Is Whittier Elementary School a good school?

Whittier Elementary School ranks 330 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Whittier Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 395 students attended Whittier Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Whittier Elementary School?

Students at Whittier Elementary School are 47% White, 21% Two or more races, 18% African American, 11% Hispanic, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Whittier Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Whittier Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School High : Oak Park & River Forest High School

Whittier Elementary School

Summary:

Whittier Elementary School is a public elementary school in Oak Park, Illinois, serving 395 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Oak Park Education Service District 97, which is ranked 150 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Whittier Elementary consistently outperforms the state and district averages in academic proficiency, with 50.8% of students proficient or better in ELA compared to the state average of 41.2%. The school's 5th-grade students excel, with 71.4% proficient or better in Science, well above the state average of 50.7%. Whittier's African American, Hispanic, and special education students also perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 100-200 schools in Illinois for their respective subgroups. However, the school's low socioeconomic status (SES) students have struggled, ranking in the bottom half of Illinois schools for this subgroup.

Compared to nearby schools, Whittier's academic performance is generally stronger than other schools in the Oak Park district, but some schools, such as Horace Mann Elementary, have even stronger results, ranking in the top 70 schools in Illinois. The nearby Chicago Public Schools district schools, such as Brunson Math & Sci Specialty Elementary and Young Elementary, have significantly lower academic performance compared to Whittier and the Oak Park district.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

715 N Harvey Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302-1741

(708) 524-3115

District: Oak Park Education Service District 97

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,516

Students who attend Whittier Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School
High:	Oak Park & River Forest High School

Student/teacher ratio: 9.4

Number of students: 395

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.8%

Two or more races:

20.5%

African American:

18.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 19.5%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Whittier Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Whittier Elementary School ranks better than 84% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 3^rd among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Oak Park Education Service District 97. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.43. (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 Whittier Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Oak Park Education Service District 97. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whittier Elementary School is $24,516, which is the highest among 8 elementary schools in the Oak Park Education Service District 97!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Whittier Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Whittier Elementary School 330^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Whittier 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:

Oak Park Education Service District 97:

SchoolDigger ranks Oak Park Education Service District 97 150^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Whittier Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	75.32	525^th	2020	74.0%
2004	75.19	514^th	2030	74.7%
2005	73.41	554^th	2022	72.6%
2006	58.32	1097^th	2086	47.4%
2007	53.42	1241^st	2095	40.8%
2008	57.51	1103^rd	2092	47.3%
2009	63.46	949^th	2120	55.2%
2010	76.15	513^th	2139	76.0%
2011	72.44	631^st	2147	70.6%
2012	80.39	343^rd	2166	84.2%
2013	84.07	296^th	2167	86.3%
2014	83.78	301^st	2093	85.6%
2015	93.77	115^th	2052	94.4%
2016	84.09	289^th	2046	85.9%
2017	76.07	444^th	2044	78.3%
2018	64.81	652^nd	2037	68.0%
2019	51.85	936^th	2086	55.1%
2021	76.07	401^st	1948	79.4%
2022	88.54	209^th	2082	90.0%
2023	85.60	263^rd	2077	87.3%
2024	81.43	330^th	2067	84.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	50.11	45^th	93	51.6%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	87.55	63^rd	1113	94.3%
2023	86.50	90^th	1156	92.2%
2024	70.73	232^nd	1195	80.6%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	52.51	742^nd	1765	58.0%
2019	16.93	1699^th	1816	6.4%
2022	34.15	1162^nd	1763	34.1%
2023	23.34	1530^th	1808	15.4%
2024	45.43	914^th	1793	49.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	69.19	548^th	1964	72.1%
2019	51.93	910^th	2019	54.9%
2021	63.33	534^th	1680	68.2%
2022	76.77	398^th	1970	79.8%
2023	80.01	328^th	1957	83.2%
2024	82.02	280^th	1942	85.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	72.13	129^th	886	85.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	58.49	727^th	1972	63.1%
2019	52.01	876^th	2019	56.6%
2021	79.25	269^th	1707	84.2%
2022	89.22	166^th	1977	91.6%
2023	85.30	237^th	1984	88.1%
2024	75.37	419^th	1959	78.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.91	51^st	698	92.7%
2019	25.40	605^th	711	14.9%
2022	69.83	105^th	684	84.6%
2024	79.56	67^th	655	89.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	92.96	33^rd	970	96.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Whittier Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	63.64	490^th	1463	66.5%
2019	49.22	748^th	1462	48.8%
2021	68.88	341^st	1308	73.9%
2022	90.84	65^th	1425	95.4%
2023	90.67	72^nd	1419	94.9%
2024	75.85	267^th	1392	80.8%

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: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, June 6, 2019

