Is Jefferson Elementary School a good school?

Jefferson Elementary School ranks 717 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 306 students attended Jefferson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary School?

Students at Jefferson Elementary School are 66% White, 25% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Central Intermediate School Middle : Shepherd Middle School High : Ottawa Township High School

Jefferson Elementary School

Summary:

Jefferson Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Ottawa, Illinois, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 292 students. The school is part of the Ottawa Education Service District 141, which is ranked 441 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Jefferson Elementary School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 717 out of 2,067 Illinois elementary schools in 2023-2024 (3-star rating) to as low as 1,492 out of 2,086 in 2018-2019 (1-star rating). In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in IAR/English Language Arts (40.8%) and IAR/Mathematics (31.6%) are lower than the district (42.1% and 21%, respectively) and state (41.2% and 28.4%, respectively) averages. However, the school's performance for Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is relatively stronger compared to other student subgroups. The school has also seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.4% in 2019-2020 to 30.3% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools, McKinley Elementary School consistently outperforms Jefferson Elementary School in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates, as well as in overall statewide rankings. Meanwhile, Lincoln Elementary School, also within the same district, struggles with even lower proficiency rates compared to Jefferson Elementary School. Additionally, Harding Grade School, located in the Serena CUSD 2 district, demonstrates stronger performance in both English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to Jefferson Elementary School.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

1709 Columbus St
Ottawa, IL 61350-1526

(815) 434-0726

District: Ottawa Education Service District 141

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,818

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Central Intermediate School
	Shepherd Middle School
High:	Ottawa Township High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.4

Number of students: 306

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.7%

Hispanic:

24.5%

Two or more races:

5.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 65.4%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Jefferson Elementary School ranks better than 65.3% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 2^nd among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Ottawa Education Service District 141. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.9. (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 Jefferson Elementary School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Ottawa Education Service District 141. Racial makeup is: White (65.7%), Hispanic (24.5%), two or more races (5.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 65.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Jefferson Elementary School is 12.4, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Ottawa Education Service District 141! (See more...)

Compare Jefferson Elementary School employs 24.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jefferson Elementary School is $16,818, which is the highest among 3 elementary schools in the Ottawa Education Service District 141!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Jefferson Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson Elementary School 717^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Jefferson Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Ottawa Education Service District 141:

SchoolDigger ranks Ottawa Education Service District 141 441^st of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Jefferson Elementary School?

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Rank History for Jefferson Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	27.54	1577^th	2020	21.9%
2004	48.35	1239^th	2030	39.0%
2005	46.31	1309^th	2022	35.3%
2006	39.03	1524^th	2086	26.9%
2007	41.91	1473^rd	2095	29.7%
2008	36.61	1515^th	2092	27.6%
2009	35.93	1547^th	2120	27.0%
2010	24.12	1750^th	2139	18.2%
2011	28.87	1682^nd	2147	21.7%
2012	52.70	1226^th	2166	43.4%
2013	39.84	1409^th	2167	35.0%
2014	37.78	1360^th	2093	35.0%
2015	27.70	1485^th	2052	27.6%
2016	46.48	1020^th	2046	50.1%
2017	38.67	1200^th	2044	41.3%
2018	43.24	1095^th	2037	46.2%
2019	28.54	1492^nd	2086	28.5%
2021	53.43	789^th	1948	59.5%
2022	42.04	1130^th	2082	45.7%
2023	53.89	860^th	2077	58.6%
2024	60.90	717^th	2067	65.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.49	196^th	763	74.3%
2019	36.61	695^th	1194	41.8%
2023	39.79	615^th	1156	46.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	56.14	648^th	1765	63.3%
2019	43.81	994^th	1816	45.3%
2021	50.05	631^st	1514	58.3%
2022	54.19	678^th	1763	61.5%
2023	59.48	576^th	1808	68.1%
2024	69.56	362^nd	1793	79.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	47.05	988^th	1964	49.7%
2019	27.82	1474^th	2019	27.0%
2021	31.75	1108^th	1680	34.0%
2022	48.40	895^th	1970	54.6%
2023	46.64	956^th	1957	51.1%
2024	53.36	790^th	1942	59.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.70	1041^st	1972	47.2%
2019	36.21	1237^th	2019	38.7%
2021	62.44	524^th	1707	69.3%
2022	33.89	1226^th	1977	38.0%
2023	56.29	765^th	1984	61.4%
2024	62.31	628^th	1959	67.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	54.01	378^th	938	59.7%
2024	70.76	173^rd	959	82.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.02	973^rd	1463	33.5%
2019	14.91	1339^th	1462	8.4%
2021	37.58	831^st	1308	36.5%
2022	26.00	1133^rd	1425	20.5%
2023	36.95	941^st	1419	33.7%
2024	40.74	829^th	1392	40.4%

