Is Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School a good school?

Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School ranks in the bottom 3.0% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 348 students attended Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School?

Students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School are 92% African American, 7% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Creative Communications Academy Middle : S T E M Academy Middle : School of Fine Arts High : Thornridge High School

Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Summary:

Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School is a public elementary school in Dolton, Illinois, serving 337 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Dolton School District 149, which is ranked 793 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom 5-10% of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating for most years.

The school faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates (ranging from 47.4% to 55.4% in recent years), far below average academic performance (only 6.7% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts in 2023-2024, compared to 14.5% for the district and 41.2% for the state), and poor outcomes for various student subgroups. Interestingly, these issues are not unique to Berger-Vandenberg, as many nearby schools in the Dolton School District 149 and Dolton School District 148, such as Carol Moseley Braun School and New Beginnings Learning Academy, also struggle with low academic achievement and high chronic absenteeism.

The persistent challenges faced by Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School suggest that the school and district are grappling with deep-rooted, systemic issues that will require significant and sustained efforts to address. The high rates of poverty and low socioeconomic status among the student population (99.7% free/reduced lunch recipients) may be contributing factors, and the district's overall low ranking and lack of resources could be hindering the school's ability to provide a high-quality education. Addressing these complex problems will likely require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach involving the school, district, and community stakeholders.

Detail:

Public K-6

14833 Avalon Ave
Dolton, IL 60419-2452

(708) 841-3606

District: Dolton School District 149

SchoolDigger Rank:
2004^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,401

Students who attend Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Creative Communications Academy
	S T E M Academy
	School of Fine Arts
High:	Thornridge High School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.0

Number of students: 348

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.2%

Hispanic:

6.6%

American Indian:

0.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 98.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School ranks worse than 97% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks last among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Dolton School District 149. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.25. (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 Racial makeup is: African American (92.2%), Hispanic (6.6%), American Indian (0.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 98.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Dolton School District 149. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School is 20, which is the 2^nd best among 5 elementary schools in the Dolton School District 149. (See more...)

Compare Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School employs 17.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School is $17,401. 3 elementary schools in the Dolton School District 149 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School 2004^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Dolton School District 149:

SchoolDigger ranks Dolton School District 149 793^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	29.93	1538^th	2020	23.9%
2004	21.76	1692^nd	2030	16.7%
2005	24.84	1669^th	2022	17.5%
2006	14.69	1854^th	2086	11.1%
2007	7.69	1949^th	2095	7.0%
2008	11.94	1893^rd	2092	9.5%
2009	11.46	1925^th	2120	9.2%
2010	29.39	1660^th	2139	22.4%
2011	20.85	1817^th	2147	15.4%
2012	24.56	1769^th	2166	18.3%
2013	20.03	1795^th	2167	17.2%
2014	17.20	1811^th	2093	13.5%
2015	16.40	1804^th	2052	12.1%
2016	9.12	1993^rd	2046	2.6%
2017	10.62	1944^th	2044	4.9%
2018	11.55	1929^th	2037	5.3%
2019	14.97	1876^th	2086	10.1%
2021	18.43	1631^st	1948	16.3%
2022	13.00	1951^st	2082	6.3%
2023	12.58	1950^th	2077	6.1%
2024	11.25	2004^th	2067	3.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	22.48	1064^th	1194	10.9%
2023	23.86	943^rd	1156	18.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.01	1629^th	1765	7.7%
2019	24.51	1534^th	1816	15.5%
2021	29.94	1115^th	1514	26.4%
2022	19.12	1612^th	1763	8.6%
2023	18.64	1665^th	1808	7.9%
2024	16.11	1712^th	1793	4.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.17	1787^th	1964	9.0%
2019	17.78	1749^th	2019	13.4%
2021	21.16	1360^th	1680	19.0%
2022	12.90	1862^nd	1970	5.5%
2023	9.79	1931^st	1957	1.3%
2024	10.62	1897^th	1942	2.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.60	1907^th	1972	3.3%
2019	13.88	1864^th	2019	7.7%
2021	13.90	1607^th	1707	5.9%
2022	14.23	1833^rd	1977	7.3%
2023	17.40	1702^nd	1984	14.2%
2024	13.08	1841^st	1959	6.0%

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

Rank History for African American students at Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.18	480^th	698	31.2%
2019	39.57	403^rd	711	43.3%
2021	40.86	211^th	428	50.7%
2022	30.72	499^th	684	27.0%
2023	28.48	547^th	692	21.0%
2024	22.14	603^rd	655	7.9%

