Is Kerkstra Elementary School a good school?

Kerkstra Elementary School ranks 716 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Kerkstra Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 389 students attended Kerkstra Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Kerkstra Elementary School?

Students at Kerkstra Elementary School are 55% White, 29% Hispanic, 11% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Kerkstra Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kerkstra Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Jack Hille Middle School High : Oak Forest High School

Kerkstra Elementary School

Summary:

Kerkstra Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Oak Forest, Illinois, serving grades 1-5 with a total enrollment of 389 students. The school is part of the Forest Ridge School District 142, which is ranked 338 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Kerkstra Elementary School has shown a fluctuating performance in its statewide ranking over the years, ranging from a high of 153 out of 2,093 Illinois elementary schools in 2013-2014 to a low of 956 out of 2,044 in 2016-2017. In the 2023-2024 school year, Kerkstra ranked 716 out of 2,067 Illinois elementary schools, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance in specific subject areas is mixed, with stronger performance in Science (65.1% proficiency) compared to English Language Arts (43.5%) and Mathematics (32.1%). Kerkstra's performance for Hispanic students and English Language Learners is particularly strong, ranking 171 out of 959 and 140 out of 826 Illinois elementary schools, respectively, in the 2023-2024 school year.

One area of concern for Kerkstra Elementary School is its chronic absenteeism rate, which has fluctuated significantly, reaching a high of 26.7% in the 2022-2023 school year. This is higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a significant population of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 39.33% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year. However, the school's performance for low-socioeconomic status students has been strong, ranking 29 out of 1,763 Illinois elementary schools in the 2021-2022 school year, with a 5-star rating.

Detail:

Public 1-5

14950 Laramie Ave
Oak Forest, IL 60452-1323

(708) 687-2860

District: Forest Ridge School District 142

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,941

Students who attend Kerkstra Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jack Hille Middle School
High:	Oak Forest High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.2

Number of students: 389

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.0%

Hispanic:

29.3%

African American:

10.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 39.3%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Kerkstra Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kerkstra Elementary School ranks better than 65.4% of elementary schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.94. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Kerkstra Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Forest Ridge School District 142. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kerkstra Elementary School is $12,941, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Forest Ridge School District 142!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kerkstra Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Kerkstra Elementary School 716^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Kerkstra 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Forest Ridge School District 142:

SchoolDigger ranks Forest Ridge School District 142 338^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Kerkstra Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	52.20	1172^nd	2020	42.0%
2004	48.08	1246^th	2030	38.6%
2005	69.08	702^nd	2022	65.3%
2006	68.39	764^th	2086	63.4%
2007	71.70	639^th	2095	69.5%
2008	69.63	733^rd	2092	65.0%
2009	68.95	763^rd	2120	64.0%
2010	71.07	703^rd	2139	67.1%
2011	74.58	557^th	2147	74.1%
2012	77.28	471^st	2166	78.3%
2013	86.12	245^th	2167	88.7%
2014	89.19	153^rd	2093	92.7%
2016	58.95	765^th	2046	62.6%
2017	49.33	956^th	2044	53.2%
2018	51.48	917^th	2037	55.0%
2019	68.06	604^th	2086	71.0%
2021	59.30	662^nd	1948	66.0%
2022	82.52	332^nd	2082	84.1%
2023	75.53	460^th	2077	77.9%
2024	60.94	716^th	2067	65.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	65.90	140^th	826	83.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.59	468^th	763	38.7%
2019	40.66	614^th	1194	48.6%
2021	39.94	348^th	640	45.6%
2022	48.64	429^th	1113	61.5%
2023	46.07	515^th	1156	55.4%
2024	42.57	600^th	1195	49.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	55.27	674^th	1765	61.8%
2019	65.93	438^th	1816	75.9%
2021	72.73	216^th	1514	85.7%
2022	95.78	29^th	1763	98.4%
2023	74.92	267^th	1808	85.2%
2024	59.61	562^nd	1793	68.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	58.92	731^st	1964	62.8%
2019	66.74	614^th	2019	69.6%
2021	57.56	626^th	1680	62.7%
2022	87.70	205^th	1970	89.6%
2023	70.38	499^th	1957	74.5%
2024	51.29	834^th	1942	57.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	48.61	352^nd	907	61.2%
2024	45.81	396^th	886	55.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.73	978^th	1972	50.4%
2019	66.20	602^nd	2019	70.2%
2021	53.49	664^th	1707	61.1%
2022	74.38	437^th	1977	77.9%
2023	76.15	402^nd	1984	79.7%
2024	67.79	544^th	1959	72.2%

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

Rank History for African American students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	55.73	215^th	698	69.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	51.52	413^th	938	56.0%
2019	60.95	275^th	955	71.2%
2021	63.56	156^th	742	79.0%
2022	91.48	38^th	954	96.0%
2023	75.93	128^th	970	86.8%
2024	70.90	171^st	959	82.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Kerkstra Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.94	930^th	1463	36.4%
2019	56.41	616^th	1462	57.9%
2021	49.17	621^st	1308	52.5%
2022	72.37	315^th	1425	77.9%
2023	72.48	309^th	1419	78.2%
2024	51.37	671^st	1392	51.8%

