Is Harriet Gifford Elementary School a good school?

Harriet Gifford Elementary School ranks 1528 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Harriet Gifford Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 437 students attended Harriet Gifford Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Harriet Gifford Elementary School?

Students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School are 70% Hispanic, 20% African American, 8% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Harriet Gifford Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Harriet Gifford Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Abbott Middle School High : Larkin High School

Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Summary:

Harriet Gifford Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades K-6 in Elgin, Illinois, with an enrollment of 461 students. The school is part of the School District U-46, which is ranked 578 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Harriet Gifford Elementary School consistently performs below the School District U-46 and Illinois state averages on standardized tests, with only 19% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 14.8% proficient or better in mathematics. The school also has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 36.9% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school struggles to support certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools for African American students and in the bottom 50% for Hispanic students and students with disabilities.

When comparing Harriet Gifford Elementary School to other nearby schools in the same district, it becomes clear that the school is underperforming. For example, Fox Meadow Elementary School, which is 1.82 miles away, outperforms Harriet Gifford in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency by a significant margin. Despite spending more per student than the district average, Harriet Gifford Elementary School is still underperforming, suggesting that the school may need to re-evaluate how it allocates its resources to better support student learning and achievement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

240 S Clifton Ave
Elgin, IL 60123-7151

(847) 888-5195

District: School District U-46

SchoolDigger Rank:
1528^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,232

Students who attend Harriet Gifford Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Abbott Middle School
High:	Larkin High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 437

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.6%

African American:

20.4%

White:

7.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 68.6%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Harriet Gifford Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Harriet Gifford Elementary School ranks worse than 73.9% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 29^th among 38 ranked elementary schools in the School District U-46. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.47. (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: Hispanic (69.6%), African American (20.4%), White (7.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 68.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Harriet Gifford Elementary School is 16.8. 20 elementary schools in the School District U-46 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Harriet Gifford Elementary School employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Harriet Gifford Elementary School is $16,232, which is the 13^th highest among 38 elementary schools in the School District U-46.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Harriet Gifford Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Harriet Gifford Elementary School 1528^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Harriet Gifford Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

School District U-46:

SchoolDigger ranks School District U-46 578^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Harriet Gifford Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	26.25	1593^rd	2020	21.1%
2004	30.97	1566^th	2030	22.9%
2005	56.73	1080^th	2022	46.6%
2006	61.36	1008^th	2086	51.7%
2007	60.38	1023^rd	2095	51.2%
2008	49.74	1270^th	2092	39.3%
2009	38.54	1498^th	2120	29.3%
2010	42.24	1440^th	2139	32.7%
2011	40.58	1478^th	2147	31.2%
2012	39.40	1523^rd	2166	29.7%
2013	35.74	1485^th	2167	31.5%
2014	38.33	1349^th	2093	35.5%
2015	23.91	1596^th	2052	22.2%
2016	18.09	1744^th	2046	14.8%
2017	14.06	1843^rd	2044	9.8%
2018	15.36	1807^th	2037	11.3%
2019	18.41	1772^nd	2086	15.1%
2021	17.63	1661^st	1948	14.7%
2022	14.19	1903^rd	2082	8.6%
2023	16.12	1830^th	2077	11.9%
2024	25.47	1528^th	2067	26.1%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.95	454^th	718	36.8%
2019	33.70	550^th	743	26.0%
2021	39.34	308^th	537	42.6%
2022	29.03	639^th	768	16.8%
2023	39.21	458^th	788	41.9%
2024	61.32	184^th	826	77.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	30.31	528^th	763	30.8%
2019	31.20	809^th	1194	32.2%
2021	26.72	490^th	640	23.4%
2022	43.57	510^th	1113	54.2%
2023	34.09	712^th	1156	38.4%
2024	20.58	1058^th	1195	11.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.98	1585^th	1765	10.2%
2019	24.96	1525^th	1816	16.0%
2021	26.74	1187^th	1514	21.6%
2022	21.32	1537^th	1763	12.8%
2023	21.72	1586^th	1808	12.3%
2024	31.94	1266^th	1793	29.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	13.40	1809^th	1964	7.9%
2019	15.11	1817^th	2019	10.0%
2021	13.46	1571^st	1680	6.5%
2022	12.55	1874^th	1970	4.9%
2023	13.38	1827^th	1957	6.6%
2024	25.05	1457^th	1942	25.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	33.91	551^st	907	39.3%
2024	20.21	828^th	886	6.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	22.82	1553^rd	1972	21.2%
2019	27.80	1464^th	2019	27.5%
2021	20.56	1387^th	1707	18.7%
2022	17.65	1696^th	1977	14.2%
2023	22.13	1538^th	1984	22.5%
2024	26.45	1405^th	1959	28.3%

