	19.2%
2018	22.22	1591^st	2037	21.9%
2019	7.45	2068^th	2086	0.9%
2022	11.12	2032^nd	2082	2.4%
2023	20.02	1682^nd	2077	19.0%
2024	40.49	1140^th	2067	44.8%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Riverdale School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.92	1127^th	1765	36.1%
2019	11.51	1784^th	1816	1.8%
2022	15.65	1704^th	1763	3.3%
2023	33.11	1220^th	1808	32.5%
2024	60.69	530^th	1793	70.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Riverdale School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.07	1615^th	1964	17.8%
2019	7.54	1999^th	2019	1.0%
2022	11.32	1916^th	1970	2.7%
2023	19.59	1610^th	1957	17.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Riverdale School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.29	1466^th	1972	25.7%
2019	9.01	1990^th	2019	1.4%
2022	12.39	1904^th	1977	3.7%
2023	22.55	1530^th	1984	22.9%
2024	26.70	1398^th	1959	28.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Riverdale School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	49.12	272^nd	698	61.0%
2019	21.70	655^th	711	7.9%
2022	27.03	575^th	684	15.9%
2023	50.60	256^th	692	63.0%
2024	75.06	82^nd	655	87.5%

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

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Enrollment information for Riverdale School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	81	36	1	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	123
1989	77	49	n/a	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	129
1990	68	57	n/a	7	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	132
1991	59	70	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	139
1992	50	89	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	144
1993	35	71	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	110
1994	27	120	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	151
1995	16	134	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	154
1996	16	134	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	154
1997	11	117	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	130
1998	6	126	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	132
1999	1	132	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	136
2000	0	137	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	142
2001	1	133	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	138
2002	2	117	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	122
2003	2	117	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	122
2004	0	115	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	117
2005	0	109	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	110
2006	0	155	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	1	159
2007	0	141	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	1	144
2008	0	156	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	158
2009	1	180	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	183
2010	1	147	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	2	151
2011	1	156	0	0	0	0	1	0	158
2012	1	138	0	0	0	0	0	0	139
2013	0	135	0	0	0	0	0	0	135
2014	0	162	0	1	0	0	2	0	165
2015	0	190	0	1	0	0	0	0	191
2016	0	185	0	1	0	0	0	0	186
2017	0	169	0	3	0	0	1	0	173
2018	0	149	0	2	0	0	1	0	152
2019	0	149	0	1	0	0	1	0	151
2020	0	123	0	2	0	0	0	0	125
2021	2	122	0	2	0	0	0	0	126
2022	0	127	0	4	0	1	0	0	132
2023	0	131	0	7	0	0	0	0	138
2024	0	122	0	7	0	0	2	0	131

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 Riverdale School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	123	6.6	18.6	n/a
1989	129	7.0	18.4	n/a
1990	132	7.0	18.8	n/a
1991	139	6.4	21.7	n/a
1992	144	6.4	22.5	n/a
1993	110	7.9	13.9	n/a
1994	151	9.9	15.3	n/a
1995	154	6.9	22.3	n/a
1996	154	6.9	22.3	n/a
1997	130	8.0	16.3	n/a
1998	132	9.0	14.7	n/a
1999	136	9.0	15.1	n/a
2000	142	7.0	20.3	n/a
2001	138	7.0	19.7	n/a
2002	122	6.4	19.1	79.5
2003	122	6.4	19.1	79.5
2004	117	5.0	23.4	81.2
2005	110	6.0	18.3	74.5
2006	159	13.0	12.2	n/a
2007	144	13.0	11.1	n/a
2008	158	13.0	12.2	n/a
2009	183	12.6	14.5	86.3
2010	151	14.6	10.3	81.2
2011	158	13.2	11.9	81.6
2012	139	14.4	9.6	78.4
2013	135	18.6	7.2	91.9
2014	165	13.8	11.9	95.8
2015	191	18.0	10.6	96.3
2016	186	18.0	10.3	97.3
2017	173	18.6	9.3	94.8
2018	152	17.0	8.9	91.4
2019	151	18.5	8.1	86.1
2020	125	16.3	7.6	99.2
2021	126	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	132	15.4	8.5	99.2
2023	138	17.1	8.0	95.7
2024	131	11.1	11.7	99.2

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 Riverdale School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	123	6.6	18.6	n/a
1989	129	7.0	18.4	n/a
1990	132	7.0	18.8	n/a
1991	139	6.4	21.7	n/a
1992	144	6.4	22.5	n/a
1993	110	7.9	13.9	n/a
1994	151	9.9	15.3	n/a
1995	154	6.9	22.3	n/a
1996	154	6.9	22.3	n/a
1997	130	8.0	16.3	n/a
1998	132	9.0	14.7	n/a
1999	136	9.0	15.1	n/a
2000	142	7.0	20.3	n/a
2001	138	7.0	19.7	n/a
2002	122	6.4	19.1	79.5
2003	122	6.4	19.1	79.5
2004	117	5.0	23.4	81.2
2005	110	6.0	18.3	74.5
2006	159	13.0	12.2	n/a
2007	144	13.0	11.1	n/a
2008	158	13.0	12.2	n/a
2009	183	12.6	14.5	86.3
2010	151	14.6	10.3	81.2
2011	158	13.2	11.9	81.6
2012	139	14.4	9.6	78.4
2013	135	18.6	7.2	91.9
2014	165	13.8	11.9	95.8
2015	191	18.0	10.6	96.3
2016	186	18.0	10.3	97.3
2017	173	18.6	9.3	94.8
2018	152	17.0	8.9	91.4
2019	151	18.5	8.1	86.1
2020	125	16.3	7.6	99.2
2021	126	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	132	15.4	8.5	99.2
2023	138	17.1	8.0	95.7
2024	131	11.1	11.7	99.2

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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