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

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Enrollment information for Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	303	3	2	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	320
1989	283	6	3	25	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	317
1990	292	8	2	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	317
1991	332	7	2	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	352
1992	330	13	4	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	363
1993	334	16	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	362
1994	355	16	1	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	380
1995	375	10	0	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	392
1996	375	10	0	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	392
1997	358	13	1	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	381
1998	350	8	2	11	5	n/a	n/a	0	376
1999	351	12	2	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	382
2000	325	10	1	17	1	n/a	n/a	0	354
2001	320	17	0	22	2	n/a	n/a	0	361
2002	273	16	2	25	4	n/a	n/a	0	320
2003	273	16	2	25	4	n/a	n/a	0	320
2004	242	25	3	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	299
2005	244	9	1	36	6	n/a	n/a	16	312
2006	249	14	3	34	6	n/a	n/a	24	330
2007	242	17	3	34	5	n/a	n/a	23	324
2008	258	20	6	33	3	n/a	n/a	26	346
2009	297	17	9	44	6	n/a	n/a	24	397
2010	268	11	9	33	5	n/a	n/a	23	349
2011	250	12	6	43	7	0	19	0	337
2012	261	11	7	38	6	0	23	0	346
2013	269	13	5	38	4	0	18	0	347
2014	267	11	4	43	3	0	17	0	345
2015	244	14	7	49	1	0	24	0	339
2016	259	11	2	43	1	0	23	0	339
2017	245	11	4	55	1	0	19	0	335
2018	205	16	3	51	2	0	24	0	301
2019	209	24	2	53	3	0	18	0	309
2020	187	17	1	45	2	0	20	0	272
2021	177	16	1	66	2	0	23	0	285
2022	178	9	3	61	4	0	19	0	274
2023	186	12	1	70	5	0	18	0	292
2024	201	11	1	75	1	0	17	0	306

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 Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	320	19.5	16.4	n/a
1989	317	19.2	16.5	n/a
1990	317	19.4	16.3	n/a
1991	352	19.0	18.5	n/a
1992	363	23.0	15.7	n/a
1993	362	21.0	17.2	n/a
1994	380	21.9	17.4	n/a
1995	392	23.0	17.0	n/a
1996	392	23.0	17.0	n/a
1997	381	22.6	16.9	n/a
1998	376	22.5	16.7	n/a
1999	382	23.5	16.3	n/a
2000	354	23.9	14.8	n/a
2001	361	22.4	16.1	n/a
2002	320	19.4	16.5	48.4
2003	320	19.4	16.5	48.4
2004	299	19.6	15.3	57.2
2005	312	19.8	15.8	55.1
2006	330	20.5	16.1	62.4
2007	324	18.0	18.0	65.4
2008	346	17.0	20.4	64.1
2009	397	22.0	18.0	57.6
2010	349	25.0	13.9	66.9
2011	337	24.0	14.0	66.8
2012	346	23.0	15.0	66.8
2013	347	29.9	11.5	65.1
2014	345	21.0	16.4	65.5
2015	339	24.0	14.1	70.5
2016	339	23.0	14.7	62.5
2017	335	23.5	14.2	64.5
2018	301	23.4	12.8	69.4
2019	309	22.3	13.8	71.2
2020	272	21.7	12.5	61.8
2021	285	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	274	25.0	10.9	62.8
2023	292	23.9	12.2	65.1
2024	306	24.6	12.4	65.4

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 Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	320	19.5	16.4	n/a
1989	317	19.2	16.5	n/a
1990	317	19.4	16.3	n/a
1991	352	19.0	18.5	n/a
1992	363	23.0	15.7	n/a
1993	362	21.0	17.2	n/a
1994	380	21.9	17.4	n/a
1995	392	23.0	17.0	n/a
1996	392	23.0	17.0	n/a
1997	381	22.6	16.9	n/a
1998	376	22.5	16.7	n/a
1999	382	23.5	16.3	n/a
2000	354	23.9	14.8	n/a
2001	361	22.4	16.1	n/a
2002	320	19.4	16.5	48.4
2003	320	19.4	16.5	48.4
2004	299	19.6	15.3	57.2
2005	312	19.8	15.8	55.1
2006	330	20.5	16.1	62.4
2007	324	18.0	18.0	65.4
2008	346	17.0	20.4	64.1
2009	397	22.0	18.0	57.6
2010	349	25.0	13.9	66.9
2011	337	24.0	14.0	66.8
2012	346	23.0	15.0	66.8
2013	347	29.9	11.5	65.1
2014	345	21.0	16.4	65.5
2015	339	24.0	14.1	70.5
2016	339	23.0	14.7	62.5
2017	335	23.5	14.2	64.5
2018	301	23.4	12.8	69.4
2019	309	22.3	13.8	71.2
2020	272	21.7	12.5	61.8
2021	285	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	274	25.0	10.9	62.8
2023	292	23.9	12.2	65.1
2024	306	24.6	12.4	65.4

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.

Immunization Rates