Is Lester Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Lester Elementary School ranks in the top 7.0% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Lester Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 546 students attended Lester Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Lester Elementary School?

Students at Lester Elementary School are 79% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Lester Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Lester Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Herrick Middle School High : Community High School District 99 - North High School

Lester Elementary School

Summary:

Lester Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Downers Grove, Illinois, serving grades PK-6 with a student population of 554. The school is part of the Downers Grove GSD 58 district, which is ranked 95 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lester Elementary School consistently performs well above the state and district averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. In the 2023-2024 school year, 64.4% of Lester students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 61.5% for the Downers Grove district and 41.2% for the state of Illinois. In Mathematics, 63.5% of Lester students were proficient or better, compared to 55.3% for the district and 28.4% for the state. The school also excels in supporting various student subgroups, ranking in the top 100 Illinois elementary schools for female students, male students, Hispanic students, white students, special education students, and disabled students. Lester Elementary School has maintained a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, ranking among the top 10% of Illinois elementary schools.

While Lester Elementary School outperforms the other Downers Grove elementary schools, including Belle Aire, Fairmount, Whittier, and Highland, in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates, the nearby Prospect Elementary School in the Hinsdale CCSD 181 district consistently outperforms Lester in academic achievement, with over 80% of students proficient or better in both ELA and Mathematics.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

236 Indianapolis Ave
Downers Grove, IL 60515-3100

(630) 719-5855

District: Downers Grove GSD 58

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,359

Students who attend Lester Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Herrick Middle School
High:	Community High School District 99 - North High School

Student/teacher ratio: 18.7

Number of students: 546

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.6%

Hispanic:

11.4%

Two or more races:

5.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 11.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Lester Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Lester Elementary School ranks better than 93% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 5^th among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Downers Grove GSD 58 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.27. (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 Lester Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Downers Grove GSD 58 School District. Racial makeup is: White (78.6%), Hispanic (11.4%), two or more races (5.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Lester Elementary School is 18.7, which is the highest among 11 elementary schools in the Downers Grove GSD 58 School District! (See more...)

Compare Lester Elementary School employs 29.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Lester Elementary School is $16,359. 8 elementary schools in the Downers Grove GSD 58 School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Lester Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Lester Elementary School 144^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Lester Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Downers Grove GSD 58:

SchoolDigger ranks Downers Grove GSD 58 95^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Lester Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	82.79	256^th	2020	87.3%
2004	85.99	146^th	2030	92.8%
2005	80.00	304^th	2022	85.0%
2006	79.94	304^th	2086	85.4%
2007	76.34	443^rd	2095	78.9%
2008	74.54	563^rd	2092	73.1%
2009	80.43	328^th	2120	84.5%
2010	73.74	604^th	2139	71.8%
2011	83.54	198^th	2147	90.8%
2012	84.07	184^th	2166	91.5%
2013	88.41	177^th	2167	91.8%
2014	84.73	271^st	2093	87.1%
2015	75.27	428^th	2052	79.1%
2016	60.93	716^th	2046	65.0%
2017	69.53	581^st	2044	71.6%
2018	89.76	164^th	2037	91.9%
2019	92.09	122^nd	2086	94.2%
2021	95.56	71^st	1948	96.4%
2022	94.90	83^rd	2082	96.0%
2023	92.98	128^th	2077	93.8%
2024	93.27	144^th	2067	93.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	89.29	29^th	763	96.2%
2019	84.42	96^th	1194	92.0%
2021	91.81	28^th	640	95.6%
2022	95.54	27^th	1113	97.6%
2023	91.27	57^th	1156	95.1%
2024	92.65	57^th	1195	95.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	85.04	235^th	1964	88.0%
2019	92.81	89^th	2019	95.6%
2021	94.40	62^nd	1680	96.3%
2022	93.68	97^th	1970	95.1%
2023	93.17	104^th	1957	94.7%
2024	92.94	116^th	1942	94.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	90.70	36^th	907	96.0%
2024	97.69	17^th	886	98.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	90.09	138^th	1972	93.0%
2019	90.00	142^nd	2019	93.0%
2021	93.90	78^th	1707	95.4%
2022	94.19	83^rd	1977	95.8%
2023	89.70	161^st	1984	91.9%
2024	91.53	144^th	1959	92.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	85.06	72^nd	970	92.6%
2024	81.65	94^th	959	90.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Lester Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	79.56	231^st	1463	84.2%
2019	84.47	143^rd	1462	90.2%
2021	91.04	64^th	1308	95.1%
2022	89.74	77^th	1425	94.6%
2023	86.22	126^th	1419	91.1%
2024	86.12	132^nd	1392	90.5%

