Is West Elementary School a good school?

West Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.3% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend West Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 327 students attended West Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of West Elementary School?

Students at West Elementary School are 57% Hispanic, 35% African American, 4% Two or more races, 4% White.

What schools do graduates of West Elementary School attend?

Students who attend West Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Zion Central Middle School High : New Technical High - Zion-Benton East High : Zion-Benton Township High School

West Elementary School

Summary:

West Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades 3-5 in Zion, Illinois, with an enrollment of 327 students. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0 or 1 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Elementary School significantly underperforms compared to the state and its own Zion Education Service District 6. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 6.4% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 12% for the district and 41.2% for the state. In math, the proficiency rate was even lower at just 1.9% for all grades, compared to 3% for the district and 28.4% for Illinois. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching as high as 47.3% in the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, West Elementary School performs particularly poorly for certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools for African American, Hispanic, English Language Learner, and low socioeconomic status students.

Despite the high per-student spending of $19,668 in 2022-2023, West Elementary School has consistently performed poorly over the past decade, with little to no improvement in its state ranking or academic proficiency rates. The nearby Beulah Park Elementary and Elmwood Elementary schools in the Zion Education Service District 6 also perform poorly, suggesting that the issues facing West Elementary School are systemic within the district. Addressing the underlying socioeconomic and demographic challenges, such as high rates of poverty and large proportions of minority and English Language Learner students, may be crucial for improving student outcomes at West Elementary School.

Detail:

Public 3-5

2412 Jethro Ave
Zion, IL 60099-2117

(847) 379-0817

District: Zion Education Service District 6

SchoolDigger Rank:
2019^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $22,422

Students who attend West Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Zion Central Middle School
High:	New Technical High - Zion-Benton East
	Zion-Benton Township High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 327

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.5%

African American:

34.6%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details West Elementary School ranks worse than 97.7% of elementary schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.71. (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 West Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Zion Education Service District 6. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Elementary School is $22,422, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Zion Education Service District 6!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks West Elementary School 2019^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See West 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:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

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Rank History for West Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	26.27	1592^nd	2020	21.2%
2004	45.12	1311^th	2030	35.4%
2005	48.48	1264^th	2022	37.5%
2006	31.53	1649^th	2086	20.9%
2007	34.23	1617^th	2095	22.8%
2008	29.68	1620^th	2092	22.6%
2009	23.27	1745^th	2120	17.7%
2010	28.58	1674^th	2139	21.7%
2011	38.14	1521^st	2147	29.2%
2012	38.48	1541^st	2166	28.9%
2013	15.72	1897^th	2167	12.5%
2014	19.13	1776^th	2093	15.1%
2015	21.13	1684^th	2052	17.9%
2016	17.01	1784^th	2046	12.8%
2017	19.20	1712^th	2044	16.2%
2018	16.91	1764^th	2037	13.4%
2019	20.11	1725^th	2086	17.3%
2021	14.81	1768^th	1948	9.2%
2022	12.95	1954^th	2082	6.1%
2023	15.57	1845^th	2077	11.2%
2024	10.71	2019^th	2067	2.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.39	513^th	718	28.6%
2019	41.74	422^nd	743	43.2%
2021	27.63	482^nd	537	10.2%
2022	21.45	747^th	768	2.7%
2023	33.96	558^th	788	29.2%
2024	19.82	803^rd	826	2.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.29	596^th	763	21.9%
2019	24.11	1007^th	1194	15.7%
2021	21.40	565^th	640	11.7%
2022	22.76	1000^th	1113	10.2%
2023	20.25	1052^nd	1156	9.0%
2024	22.20	1021^st	1195	14.6%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.94	1392^nd	1765	21.1%
2019	30.49	1357^th	1816	25.3%
2021	23.63	1280^th	1514	15.5%
2022	19.87	1585^th	1763	10.1%
2023	25.73	1461^st	1808	19.2%
2024	14.26	1748^th	1793	2.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.57	1685^th	1964	14.2%
2019	24.59	1561^st	2019	22.7%
2021	16.05	1488^th	1680	11.4%
2022	13.67	1823^rd	1970	7.5%
2023	18.05	1672^nd	1957	14.6%
2024	11.18	1887^th	1942	2.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	26.36	709^th	907	21.8%
2024	28.33	666^th	886	24.8%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2021	10.09	9^th	9	0.0%
2022	5.59	11^th	11	0.0%
2024	4.70	13^th	13	0.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	17.37	1728^th	1972	12.4%
2019	18.00	1730^th	2019	14.3%
2021	12.33	1662^nd	1707	2.6%
2022	13.43	1866^th	1977	5.6%
2023	14.60	1812^th	1984	8.7%
2024	11.36	1898^th	1959	3.1%

