Is Nicholson Elementary School a good school?

Nicholson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.7% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Nicholson Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 309 students attended Nicholson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Nicholson Elementary School?

Students at Nicholson Elementary School are 74% Hispanic, 13% White, 10% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Nicholson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Washington Middle School High : West Aurora High School

Nicholson Elementary School

Summary:

Nicholson Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Montgomery, Illinois, serving grades K-5 with a student population of 309. The school is part of the Aurora West Unified School District 129, which is ranked 693 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nicholson Elementary School consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 16.4% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 25.9% in the district and 41.2% statewide. In Mathematics, only 12.2% of students were proficient or better, compared to 15.4% in the district and 28.4% statewide. The school also has a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate than the state average, with 27.7% of students chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to the state average of 11.2% in the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, Nicholson Elementary School has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 51.13% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year.

When comparing Nicholson Elementary School to nearby schools within the same district, it performs significantly worse. For example, Freeman Elementary School, which is 1.84 miles away, had a 21.8% proficiency rate in ELA and a 23.5% proficiency rate in Mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year, outperforming Nicholson by a wide margin. Nicholson Elementary School's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities, who ranked in the bottom 25% of Illinois elementary schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

Detail:

Public K-5

649 N Main St
Montgomery, IL 60538-1225

(630) 301-5013

District: Aurora West Unified School District 129

SchoolDigger Rank:
1597^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,055

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Washington Middle School
High:	West Aurora High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.8

Number of students: 309

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.8%

White:

12.6%

African American:

10.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 51.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Nicholson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Nicholson Elementary School ranks worse than 77.3% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 6^th among 10 ranked elementary schools in the Aurora West Unified School District 129. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 22.89. (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 Nicholson Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Aurora West Unified School District 129. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details

Compare

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nicholson Elementary School is $18,055, which is the 4^th highest among 10 elementary schools in the Aurora West Unified School District 129.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nicholson Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Nicholson Elementary School 1597^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Nicholson 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:

Aurora West Unified School District 129:

SchoolDigger ranks Aurora West Unified School District 129 693^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Nicholson Elementary School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Nicholson Elementary School

Compare

Rank History for all students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	22.50	1639^th	2020	18.9%
2004	24.02	1668^th	2030	17.8%
2005	35.41	1485^th	2022	26.6%
2006	27.50	1697^th	2086	18.6%
2007	26.38	1733^rd	2095	17.3%
2008	35.85	1528^th	2092	27.0%
2009	17.90	1830^th	2120	13.7%
2010	13.96	1918^th	2139	10.3%
2011	5.10	2088^th	2147	2.7%
2012	22.58	1806^th	2166	16.6%
2013	46.60	1231^st	2167	43.2%
2014	21.28	1730^th	2093	17.3%
2015	27.40	1497^th	2052	27.0%
2016	31.96	1370^th	2046	33.0%
2017	25.87	1521^st	2044	25.6%
2018	25.39	1531^st	2037	24.8%
2019	21.68	1674^th	2086	19.8%
2021	19.10	1610^th	1948	17.4%
2022	24.36	1530^th	2082	26.5%
2023	19.42	1699^th	2077	18.2%
2024	22.89	1597^th	2067	22.7%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.96	485^th	718	32.5%
2019	24.53	680^th	743	8.5%
2021	32.87	404^th	537	24.8%
2022	36.80	504^th	768	34.4%
2023	29.16	651^st	788	17.4%
2024	23.66	764^th	826	7.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	28.44	881^st	1194	26.2%
2023	21.76	1015^th	1156	12.2%
2024	31.24	809^th	1195	32.3%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	30.62	1291^st	1765	26.9%
2019	35.11	1242^nd	1816	31.6%
2021	31.29	1086^th	1514	28.3%
2022	44.08	923^rd	1763	47.6%
2023	41.91	1004^th	1808	44.5%
2024	26.81	1402^nd	1793	21.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.80	1592^nd	1964	18.9%
2019	21.96	1642^nd	2019	18.7%
2021	22.67	1310^th	1680	22.0%
2022	28.52	1360^th	1970	31.0%
2023	16.85	1710^th	1957	12.6%
2024	20.92	1562^nd	1942	19.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	40.78	461^st	886	48.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.47	1326^th	1972	32.8%
2019	23.87	1567^th	2019	22.4%
2021	16.09	1528^th	1707	10.5%
2022	20.81	1565^th	1977	20.8%
2023	24.39	1470^th	1984	25.9%
2024	25.44	1435^th	1959	26.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.55	595^th	938	36.6%
2019	25.64	787^th	955	17.6%
2021	21.09	693^rd	742	6.6%
2022	27.73	740^th	954	22.4%
2023	23.11	836^th	970	13.8%
2024	30.90	679^th	959	29.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Nicholson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	19.56	1268^th	1463	13.3%
2019	1.74	1461^st	1462	0.1%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Nicholson Elementary School.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Nicholson Elementary School, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Nicholson Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	238	25	2	97	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	362
1989	236	45	n/a	90	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	371
1990	231	48	1	81	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	361
1991	229	44	1	77	0	n/a	n/a	0	351
1992	231	46	5	99	0	n/a	n/a	0	381
1993	225	39	5	78	0	n/a	n/a	0	347
1994	231	48	6	85	0	n/a	n/a	0	370
1995	193	43	4	81	0	n/a	n/a	0	321
1996	193	43	4	81	0	n/a	n/a	0	321
1997	194	50	6	72	0	n/a	n/a	0	322
1998	185	66	2	71	0	n/a	n/a	0	324
1999	147	66	3	90	0	n/a	n/a	0	306
2000	119	121	6	92	2	n/a	n/a	0	340
2001	99	135	1	94	2	n/a	n/a	0	331
2002	96	102	0	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	293
2003	96	102	0	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	293
2004	98	82	2	83	0	n/a	n/a	0	265
2005	93	116	0	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	304
2006	93	142	0	109	0	n/a	n/a	2	346
2007	84	134	6	125	2	n/a	n/a	10	361
2008	76	147	5	129	1	n/a	n/a	17	375
2009	66	147	7	136	0	n/a	n/a	22	378
2010	71	139	8	125	0	n/a	n/a	20	363
2011	67	129	4	162	0	0	9	0	371
2012	62	64	2	171	1	0	3	0	303
2013	62	30	2	216	1	0	5	0	316
2014	64	36	1	249	0	0	11	0	361
2015	64	38	1	225	0	0	10	0	338
2016	48	46	1	219	0	0	8	0	322
2017	59	53	2	232	0	0	8	0	354
2018	46	38	3	217	0	0	7	0	311
2019	44	34	1	202	0	0	5	0	286
2020	40	40	3	194	1	0	7	0	285
2021	48	30	1	222	1	0	6	0	308
2022	41	29	1	216	2	0	9	0	298
2023	39	32	1	228	0	0	9	0	309

