Is Empire Elementary School a good school?

Empire Elementary School ranks in the bottom 4.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Empire Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 325 students attended Empire Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Empire Elementary School?

Students at Empire Elementary School are 44% White, 26% African American, 19% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Empire Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Empire Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Carl Sandburg Middle School Middle : Freeport Middle School High : Freeport High School

Empire Elementary School

Summary:

Empire Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Freeport, Illinois, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 325 students. The school is part of the Freeport School District 145, which is ranked 730 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Empire Elementary School consistently performs significantly below the state and district averages in standardized test scores for both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 9% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 19.2% for the district and 41.2% for the state. The school also has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 41.1% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Empire Elementary School struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of Illinois elementary schools for several subgroups, including male students, White students, and students with disabilities. The school has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 59.08% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year.

While the nearby schools within the Freeport School District 145, such as Center Elementary School, Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School, and Blackhawk Elementary School, also struggle academically, they perform significantly better than Empire Elementary School. For example, Center Elementary School had 32.7% of students proficient or better in ELA, compared to only 9% at Empire. Despite the challenges faced by Empire Elementary School, the district spends a relatively high amount per student, with $17,100 spent per student in the 2022-2023 school year, suggesting that the issue may not be solely a lack of funding, but rather how the resources are being utilized and targeted to address the specific needs of the school.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

1325 Empire St
Freeport, IL 61032-6114

(815) 232-0380

District: Freeport School District 145

SchoolDigger Rank:
1974^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,714

Students who attend Empire Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Carl Sandburg Middle School
	Freeport Middle School
High:	Freeport High School

Student/teacher ratio: 19.1

Number of students: 325

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.0%

African American:

26.5%

Two or more races:

18.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 59.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Empire Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Empire Elementary School ranks worse than 95.5% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks last among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Freeport School District 145. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.95. (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 Empire Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Freeport School District 145. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Empire Elementary School is $17,714, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Freeport School District 145!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Empire Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Empire Elementary School 1974^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Empire Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

White students:

Freeport School District 145:

SchoolDigger ranks Freeport School District 145 730^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Empire Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	60.24	975^th	2020	51.7%
2004	62.96	899^th	2030	55.7%
2005	44.07	1352^nd	2022	33.1%
2006	54.70	1205^th	2086	42.2%
2007	73.96	544^th	2095	74.0%
2008	72.44	644^th	2092	69.2%
2009	83.07	219^th	2120	89.7%
2010	79.14	382^nd	2139	82.1%
2011	70.12	732^nd	2147	65.9%
2012	61.04	1021^st	2166	52.9%
2013	47.18	1219^th	2167	43.7%
2014	29.99	1536^th	2093	26.6%
2015	36.56	1228^th	2052	40.2%
2016	69.43	568^th	2046	72.2%
2017	58.83	775^th	2044	62.1%
2018	47.41	990^th	2037	51.4%
2019	41.91	1155^th	2086	44.6%
2021	25.78	1391^st	1948	28.6%
2022	18.20	1735^th	2082	16.7%
2023	14.57	1889^th	2077	9.1%
2024	11.95	1974^th	2067	4.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2021	23.55	28^th	40	30.0%
2022	16.65	87^th	95	8.4%
2023	14.46	88^th	93	5.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.75	382^nd	763	49.9%
2019	22.88	1046^th	1194	12.4%
2022	24.85	927^th	1113	16.7%
2023	31.22	762^nd	1156	34.1%
2024	15.42	1188^th	1195	0.6%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.92	1034^th	1765	41.4%
2019	34.56	1257^th	1816	30.8%
2021	33.55	1031^st	1514	31.9%
2022	26.73	1378^th	1763	21.8%
2023	19.29	1650^th	1808	8.7%
2024	16.92	1684^th	1793	6.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	58.42	742^nd	1964	62.2%
2019	40.70	1157^th	2019	42.7%
2021	30.36	1140^th	1680	32.1%
2022	23.70	1490^th	1970	24.4%
2023	16.75	1716^th	1957	12.3%
2024	15.96	1713^th	1942	11.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	38.18	485^th	907	46.5%
2024	18.86	876^th	886	1.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.79	1145^th	1972	41.9%
2019	44.05	1053^rd	2019	47.8%
2021	21.05	1374^th	1707	19.5%
2022	15.57	1780^th	1977	10.0%
2023	14.66	1807^th	1984	8.9%
2024	10.26	1924^th	1959	1.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	24.59	620^th	684	9.4%
2023	28.22	549^th	692	20.7%
2024	21.93	604^th	655	7.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Empire Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.59	946^th	1463	35.3%
2019	44.00	849^th	1462	41.9%
2021	19.31	1148^th	1308	12.2%
2022	9.68	1366^th	1425	4.1%
2023	4.61	1404^th	1419	1.1%
2024	4.59	1377^th	1392	1.1%

