Is Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School a good school?

Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.6% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 342 students attended Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School?

Students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School are 60% African American, 17% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Clinton Rosette Middle School High : DeKalb High School

Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Summary:

Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Dekalb, Illinois, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 342 students. The school is part of the DeKalb CUSD 428 district, which is ranked 747 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of Illinois elementary schools, with a ranking between 1706-1931 out of around 2,000 schools over the past several years. The school's performance on standardized tests is significantly below state and district averages, with only 8.5% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 5.6% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 17.1% and 12.4% for the district, and 41.2% and 28.4% for the state, respectively. The school also experiences high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 7.7% in 2019-2020 to 42.8% in 2021-2022, and has a high percentage of students from low-income families, with 73.39% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the same DeKalb CUSD 428 district, such as Malta Elementary School, Founders Elementary School, and Tyler Elementary School, also perform below state averages but generally outperform Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School on academic measures. In contrast, schools in the neighboring Sycamore CUSD 427 district, such as Southeast Elementary, North Elementary, and South Prairie Elementary, significantly outperform Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School and the overall DeKalb CUSD 428 district on academic measures.

Detail:

Public K-5

3225 Sangamon Dr
Dekalb, IL 60115-4702

(815) 754-9936

District: DeKalb CUSD 428

SchoolDigger Rank:
1931^st of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,811

Students who attend Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Clinton Rosette Middle School
High:	DeKalb High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.5

Number of students: 342

Racial breakdown:

African American:

59.6%

White:

17.0%

Hispanic:

12.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 73.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School ranks worse than 93.4% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks last among 8 ranked elementary schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 13.34. (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 Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the DeKalb CUSD 428 School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School is $19,811, which is the 4^th highest among 8 elementary schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School 1931^st of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

DeKalb CUSD 428:

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

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Rank History for Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	64.62	872^nd	2020	56.8%
2004	59.74	1003^rd	2030	50.6%
2005	69.01	706^th	2022	65.1%
2006	61.94	990^th	2086	52.5%
2007	54.83	1201^st	2095	42.7%
2008	68.25	794^th	2092	62.0%
2009	58.54	1082^nd	2120	49.0%
2010	60.06	1048^th	2139	51.0%
2011	53.30	1210^th	2147	43.6%
2012	66.74	844^th	2166	61.0%
2013	59.74	947^th	2167	56.3%
2014	36.04	1399^th	2093	33.2%
2015	32.64	1337^th	2052	34.8%
2016	29.84	1428^th	2046	30.2%
2017	20.28	1671^st	2044	18.2%
2018	17.74	1732^nd	2037	15.0%
2019	16.16	1839^th	2086	11.8%
2021	16.31	1706^th	1948	12.4%
2022	18.21	1734^th	2082	16.7%
2023	17.96	1760^th	2077	15.3%
2024	13.34	1931^st	2067	6.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	20.56	1121^st	1194	6.1%
2022	24.39	948^th	1113	14.8%
2023	19.27	1075^th	1156	7.0%
2024	15.70	1161^st	1195	2.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.54	1615^th	1765	8.5%
2019	21.78	1604^th	1816	11.7%
2021	22.01	1334^th	1514	11.9%
2022	16.27	1686^th	1763	4.4%
2023	22.22	1567^th	1808	13.3%
2024	15.60	1723^rd	1793	3.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.70	1767^th	1964	10.0%
2019	14.71	1826^th	2019	9.6%
2021	15.20	1517^th	1680	9.7%
2022	19.31	1619^th	1970	17.8%
2023	17.38	1693^rd	1957	13.5%
2024	15.37	1740^th	1942	10.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.71	638^th	907	29.7%
2024	19.69	852^nd	886	3.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.13	1526^th	1972	22.6%
2019	20.09	1679^th	2019	16.8%
2021	15.60	1550^th	1707	9.2%
2022	18.17	1678^th	1977	15.1%
2023	19.57	1619^th	1984	18.4%
2024	14.45	1789^th	1959	8.7%

