Is Park Elementary School a good school?

Park Elementary School ranks 1271 st of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Park Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 200 students attended Park Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Park Elementary School?

Students at Park Elementary School are 95% African American, 5% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Park Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Park Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Roosevelt Junior High School High : Thornton Township High School

Park Elementary School

Summary:

Park Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Riverdale, Illinois, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 205 students. The school is part of the Dolton School District 148, which is ranked 763 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Park Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools, with a ranking between 1271 and 2062 out of around 2,000 schools over the past several years. The school's performance on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) exams is significantly below the state averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 28.4% of all students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 41.2%, and only 12.8% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 28.4%. The school also has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year.

Interestingly, the nearby Gen George Patton Elementary School, which is in a different district, has slightly better academic performance, particularly in ELA, and a lower percentage of low-income students, suggesting that factors beyond just the district may be influencing student outcomes. Additionally, Park Elementary School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 15.4% in the 2019-2020 school year to 45.9% in the 2023-2024 school year, which is well above the state average. Despite the increased per-student spending at the school, from $17,128 in the 2019-2020 school year to $25,012 in the 2022-2023 school year, these investments have not translated into improved academic outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-6

14200 S Wentworth Ave
Riverdale, IL 60827-2520

(708) 849-9440

District: Dolton School District 148

SchoolDigger Rank:
1271^st of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $27,821

Students who attend Park Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Roosevelt Junior High School
High:	Thornton Township High School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.2

Number of students: 200

Racial breakdown:

African American:

94.5%

Hispanic:

4.5%

White:

0.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Park Elementary School ranks worse than 61.5% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 2^nd among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Dolton School District 148. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.95. (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 (94.5%), Hispanic (4.5%), American Indian (0.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 99% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Park Elementary School is 10.2, which is the lowest among 7 elementary schools in the Dolton School District 148! (See more...)

Compare Park Elementary School employs 19.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Park Elementary School is $27,821, which is the 3^rd highest among 6 elementary schools in the Dolton School District 148.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Park Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Park Elementary School 1271^st of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Park 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 148:

SchoolDigger ranks Dolton School District 148 763^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Park Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Park Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	6.62	1853^rd	2020	8.3%
2004	10.87	1817^th	2030	10.5%
2005	5.29	1877^th	2022	7.2%
2006	21.84	1765^th	2086	15.4%
2007	10.91	1908^th	2095	8.9%
2008	27.56	1655^th	2092	20.9%
2009	16.26	1857^th	2120	12.4%
2010	24.71	1740^th	2139	18.7%
2011	9.23	2009^th	2147	6.4%
2012	12.37	1995^th	2166	7.9%
2013	13.78	1938^th	2167	10.6%
2014	11.57	1920^th	2093	8.3%
2015	22.80	1633^rd	2052	20.4%
2016	17.58	1766^th	2046	13.7%
2017	8.77	1996^th	2044	2.3%
2018	12.11	1904^th	2037	6.5%
2019	7.66	2062^nd	2086	1.2%
2022	22.30	1586^th	2082	23.8%
2023	20.06	1681^st	2077	19.1%
2024	34.95	1271^st	2067	38.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Park 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%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.00	1606^th	1765	9.0%
2019	10.53	1796^th	1816	1.1%
2022	32.31	1218^th	1763	30.9%
2023	31.23	1290^th	1808	28.7%
2024	52.67	735^th	1793	59.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Park Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.85	1828^th	1964	6.9%
2019	6.95	2007^th	2019	0.6%
2022	26.64	1411^th	1970	28.4%
2023	24.55	1463^rd	1957	25.2%
2024	38.91	1103^rd	1942	43.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Park Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.58	1858^th	1972	5.8%
2019	10.90	1936^th	2019	4.1%
2022	17.70	1693^rd	1977	14.4%
2023	16.53	1732^nd	1984	12.7%
2024	36.97	1148^th	1959	41.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Park Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.09	500^th	698	28.4%
2019	17.99	687^th	711	3.4%
2022	47.40	280^th	684	59.1%
2023	44.45	324^th	692	53.2%
2024	62.65	152^nd	655	76.8%