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: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Not a school for minorities Close Quote

Enrollment information for Kerkstra Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	328	1	4	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	334
1989	330	3	4	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	339
1990	320	3	3	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	328
1991	334	5	4	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	346
1992	341	2	2	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	354
1993	317	4	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	328
1994	345	8	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	357
1995	374	5	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	384
1996	374	5	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	384
1997	351	7	5	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	370
1998	341	8	6	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	362
1999	348	8	5	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	378
2000	336	5	4	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	362
2001	326	11	0	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	353
2002	349	16	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	377
2003	349	16	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	377
2004	327	22	0	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	373
2005	352	26	9	39	3	n/a	n/a	19	448
2006	346	22	11	45	1	n/a	n/a	16	441
2007	346	24	11	48	1	n/a	n/a	23	453
2008	316	19	11	52	0	n/a	n/a	28	426
2009	316	7	7	44	0	n/a	n/a	33	407
2010	297	21	6	46	0	n/a	n/a	34	404
2011	286	29	13	54	6	0	8	0	396
2012	300	27	13	69	5	0	7	0	421
2013	320	29	17	66	1	0	7	0	440
2014	310	35	12	75	0	1	5	0	438
2015	300	39	12	75	0	1	2	0	429
2016	334	49	11	73	0	1	4	0	472
2017	317	61	9	75	0	0	10	0	472
2018	271	60	11	81	0	0	19	0	442
2019	277	57	11	87	1	0	19	0	452
2020	275	61	11	96	2	0	25	0	470
2021	227	40	8	92	0	0	23	0	390
2022	203	31	8	96	0	0	16	0	354
2023	214	42	6	114	0	0	13	0	389

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 Kerkstra Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	334	16.0	20.8	n/a
1989	339	16.0	21.1	n/a
1990	328	17.0	19.2	n/a
1991	346	17.0	20.3	n/a
1992	354	17.0	20.8	n/a
1993	328	16.5	19.9	n/a
1994	357	17.8	20.1	n/a
1995	384	19.5	19.7	n/a
1996	384	19.5	19.7	n/a
1997	370	20.5	18.0	n/a
1998	362	22.0	16.5	n/a
1999	378	22.5	16.8	n/a
2000	362	24.0	15.1	n/a
2001	353	23.0	15.3	n/a
2002	377	25.5	14.8	n/a
2003	377	25.5	14.8	n/a
2004	373	25.0	14.9	n/a
2005	448	26.5	16.9	n/a
2006	441	27.5	16.0	0
2007	453	27.0	16.8	0
2008	426	23.0	18.5	19.8
2009	407	23.6	17.2	25.7
2010	404	19.0	21.2	27.3
2011	396	19.8	19.9	27.8
2012	421	19.7	21.3	31.8
2013	440	25.1	17.4	35
2014	438	24.0	18.2	40.2
2015	429	25.0	17.1	42.9
2016	472	22.0	21.4	33.7
2017	472	25.0	18.8	37.5
2018	442	27.0	16.3	37.1
2019	452	32.5	13.9	35.8
2020	470	35.0	13.4	39.1
2021	390	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	354	31.0	11.3	38.7
2023	389	29.3	13.2	39.3

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 Kerkstra Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	334	16.0	20.8	n/a
1989	339	16.0	21.1	n/a
1990	328	17.0	19.2	n/a
1991	346	17.0	20.3	n/a
1992	354	17.0	20.8	n/a
1993	328	16.5	19.9	n/a
1994	357	17.8	20.1	n/a
1995	384	19.5	19.7	n/a
1996	384	19.5	19.7	n/a
1997	370	20.5	18.0	n/a
1998	362	22.0	16.5	n/a
1999	378	22.5	16.8	n/a
2000	362	24.0	15.1	n/a
2001	353	23.0	15.3	n/a
2002	377	25.5	14.8	n/a
2003	377	25.5	14.8	n/a
2004	373	25.0	14.9	n/a
2005	448	26.5	16.9	n/a
2006	441	27.5	16.0	0
2007	453	27.0	16.8	0
2008	426	23.0	18.5	19.8
2009	407	23.6	17.2	25.7
2010	404	19.0	21.2	27.3
2011	396	19.8	19.9	27.8
2012	421	19.7	21.3	31.8
2013	440	25.1	17.4	35
2014	438	24.0	18.2	40.2
2015	429	25.0	17.1	42.9
2016	472	22.0	21.4	33.7
2017	472	25.0	18.8	37.5
2018	442	27.0	16.3	37.1
2019	452	32.5	13.9	35.8
2020	470	35.0	13.4	39.1
2021	390	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	354	31.0	11.3	38.7
2023	389	29.3	13.2	39.3

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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