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

Rank History for African American students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.57	690^th	698	1.1%
2019	21.55	656^th	711	7.7%
2024	21.89	606^th	655	7.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Harriet Gifford Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	22.48	812^th	938	13.4%
2019	25.31	791^st	955	17.2%
2021	24.05	640^th	742	13.7%
2022	15.79	927^th	954	2.8%
2023	19.93	888^th	970	8.5%
2024	41.92	520^th	959	45.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Harriet Gifford Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	372	80	12	32	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	496
1989	337	105	15	54	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	511
1990	343	98	12	51	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	504
1991	317	105	13	52	0	n/a	n/a	0	487
1992	340	119	19	51	4	n/a	n/a	0	533
1993	285	116	15	54	2	n/a	n/a	0	472
1994	286	106	13	71	2	n/a	n/a	0	478
1995	260	116	22	79	0	n/a	n/a	0	477
1996	260	116	22	79	0	n/a	n/a	0	477
1997	237	106	27	85	0	n/a	n/a	0	455
1998	239	90	25	98	0	n/a	n/a	0	452
1999	239	92	21	111	0	n/a	n/a	0	463
2000	224	96	19	180	1	n/a	n/a	0	520
2001	207	103	18	184	1	n/a	n/a	0	513
2002	177	102	12	230	2	n/a	n/a	0	523
2003	177	102	12	230	2	n/a	n/a	0	523
2004	170	94	10	247	3	n/a	n/a	0	524
2005	95	74	6	260	13	n/a	n/a	6	454
2006	111	78	10	281	0	n/a	n/a	16	496
2007	92	70	11	305	0	n/a	n/a	17	495
2008	61	81	11	299	1	n/a	n/a	42	495
2009	62	92	7	328	1	n/a	n/a	54	544
2010	52	79	8	275	0	n/a	n/a	43	457
2011	43	91	7	338	1	0	14	0	494
2012	39	98	7	359	0	0	11	0	514
2013	38	99	6	362	0	0	9	0	514
2014	47	88	5	358	4	0	9	0	511
2015	55	99	4	362	11	0	10	0	541
2016	53	94	2	352	6	0	20	0	527
2017	40	84	2	324	5	1	17	0	473
2018	39	65	2	315	1	1	14	0	437
2019	39	75	3	281	1	1	18	0	418
2020	34	78	4	275	0	0	11	0	402
2021	40	89	6	311	0	0	9	0	455
2022	34	91	3	305	0	0	6	0	439
2023	40	92	3	316	0	0	10	0	461
2024	33	89	2	304	2	0	7	0	437

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 Harriet Gifford Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	496	23.0	21.5	n/a
1989	511	24.5	20.8	n/a
1990	504	24.1	20.9	n/a
1991	487	23.5	20.7	n/a
1992	533	25.0	21.3	n/a
1993	472	24.0	19.7	n/a
1994	478	23.0	20.8	n/a
1995	477	19.8	24.1	n/a
1996	477	19.8	24.1	n/a
1997	455	22.5	20.2	n/a
1998	452	22.0	20.5	n/a
1999	463	26.0	17.8	n/a
2000	520	23.0	22.6	n/a
2001	513	28.8	17.8	n/a
2002	523	33.5	15.6	56.4
2003	523	33.5	15.6	56.4
2004	524	26.1	20.1	67.9
2005	454	27.5	16.5	62.9
2006	496	29.0	17.1	77.1
2007	495	25.0	19.8	75.9
2008	495	26.0	19.0	82.1
2009	544	29.0	18.8	75.9
2010	457	25.0	18.2	89.9
2011	494	22.5	21.9	82.8
2012	514	24.5	20.9	84.2
2013	514	26.1	19.6	88.1
2014	511	29.5	17.2	85.3
2015	541	27.0	20.0	88.7
2016	527	26.0	20.2	80.8
2017	473	25.1	18.7	83.1
2018	437	23.5	18.5	81.5
2019	418	27.2	15.3	84.4
2020	402	24.8	16.1	87.1
2021	455	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	439	25.1	17.4	68.3
2023	461	25.0	18.4	73.1
2024	437	26.0	16.8	68.6

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 Harriet Gifford Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	496	23.0	21.5	n/a
1989	511	24.5	20.8	n/a
1990	504	24.1	20.9	n/a
1991	487	23.5	20.7	n/a
1992	533	25.0	21.3	n/a
1993	472	24.0	19.7	n/a
1994	478	23.0	20.8	n/a
1995	477	19.8	24.1	n/a
1996	477	19.8	24.1	n/a
1997	455	22.5	20.2	n/a
1998	452	22.0	20.5	n/a
1999	463	26.0	17.8	n/a
2000	520	23.0	22.6	n/a
2001	513	28.8	17.8	n/a
2002	523	33.5	15.6	56.4
2003	523	33.5	15.6	56.4
2004	524	26.1	20.1	67.9
2005	454	27.5	16.5	62.9
2006	496	29.0	17.1	77.1
2007	495	25.0	19.8	75.9
2008	495	26.0	19.0	82.1
2009	544	29.0	18.8	75.9
2010	457	25.0	18.2	89.9
2011	494	22.5	21.9	82.8
2012	514	24.5	20.9	84.2
2013	514	26.1	19.6	88.1
2014	511	29.5	17.2	85.3
2015	541	27.0	20.0	88.7
2016	527	26.0	20.2	80.8
2017	473	25.1	18.7	83.1
2018	437	23.5	18.5	81.5
2019	418	27.2	15.3	84.4
2020	402	24.8	16.1	87.1
2021	455	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	439	25.1	17.4	68.3
2023	461	25.0	18.4	73.1
2024	437	26.0	16.8	68.6

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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