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, January 28, 2019

Very happy with Lester School. I've had kids enrolled here for 7 years. Great activities, good network of parents. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Lester Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	335	7	6	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	353
1989	304	7	3	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	319
1990	302	5	3	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	314
1991	357	11	10	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	382
1992	345	8	10	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	369
1993	361	11	14	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	393
1994	329	13	14	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	364
1995	387	15	12	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	424
1996	387	15	12	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	424
1997	428	17	8	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	463
1998	422	13	11	4	5	n/a	n/a	0	455
1999	429	10	9	3	5	n/a	n/a	0	456
2000	421	5	9	4	5	n/a	n/a	0	444
2001	418	6	18	9	5	n/a	n/a	0	456
2002	414	16	26	11	3	n/a	n/a	0	470
2003	414	16	26	11	3	n/a	n/a	0	470
2004	394	18	24	22	2	n/a	n/a	0	460
2005	398	15	17	22	1	n/a	n/a	5	458
2006	403	11	12	23	1	n/a	n/a	22	472
2007	396	10	12	19	0	n/a	n/a	32	469
2008	430	14	9	16	0	n/a	n/a	31	500
2009	425	15	10	12	0	n/a	n/a	29	491
2010	433	15	11	12	0	n/a	n/a	22	493
2011	427	10	9	41	1	0	19	0	507
2012	418	7	7	45	1	0	15	0	493
2013	416	6	9	39	1	0	13	0	484
2014	404	6	10	39	2	0	11	0	472
2015	410	7	15	38	1	0	15	0	486
2016	413	7	17	41	0	0	19	0	497
2017	415	8	18	39	0	0	21	0	501
2018	412	10	19	42	0	0	21	0	504
2019	435	7	16	40	0	0	24	0	522
2020	430	6	13	40	0	0	28	0	517
2021	433	3	16	48	0	0	33	0	533
2022	437	7	15	57	0	0	35	0	551
2023	437	5	16	62	0	0	34	0	554
2024	429	7	17	62	0	0	31	0	546

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 Lester Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	353	16.0	22.0	n/a
1989	319	15.8	20.1	n/a
1990	314	15.8	19.8	n/a
1991	382	18.0	21.2	n/a
1992	369	19.0	19.4	n/a
1993	393	19.0	20.7	n/a
1994	364	19.0	19.2	n/a
1995	424	20.0	21.2	n/a
1996	424	20.0	21.2	n/a
1997	463	20.5	22.6	n/a
1998	455	21.5	21.2	n/a
1999	456	21.5	21.2	n/a
2000	444	21.5	20.7	n/a
2001	456	21.5	21.2	n/a
2002	470	24.5	19.2	0
2003	470	24.5	19.2	0
2004	460	24.5	18.8	0
2005	458	24.5	18.7	0
2006	472	24.5	19.3	0
2007	469	23.0	20.4	0
2008	500	21.0	23.8	0
2009	491	24.0	20.5	0
2010	493	23.5	20.9	0
2011	507	25.3	20.0	0
2012	493	25.1	19.6	7.1
2013	484	33.7	14.3	8.1
2014	472	23.5	20.0	8.1
2015	486	24.0	20.2	8.2
2016	497	24.0	20.7	6.8
2017	501	26.2	19.1	6.6
2018	504	24.9	20.2	5.8
2019	522	27.8	18.7	5.9
2020	517	28.6	18.0	3.9
2021	533	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	551	29.0	19.0	11.1
2023	554	29.7	18.6	n/a
2024	546	29.1	18.7	n/a

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 Lester Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	353	16.0	22.0	n/a
1989	319	15.8	20.1	n/a
1990	314	15.8	19.8	n/a
1991	382	18.0	21.2	n/a
1992	369	19.0	19.4	n/a
1993	393	19.0	20.7	n/a
1994	364	19.0	19.2	n/a
1995	424	20.0	21.2	n/a
1996	424	20.0	21.2	n/a
1997	463	20.5	22.6	n/a
1998	455	21.5	21.2	n/a
1999	456	21.5	21.2	n/a
2000	444	21.5	20.7	n/a
2001	456	21.5	21.2	n/a
2002	470	24.5	19.2	0
2003	470	24.5	19.2	0
2004	460	24.5	18.8	0
2005	458	24.5	18.7	0
2006	472	24.5	19.3	0
2007	469	23.0	20.4	0
2008	500	21.0	23.8	0
2009	491	24.0	20.5	0
2010	493	23.5	20.9	0
2011	507	25.3	20.0	0
2012	493	25.1	19.6	7.1
2013	484	33.7	14.3	8.1
2014	472	23.5	20.0	8.1
2015	486	24.0	20.2	8.2
2016	497	24.0	20.7	6.8
2017	501	26.2	19.1	6.6
2018	504	24.9	20.2	5.8
2019	522	27.8	18.7	5.9
2020	517	28.6	18.0	3.9
2021	533	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	551	29.0	19.0	11.1
2023	554	29.7	18.6	n/a
2024	546	29.1	18.7	n/a

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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