Whittier is one of the smaller schools in Oak Park, which has been a plus for us. Our two kids have had just a wonderful experience with this school. We've been very impressed with the caliber of teaching and the warmth of the community. Parents are very involved, and the PTO is active and vibrant. The school is racially and economically diverse, and has a good number of special needs kids as well, and works hard to ensure that everyone has a sense of belonging. We'd had some unfortunate experiences with private schools in the city and are SO glad we landed here. Be aware that Whittier has a high opt out rate for the PARCC ( about 20), as do many of the Oak Park schools, which makes it difficult to assess if you look at test scores. You might be able to get other data from the school if you are concerned. Our kids are high achievers and we have been really pleased. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Whittier Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	238	142	12	9	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	401
1989	249	145	8	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	414
1990	245	149	9	8	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	411
1991	259	148	16	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	430
1992	272	153	19	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	458
1993	287	162	14	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	478
1994	281	165	12	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	468
1995	283	182	11	11	4	n/a	n/a	0	491
1996	283	182	11	11	4	n/a	n/a	0	491
1997	282	204	14	19	3	n/a	n/a	0	522
1998	296	197	11	19	2	n/a	n/a	0	525
1999	266	211	6	15	4	n/a	n/a	0	502
2000	279	173	11	12	3	n/a	n/a	0	478
2001	279	165	12	13	4	n/a	n/a	0	473
2002	251	136	13	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
2003	251	136	13	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
2004	264	134	14	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	420
2005	244	120	15	7	0	n/a	n/a	37	423
2006	248	110	17	15	0	n/a	n/a	37	427
2007	258	120	12	19	0	n/a	n/a	38	447
2008	248	103	11	12	0	n/a	n/a	41	415
2009	250	99	11	11	0	n/a	n/a	47	418
2010	244	106	16	11	1	n/a	n/a	49	427
2011	258	103	14	16	1	0	43	0	435
2012	250	89	12	18	1	0	40	0	410
2013	234	101	14	20	1	0	44	0	414
2014	226	102	12	23	0	1	47	0	411
2015	234	111	17	33	0	1	36	0	432
2016	215	84	14	59	0	0	51	0	423
2017	221	92	16	56	0	0	55	0	440
2018	215	90	12	48	0	0	61	0	426
2019	230	87	13	54	0	0	64	0	448
2020	249	93	15	57	0	0	69	0	483
2021	188	84	8	51	0	0	55	0	386
2022	193	73	9	46	0	0	48	0	369
2023	185	71	10	45	0	0	81	3	395

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 Whittier Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	401	28.5	14.0	n/a
1989	414	30.3	13.6	n/a
1990	411	31.5	13.0	n/a
1991	430	33.4	12.8	n/a
1992	458	32.0	14.3	n/a
1993	478	29.9	16.0	n/a
1994	468	30.5	15.3	n/a
1995	491	30.3	16.2	n/a
1996	491	30.3	16.2	n/a
1997	522	31.3	16.7	n/a
1998	525	33.1	15.9	n/a
1999	502	35.6	14.1	n/a
2000	478	35.0	13.7	n/a
2001	473	36.5	13.0	n/a
2002	411	34.5	11.9	20.4
2003	411	34.5	11.9	20.4
2004	420	35.0	12.0	18.3
2005	423	36.0	11.8	22
2006	427	33.1	12.9	20.3
2007	447	28.0	16.0	22.2
2008	415	27.0	15.4	21.9
2009	418	34.6	12.1	18.9
2010	427	35.0	12.2	24.3
2011	435	36.0	12.0	23
2012	410	36.0	11.3	20.7
2013	414	35.7	11.5	22.2
2014	411	36.0	11.4	28
2015	432	38.0	11.3	24.1
2016	423	32.0	13.2	19.4
2017	440	36.1	12.1	23.4
2018	426	36.2	11.7	20.2
2019	448	37.6	11.9	20.3
2020	483	38.7	12.4	18.8
2021	386	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	369	43.6	8.4	19.2
2023	395	41.7	9.4	19.5

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 Whittier Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	401	28.5	14.0	n/a
1989	414	30.3	13.6	n/a
1990	411	31.5	13.0	n/a
1991	430	33.4	12.8	n/a
1992	458	32.0	14.3	n/a
1993	478	29.9	16.0	n/a
1994	468	30.5	15.3	n/a
1995	491	30.3	16.2	n/a
1996	491	30.3	16.2	n/a
1997	522	31.3	16.7	n/a
1998	525	33.1	15.9	n/a
1999	502	35.6	14.1	n/a
2000	478	35.0	13.7	n/a
2001	473	36.5	13.0	n/a
2002	411	34.5	11.9	20.4
2003	411	34.5	11.9	20.4
2004	420	35.0	12.0	18.3
2005	423	36.0	11.8	22
2006	427	33.1	12.9	20.3
2007	447	28.0	16.0	22.2
2008	415	27.0	15.4	21.9
2009	418	34.6	12.1	18.9
2010	427	35.0	12.2	24.3
2011	435	36.0	12.0	23
2012	410	36.0	11.3	20.7
2013	414	35.7	11.5	22.2
2014	411	36.0	11.4	28
2015	432	38.0	11.3	24.1
2016	423	32.0	13.2	19.4
2017	440	36.1	12.1	23.4
2018	426	36.2	11.7	20.2
2019	448	37.6	11.9	20.3
2020	483	38.7	12.4	18.8
2021	386	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	369	43.6	8.4	19.2
2023	395	41.7	9.4	19.5

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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