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 Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	243	203	11	27	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	484
1989	183	249	10	19	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	461
1990	132	293	9	19	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	453
1991	81	325	5	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	430
1992	63	400	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	493
1993	49	369	3	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	440
1994	48	458	2	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	540
1995	19	484	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	533
1996	19	484	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	533
1997	17	540	6	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	585
1998	10	531	3	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	567
1999	6	518	3	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	543
2000	11	510	2	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	535
2001	2	411	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	421
2002	5	410	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	421
2003	5	410	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	421
2004	0	406	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	406
2005	0	382	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	388
2006	0	348	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	354
2007	1	366	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	2	379
2008	0	321	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	329
2009	1	362	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	371
2010	1	368	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	373
2011	0	361	0	0	0	0	0	0	361
2012	0	350	0	2	0	0	1	0	353
2013	0	347	0	5	0	0	0	0	352
2014	0	358	0	7	1	0	2	0	368
2015	1	411	0	6	1	0	2	0	421
2016	0	363	0	5	1	0	2	0	371
2017	2	345	0	3	1	0	2	0	353
2018	0	307	0	5	0	0	5	0	317
2019	1	282	0	11	0	0	5	0	299
2020	1	283	0	17	0	0	3	0	304
2021	1	304	0	22	0	0	5	0	332
2022	0	299	0	18	1	0	3	0	321
2023	0	313	0	21	1	0	2	0	337
2024	0	321	0	23	2	0	2	0	348

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 Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	484	22.3	21.7	n/a
1989	461	23.0	20.0	n/a
1990	453	21.8	20.7	n/a
1991	430	23.2	18.5	n/a
1992	493	24.0	20.5	n/a
1993	440	25.0	17.6	n/a
1994	540	26.0	20.8	n/a
1995	533	26.0	20.5	n/a
1996	533	26.0	20.5	n/a
1997	585	27.0	21.7	n/a
1998	567	27.0	21.0	n/a
1999	543	26.0	20.9	n/a
2000	535	27.0	19.8	n/a
2001	421	23.0	18.3	n/a
2002	421	23.0	18.3	64.4
2003	421	23.0	18.3	64.4
2004	406	25.0	16.2	63.3
2005	388	20.0	19.4	71.1
2006	354	20.0	17.7	80.2
2007	379	22.0	17.2	82.8
2008	329	17.0	19.4	83.6
2009	371	19.0	19.5	87.9
2010	373	21.0	17.7	85.3
2011	361	17.0	21.2	94.2
2012	353	18.0	19.6	98
2013	352	23.2	15.1	99.1
2014	368	17.0	21.6	97
2015	421	20.0	21.0	99.3
2016	371	20.0	18.5	99.2
2017	353	20.0	17.6	99.2
2018	317	17.0	18.6	99.7
2019	299	16.0	18.6	99.7
2020	304	16.0	19.0	99
2021	332	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	321	16.0	20.0	100
2023	337	17.0	19.8	99.7
2024	348	17.3	20.0	98.9

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 Berger-Vandenberg Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	484	22.3	21.7	n/a
1989	461	23.0	20.0	n/a
1990	453	21.8	20.7	n/a
1991	430	23.2	18.5	n/a
1992	493	24.0	20.5	n/a
1993	440	25.0	17.6	n/a
1994	540	26.0	20.8	n/a
1995	533	26.0	20.5	n/a
1996	533	26.0	20.5	n/a
1997	585	27.0	21.7	n/a
1998	567	27.0	21.0	n/a
1999	543	26.0	20.9	n/a
2000	535	27.0	19.8	n/a
2001	421	23.0	18.3	n/a
2002	421	23.0	18.3	64.4
2003	421	23.0	18.3	64.4
2004	406	25.0	16.2	63.3
2005	388	20.0	19.4	71.1
2006	354	20.0	17.7	80.2
2007	379	22.0	17.2	82.8
2008	329	17.0	19.4	83.6
2009	371	19.0	19.5	87.9
2010	373	21.0	17.7	85.3
2011	361	17.0	21.2	94.2
2012	353	18.0	19.6	98
2013	352	23.2	15.1	99.1
2014	368	17.0	21.6	97
2015	421	20.0	21.0	99.3
2016	371	20.0	18.5	99.2
2017	353	20.0	17.6	99.2
2018	317	17.0	18.6	99.7
2019	299	16.0	18.6	99.7
2020	304	16.0	19.0	99
2021	332	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	321	16.0	20.0	100
2023	337	17.0	19.8	99.7
2024	348	17.3	20.0	98.9

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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