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

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Enrollment information for Empire Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	395	45	10	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	450
1990	406	34	12	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	454
1991	419	29	9	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	459
1992	414	25	11	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	450
1993	417	24	12	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	453
1994	414	36	9	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	461
1995	381	42	4	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	430
1996	381	42	4	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	430
1997	343	40	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	388
1998	271	19	1	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	296
1999	268	32	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	307
2000	235	31	4	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	276
2001	225	37	2	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	272
2002	195	44	5	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	255
2003	195	44	5	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	255
2004	209	51	5	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	279
2005	199	59	9	12	3	n/a	n/a	13	295
2006	232	44	7	9	2	n/a	n/a	21	315
2007	204	33	4	11	1	n/a	n/a	34	287
2008	212	35	4	8	0	n/a	n/a	36	295
2009	191	35	4	4	0	n/a	n/a	36	270
2010	174	32	4	4	0	n/a	n/a	36	250
2011	186	32	7	13	0	3	23	0	264
2012	208	43	7	16	1	1	26	0	302
2013	210	37	3	16	2	1	25	0	294
2014	200	35	5	16	1	0	22	0	279
2015	205	34	2	15	0	0	29	0	285
2016	193	44	4	10	0	0	34	0	285
2017	180	59	6	7	0	0	29	0	281
2018	180	42	5	10	0	0	28	0	265
2019	157	44	4	10	1	0	34	0	250
2020	136	63	6	13	1	0	32	0	251
2021	143	78	5	19	1	0	63	0	309
2022	151	102	4	27	0	0	66	0	350
2023	143	86	4	31	0	0	61	0	325

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 Empire Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	450	23.2	19.3	n/a
1990	454	21.7	20.9	n/a
1991	459	21.3	21.5	n/a
1992	450	21.3	21.1	n/a
1993	453	19.3	23.5	n/a
1994	461	20.3	22.7	n/a
1995	430	21.8	19.7	n/a
1996	430	21.8	19.7	n/a
1997	388	19.8	19.6	n/a
1998	296	19.8	14.9	n/a
1999	307	18.0	17.1	n/a
2000	276	18.0	15.3	n/a
2001	272	17.0	16.0	n/a
2002	255	18.7	13.6	36.1
2003	255	18.7	13.6	36.1
2004	279	18.7	14.9	38.7
2005	295	21.8	13.5	55
2006	315	21.9	14.4	40.1
2007	287	20.0	14.4	44.7
2008	295	22.0	13.4	47.5
2009	270	20.4	13.2	52.6
2010	250	20.4	12.2	56.1
2011	264	21.0	12.5	50.8
2012	302	20.9	14.4	59.9
2013	294	39.0	7.5	63.9
2014	279	20.0	13.9	58.8
2015	285	20.0	14.2	60.7
2016	285	20.0	14.2	51.6
2017	281	21.0	13.3	59.1
2018	265	21.0	12.6	52.1
2019	250	19.1	13.0	54.4
2020	251	19.6	12.7	56.6
2021	309	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	350	23.8	14.6	56
2023	325	17.0	19.1	59.1

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 Empire Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	450	23.2	19.3	n/a
1990	454	21.7	20.9	n/a
1991	459	21.3	21.5	n/a
1992	450	21.3	21.1	n/a
1993	453	19.3	23.5	n/a
1994	461	20.3	22.7	n/a
1995	430	21.8	19.7	n/a
1996	430	21.8	19.7	n/a
1997	388	19.8	19.6	n/a
1998	296	19.8	14.9	n/a
1999	307	18.0	17.1	n/a
2000	276	18.0	15.3	n/a
2001	272	17.0	16.0	n/a
2002	255	18.7	13.6	36.1
2003	255	18.7	13.6	36.1
2004	279	18.7	14.9	38.7
2005	295	21.8	13.5	55
2006	315	21.9	14.4	40.1
2007	287	20.0	14.4	44.7
2008	295	22.0	13.4	47.5
2009	270	20.4	13.2	52.6
2010	250	20.4	12.2	56.1
2011	264	21.0	12.5	50.8
2012	302	20.9	14.4	59.9
2013	294	39.0	7.5	63.9
2014	279	20.0	13.9	58.8
2015	285	20.0	14.2	60.7
2016	285	20.0	14.2	51.6
2017	281	21.0	13.3	59.1
2018	265	21.0	12.6	52.1
2019	250	19.1	13.0	54.4
2020	251	19.6	12.7	56.6
2021	309	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	350	23.8	14.6	56
2023	325	17.0	19.1	59.1

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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