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 Nicholson Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	362	18.5	19.5	n/a
1989	371	17.5	21.2	n/a
1990	361	17.4	20.7	n/a
1991	351	18.3	19.1	n/a
1992	381	16.4	23.2	n/a
1993	347	17.0	20.4	n/a
1994	370	17.0	21.8	n/a
1995	321	17.0	18.9	n/a
1996	321	17.0	18.9	n/a
1997	322	18.5	17.4	n/a
1998	324	18.0	18.0	n/a
1999	306	17.0	18.0	n/a
2000	340	19.0	17.9	n/a
2001	331	19.0	17.4	n/a
2002	293	17.6	16.6	55.6
2003	293	17.6	16.6	55.6
2004	265	15.0	17.7	62.6
2005	304	17.0	17.9	68.8
2006	346	16.0	21.6	61.3
2007	361	17.0	21.2	70.7
2008	375	19.0	19.7	75.7
2009	378	23.6	16.0	70.8
2010	363	22.7	15.9	84
2011	371	20.0	18.5	75.7
2012	303	21.0	14.4	80.2
2013	316	20.3	15.5	78.8
2014	361	17.0	21.2	78.9
2015	338	20.0	16.9	79.3
2016	322	20.0	16.1	88.8
2017	354	24.0	14.7	43.5
2018	311	23.7	13.1	52.1
2019	286	23.0	12.4	60.5
2020	285	25.0	11.3	57.9
2021	308	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	298	27.0	11.0	37.2
2023	309	26.0	11.8	51.1

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 Nicholson Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	362	18.5	19.5	n/a
1989	371	17.5	21.2	n/a
1990	361	17.4	20.7	n/a
1991	351	18.3	19.1	n/a
1992	381	16.4	23.2	n/a
1993	347	17.0	20.4	n/a
1994	370	17.0	21.8	n/a
1995	321	17.0	18.9	n/a
1996	321	17.0	18.9	n/a
1997	322	18.5	17.4	n/a
1998	324	18.0	18.0	n/a
1999	306	17.0	18.0	n/a
2000	340	19.0	17.9	n/a
2001	331	19.0	17.4	n/a
2002	293	17.6	16.6	55.6
2003	293	17.6	16.6	55.6
2004	265	15.0	17.7	62.6
2005	304	17.0	17.9	68.8
2006	346	16.0	21.6	61.3
2007	361	17.0	21.2	70.7
2008	375	19.0	19.7	75.7
2009	378	23.6	16.0	70.8
2010	363	22.7	15.9	84
2011	371	20.0	18.5	75.7
2012	303	21.0	14.4	80.2
2013	316	20.3	15.5	78.8
2014	361	17.0	21.2	78.9
2015	338	20.0	16.9	79.3
2016	322	20.0	16.1	88.8
2017	354	24.0	14.7	43.5
2018	311	23.7	13.1	52.1
2019	286	23.0	12.4	60.5
2020	285	25.0	11.3	57.9
2021	308	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	298	27.0	11.0	37.2
2023	309	26.0	11.8	51.1

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