Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 673 rd of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 308 students attended Central Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 55% White, 26% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Chippewa Middle School High : Maine West High School

Central Elementary School

Summary:

Central Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Des Plaines, Illinois, serving 308 students in grades K-5. The school is part of Community Consolidated School District 62, which is ranked 233 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary School has shown strong academic performance, ranking in the top 25% of Illinois elementary schools in recent years. In the 2020-2021 school year, the school ranked 189 out of 1,948 Illinois elementary schools, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are generally higher than the state averages, with 5th-grade students performing particularly well (50% proficient or better in ELA and 26.1% in Mathematics in 2023-2024). Central Elementary School's performance on the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) is also noteworthy, with 63% of students proficient or better in 2023-2024, compared to the state average of 53.2%. The school has demonstrated strong performance among its Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) student subgroups, ranking in the top 25% and top 1% of Illinois elementary schools, respectively, in recent years.

While Central Elementary School's academic performance is generally stronger than the nearby Plainfield Elementary School and North Elementary School, it lags behind the higher-performing Cumberland Elementary School and Terrace Elementary School. The school's spending per student has increased from $19,192 in 2019-2020 to $21,808 in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average but lower than some of the nearby higher-performing schools. Central Elementary School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11.4 in 2022-2023, which may contribute to the school's academic success. However, the school has experienced an increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 2.7% in 2019-2020 to 20.6% in 2022-2023, which is an area of concern that the school and district should address.

Detail:

Public K-5

1526 E Thacker St
Des Plaines, IL 60016-6432

(847) 824-1575

District: Ccsd 62

SchoolDigger Rank:
673^rd of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,394

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Chippewa Middle School
High:	Maine West High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.4

Number of students: 308

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.5%

Hispanic:

26.3%

Asian:

10.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33.4%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Central Elementary School ranks better than 67.4% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 7^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Ccsd 62 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 63.2. (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 Central Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Ccsd 62 School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central Elementary School is $23,394. 6 elementary schools in the Ccsd 62 School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Elementary School 673^rd of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Central Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Ccsd 62:

SchoolDigger ranks Ccsd 62 233^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Central Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	71.28	671^st	2020	66.8%
2004	59.97	999^th	2030	50.8%
2005	72.39	596^th	2022	70.5%
2006	78.11	379^th	2086	81.8%
2007	77.21	405^th	2095	80.7%
2008	79.83	340^th	2092	83.7%
2009	70.84	704^th	2120	66.8%
2010	68.32	801^st	2139	62.6%
2011	77.12	463^rd	2147	78.4%
2012	82.90	235^th	2166	89.2%
2013	73.98	551^st	2167	74.6%
2014	75.29	510^th	2093	75.6%
2015	69.65	535^th	2052	73.9%
2016	85.26	273^rd	2046	86.7%
2017	91.50	134^th	2044	93.4%
2018	84.53	266^th	2037	86.9%
2019	93.15	109^th	2086	94.8%
2021	88.03	189^th	1948	90.3%
2022	81.81	346^th	2082	83.4%
2023	68.52	590^th	2077	71.6%
2024	63.20	673^rd	2067	67.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	99.86	1^st	743	99.9%
2023	44.29	371^st	788	52.9%
2024	46.88	353^rd	826	57.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	63.67	248^th	1113	77.7%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	86.25	106^th	1765	94.0%
2019	97.89	12^th	1816	99.3%
2021	97.73	15^th	1514	99.0%
2022	80.42	160^th	1763	90.9%
2023	69.55	351^st	1808	80.6%
2024	55.34	668^th	1793	62.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	76.86	394^th	1964	79.9%
2019	92.56	95^th	2019	95.3%
2021	88.16	132^nd	1680	92.1%
2022	85.19	246^th	1970	87.5%
2023	60.55	677^th	1957	65.4%
2024	56.71	733^rd	1942	62.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	87.43	184^th	1972	90.7%
2019	90.83	132^nd	2019	93.5%
2021	81.43	233^rd	1707	86.4%
2022	67.16	555^th	1977	71.9%
2023	74.14	438^th	1984	77.9%
2024	66.21	567^th	1959	71.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	85.12	75^th	938	92.0%
2019	98.47	5^th	955	99.5%
2022	86.53	68^th	954	92.9%
2023	60.78	280^th	970	71.1%
2024	67.23	205^th	959	78.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Central Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	75.63	287^th	1463	80.4%
2019	84.22	147^th	1462	89.9%
2021	88.58	91^st	1308	93.0%
2022	81.95	183^rd	1425	87.2%
2023	59.69	532^nd	1419	62.5%
2024	37.57	894^th	1392	35.8%

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: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, March 12, 2012