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

Rank History for African American students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	29.97	515^th	698	26.2%
2019	25.44	604^th	711	15.0%
2021	23.90	427^th	428	0.2%
2022	31.65	478^th	684	30.1%
2023	31.42	499^th	692	27.9%
2024	21.91	605^th	655	7.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	21.41	1244^th	1463	15.0%
2019	15.07	1333^rd	1462	8.8%
2021	8.65	1279^th	1308	2.2%
2022	18.30	1253^rd	1425	12.1%
2023	29.96	1050^th	1419	26.0%

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 Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2000	228	74	19	67	0	n/a	n/a	0	388
2001	225	85	14	40	1	n/a	n/a	0	365
2002	193	78	22	48	1	n/a	n/a	0	342
2003	193	78	22	48	1	n/a	n/a	0	342
2004	211	74	20	46	2	n/a	n/a	0	353
2005	211	78	16	42	2	n/a	n/a	31	380
2006	221	60	12	33	0	n/a	n/a	36	362
2007	214	70	11	37	0	n/a	n/a	27	359
2008	239	87	17	26	0	n/a	n/a	29	398
2009	219	90	18	32	0	n/a	n/a	34	393
2010	212	86	15	34	1	n/a	n/a	35	383
2011	208	75	19	49	3	0	20	0	374
2012	187	85	16	42	0	0	23	0	353
2013	182	100	19	36	0	0	23	0	360
2014	190	119	17	35	1	0	22	0	384
2015	139	137	13	27	0	0	23	0	339
2016	128	128	13	34	2	0	32	0	337
2017	137	124	10	19	2	0	27	0	319
2018	121	130	6	29	2	0	28	0	316
2019	108	132	5	42	2	0	26	0	315
2020	97	143	3	49	2	1	27	0	322
2021	86	161	2	46	2	0	20	0	317
2022	81	183	4	40	1	2	27	0	338
2023	58	204	5	41	0	0	34	0	342

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 Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2000	388	19.0	20.4	n/a
2001	365	20.5	17.8	n/a
2002	342	19.5	17.5	24
2003	342	19.5	17.5	24
2004	353	18.0	19.6	27.5
2005	380	19.0	20.0	29.8
2006	362	16.5	21.9	27
2007	359	18.0	19.9	31.3
2008	398	16.0	24.9	29.3
2009	393	21.0	18.7	30.1
2010	383	18.0	21.2	40.2
2011	374	17.0	22.0	37.7
2012	353	18.0	19.6	50.4
2013	360	29.3	12.2	50.6
2014	384	18.0	21.3	54.2
2015	339	19.0	17.8	61.7
2016	337	19.0	17.7	62.6
2017	319	20.0	15.9	64.3
2018	316	18.8	16.7	64.6
2019	315	18.9	16.6	67.9
2020	322	18.6	17.2	69.3
2021	317	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	338	18.4	18.3	68.6
2023	342	20.6	16.5	73.4

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 Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2000	388	19.0	20.4	n/a
2001	365	20.5	17.8	n/a
2002	342	19.5	17.5	24
2003	342	19.5	17.5	24
2004	353	18.0	19.6	27.5
2005	380	19.0	20.0	29.8
2006	362	16.5	21.9	27
2007	359	18.0	19.9	31.3
2008	398	16.0	24.9	29.3
2009	393	21.0	18.7	30.1
2010	383	18.0	21.2	40.2
2011	374	17.0	22.0	37.7
2012	353	18.0	19.6	50.4
2013	360	29.3	12.2	50.6
2014	384	18.0	21.3	54.2
2015	339	19.0	17.8	61.7
2016	337	19.0	17.7	62.6
2017	319	20.0	15.9	64.3
2018	316	18.8	16.7	64.6
2019	315	18.9	16.6	67.9
2020	322	18.6	17.2	69.3
2021	317	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	338	18.4	18.3	68.6
2023	342	20.6	16.5	73.4

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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