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 Park Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	29	28	1	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	61
1991	32	18	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	50
1992	20	41	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	65
1993	15	16	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	34
1994	15	31	1	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	53
1995	8	39	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	51
1996	8	39	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	51
1997	10	139	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	154
1998	3	146	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	153
1999	5	152	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	160
2000	4	126	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	132
2001	1	133	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	138
2002	3	425	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	433
2003	3	425	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	433
2004	4	412	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	420
2005	3	424	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	432
2006	2	355	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	361
2007	1	327	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	331
2008	1	306	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	1	311
2009	0	271	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	1	276
2010	0	253	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	4	261
2011	0	225	0	5	0	0	3	0	233
2012	2	248	0	2	0	0	4	0	256
2013	2	217	0	1	0	0	1	0	221
2014	1	229	0	3	0	0	2	0	235
2015	1	244	0	2	0	0	1	0	248
2016	0	227	0	3	0	0	2	0	232
2017	0	228	0	11	0	0	2	0	241
2018	1	211	0	8	0	0	4	0	224
2019	2	189	0	11	0	0	5	0	207
2020	3	198	0	13	0	0	2	0	216
2021	3	187	0	11	2	0	1	0	204
2022	3	190	0	8	1	0	1	0	203
2023	2	194	0	7	1	0	1	0	205
2024	1	189	0	9	1	0	0	0	200

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 Park Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	61	3.0	20.3	n/a
1991	50	4.0	12.5	n/a
1992	65	4.0	16.2	n/a
1993	34	3.0	11.3	n/a
1994	53	3.0	17.7	n/a
1995	51	4.0	12.8	n/a
1996	51	4.0	12.8	n/a
1997	154	4.0	38.5	n/a
1998	153	4.0	38.3	n/a
1999	160	4.0	40.0	n/a
2000	132	4.0	33.0	n/a
2001	138	4.0	34.5	n/a
2002	433	26.0	16.7	n/a
2003	433	26.0	16.7	n/a
2004	420	20.0	21.0	n/a
2005	432	19.0	22.7	73.6
2006	361	23.0	15.7	80.1
2007	331	24.0	13.8	82.5
2008	311	21.0	14.8	88.1
2009	276	24.0	11.5	93.1
2010	261	23.0	11.3	94.6
2011	233	20.5	11.3	90.1
2012	256	21.0	12.1	82
2013	221	29.3	7.5	91.4
2014	235	22.8	10.3	88.9
2015	248	23.0	10.7	91.1
2016	232	22.0	10.5	95.7
2017	241	23.0	10.4	97.9
2018	224	22.7	9.8	99.1
2019	207	22.1	9.3	98.1
2020	216	19.0	11.3	78.2
2021	204	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	203	20.9	9.6	81.8
2023	205	20.5	9.9	100
2024	200	19.5	10.2	99

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 Park Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	61	3.0	20.3	n/a
1991	50	4.0	12.5	n/a
1992	65	4.0	16.2	n/a
1993	34	3.0	11.3	n/a
1994	53	3.0	17.7	n/a
1995	51	4.0	12.8	n/a
1996	51	4.0	12.8	n/a
1997	154	4.0	38.5	n/a
1998	153	4.0	38.3	n/a
1999	160	4.0	40.0	n/a
2000	132	4.0	33.0	n/a
2001	138	4.0	34.5	n/a
2002	433	26.0	16.7	n/a
2003	433	26.0	16.7	n/a
2004	420	20.0	21.0	n/a
2005	432	19.0	22.7	73.6
2006	361	23.0	15.7	80.1
2007	331	24.0	13.8	82.5
2008	311	21.0	14.8	88.1
2009	276	24.0	11.5	93.1
2010	261	23.0	11.3	94.6
2011	233	20.5	11.3	90.1
2012	256	21.0	12.1	82
2013	221	29.3	7.5	91.4
2014	235	22.8	10.3	88.9
2015	248	23.0	10.7	91.1
2016	232	22.0	10.5	95.7
2017	241	23.0	10.4	97.9
2018	224	22.7	9.8	99.1
2019	207	22.1	9.3	98.1
2020	216	19.0	11.3	78.2
2021	204	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	203	20.9	9.6	81.8
2023	205	20.5	9.9	100
2024	200	19.5	10.2	99

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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