Central school is very warm and caring school. The teachers, staff and principal are very passionate about learning and parents are encouraged to be involved with every step. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Central Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	240	3	3	22	2	n/a	n/a	0	270
1989	247	2	4	13	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	266
1990	245	2	8	25	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	280
1991	280	7	5	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	326
1992	320	6	6	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	358
1993	312	6	8	27	1	n/a	n/a	0	354
1994	329	3	8	24	1	n/a	n/a	0	365
1995	364	7	14	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	417
1996	364	7	14	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	417
1997	364	9	14	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	424
1998	312	7	11	39	0	n/a	n/a	0	369
1999	251	7	8	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	300
2000	243	6	13	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	299
2001	255	7	13	56	0	n/a	n/a	0	331
2002	218	8	12	44	0	n/a	n/a	0	282
2003	218	8	12	44	0	n/a	n/a	0	282
2004	203	6	19	70	0	n/a	n/a	0	298
2005	192	13	16	40	0	n/a	n/a	3	264
2006	176	7	15	32	0	n/a	n/a	3	233
2007	194	6	17	33	0	n/a	n/a	5	255
2008	194	6	17	36	0	n/a	n/a	7	260
2009	175	5	16	63	0	n/a	n/a	7	266
2010	194	12	19	57	0	n/a	n/a	11	293
2011	188	16	21	62	0	0	7	0	294
2012	200	16	21	74	0	0	8	0	319
2013	205	17	23	75	0	0	2	0	322
2014	205	12	18	71	0	0	6	0	312
2015	213	7	18	75	0	0	9	0	322
2016	208	7	12	77	0	0	10	0	314
2017	197	11	8	74	1	1	9	0	301
2018	189	7	10	74	0	0	15	0	295
2019	170	5	10	62	0	0	12	0	259
2020	174	10	9	70	1	0	18	0	282
2021	153	16	13	69	0	1	16	0	268
2022	151	14	28	71	0	0	18	0	282
2023	168	12	31	81	0	0	16	0	308

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 Central Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	270	19.8	13.6	n/a
1989	266	19.0	14.0	n/a
1990	280	20.0	14.0	n/a
1991	326	21.0	15.5	n/a
1992	358	21.5	16.6	n/a
1993	354	19.5	18.2	n/a
1994	365	20.0	18.3	n/a
1995	417	23.5	17.7	n/a
1996	417	23.5	17.7	n/a
1997	424	23.0	18.4	n/a
1998	369	22.0	16.8	n/a
1999	300	17.0	17.6	n/a
2000	299	18.0	16.6	n/a
2001	331	18.6	17.8	n/a
2002	282	16.6	17.0	17
2003	282	16.6	17.0	17
2004	298	16.0	18.6	14.4
2005	264	15.0	17.6	16.9
2006	233	13.6	17.1	13
2007	255	13.0	19.6	14.4
2008	260	13.0	20.0	22.5
2009	266	19.6	13.6	15.8
2010	293	19.5	15.0	28
2011	294	20.5	14.3	24.1
2012	319	19.5	16.3	28.5
2013	322	25.5	12.6	43.2
2014	312	21.0	14.8	44.6
2015	322	22.0	14.6	46.3
2016	314	23.0	13.6	35.4
2017	301	20.9	14.3	38.2
2018	295	22.1	13.3	37.3
2019	259	24.0	10.7	36.3
2020	282	24.8	11.3	37.2
2021	268	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	282	25.0	11.2	36.2
2023	308	26.9	11.4	33.4

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 Central Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	270	19.8	13.6	n/a
1989	266	19.0	14.0	n/a
1990	280	20.0	14.0	n/a
1991	326	21.0	15.5	n/a
1992	358	21.5	16.6	n/a
1993	354	19.5	18.2	n/a
1994	365	20.0	18.3	n/a
1995	417	23.5	17.7	n/a
1996	417	23.5	17.7	n/a
1997	424	23.0	18.4	n/a
1998	369	22.0	16.8	n/a
1999	300	17.0	17.6	n/a
2000	299	18.0	16.6	n/a
2001	331	18.6	17.8	n/a
2002	282	16.6	17.0	17
2003	282	16.6	17.0	17
2004	298	16.0	18.6	14.4
2005	264	15.0	17.6	16.9
2006	233	13.6	17.1	13
2007	255	13.0	19.6	14.4
2008	260	13.0	20.0	22.5
2009	266	19.6	13.6	15.8
2010	293	19.5	15.0	28
2011	294	20.5	14.3	24.1
2012	319	19.5	16.3	28.5
2013	322	25.5	12.6	43.2
2014	312	21.0	14.8	44.6
2015	322	22.0	14.6	46.3
2016	314	23.0	13.6	35.4
2017	301	20.9	14.3	38.2
2018	295	22.1	13.3	37.3
2019	259	24.0	10.7	36.3
2020	282	24.8	11.3	37.2
2021	268	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	282	25.0	11.2	36.2
2023	308	26.9	11.4	33.4

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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