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

Rank History for African American students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.61	435^th	698	37.7%
2019	31.28	510^th	711	28.3%
2021	34.02	274^th	428	36.0%
2022	28.99	536^th	684	21.6%
2023	37.12	409^th	692	40.9%
2024	22.54	594^th	655	9.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.80	745^th	938	20.6%
2019	35.71	619^th	955	35.2%
2021	20.83	704^th	742	5.1%
2022	18.55	891^st	954	6.6%
2023	23.55	831^st	970	14.3%
2024	14.77	935^th	959	2.5%

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

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Enrollment information for West Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	215	212	6	28	2	n/a	n/a	0	463
1989	195	219	9	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	436
1990	216	229	10	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	470
1991	207	226	6	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	452
1992	198	197	13	16	1	n/a	n/a	0	425
1993	200	174	10	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	413
1994	202	157	7	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	392
1995	185	202	12	48	2	n/a	n/a	0	449
1996	185	202	12	48	2	n/a	n/a	0	449
1997	165	210	14	59	2	n/a	n/a	0	450
1998	166	224	16	41	3	n/a	n/a	0	450
1999	153	243	10	83	0	n/a	n/a	0	489
2000	159	270	11	109	0	n/a	n/a	0	549
2001	155	269	7	104	0	n/a	n/a	0	535
2002	81	241	16	169	2	n/a	n/a	0	509
2003	81	241	16	169	2	n/a	n/a	0	509
2004	81	251	3	194	0	n/a	n/a	0	529
2005	81	200	1	174	0	n/a	n/a	32	488
2006	72	193	1	186	0	n/a	n/a	40	492
2007	72	192	1	176	4	n/a	n/a	43	488
2008	44	231	4	184	4	n/a	n/a	41	508
2009	41	172	3	207	2	n/a	n/a	54	479
2010	36	182	4	206	2	n/a	n/a	52	482
2011	24	158	1	220	6	0	27	0	436
2012	31	164	2	286	4	0	34	0	521
2013	20	189	2	269	2	0	39	0	521
2014	21	227	0	274	4	0	47	0	573
2015	22	232	0	290	1	1	30	0	576
2016	17	214	2	280	0	0	30	0	543
2017	15	201	2	278	0	0	26	0	522
2018	11	161	1	273	0	0	24	0	470
2019	11	134	1	279	1	0	33	0	459
2020	10	143	1	241	0	0	31	0	426
2021	10	119	0	142	0	0	23	0	294
2022	10	101	0	189	0	0	17	0	317
2023	12	113	0	188	0	0	14	0	327

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 West Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	463	20.5	22.5	n/a
1989	436	24.5	17.7	n/a
1990	470	23.5	20.0	n/a
1991	452	25.5	17.7	n/a
1992	425	26.0	16.3	n/a
1993	413	22.5	18.4	n/a
1994	392	21.5	18.2	n/a
1995	449	25.5	17.6	n/a
1996	449	25.5	17.6	n/a
1997	450	27.5	16.4	n/a
1998	450	27.5	16.4	n/a
1999	489	26.5	18.5	n/a
2000	549	27.5	20.0	n/a
2001	535	27.5	19.5	n/a
2002	509	31.0	16.4	66.2
2003	509	31.0	16.4	66.2
2004	529	26.1	20.3	69.9
2005	488	26.0	18.8	76.8
2006	492	27.0	18.2	79.9
2007	488	32.0	15.3	87.9
2008	508	22.0	23.1	88.7
2009	479	25.0	19.2	93.4
2010	482	32.0	15.0	97
2011	436	28.1	15.5	85.3
2012	521	31.0	16.8	86.2
2013	521	n/a	n/a	87.1
2014	573	n/a	n/a	86.4
2015	576	33.0	17.4	92.4
2016	543	32.0	16.9	91.2
2017	522	31.9	16.3	87.9
2018	470	32.4	14.4	84
2019	459	39.0	11.7	88.5
2020	426	28.0	15.2	87.8
2021	294	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	317	16.0	19.8	84.2
2023	327	22.0	14.8	83.5

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 West Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	463	20.5	22.5	n/a
1989	436	24.5	17.7	n/a
1990	470	23.5	20.0	n/a
1991	452	25.5	17.7	n/a
1992	425	26.0	16.3	n/a
1993	413	22.5	18.4	n/a
1994	392	21.5	18.2	n/a
1995	449	25.5	17.6	n/a
1996	449	25.5	17.6	n/a
1997	450	27.5	16.4	n/a
1998	450	27.5	16.4	n/a
1999	489	26.5	18.5	n/a
2000	549	27.5	20.0	n/a
2001	535	27.5	19.5	n/a
2002	509	31.0	16.4	66.2
2003	509	31.0	16.4	66.2
2004	529	26.1	20.3	69.9
2005	488	26.0	18.8	76.8
2006	492	27.0	18.2	79.9
2007	488	32.0	15.3	87.9
2008	508	22.0	23.1	88.7
2009	479	25.0	19.2	93.4
2010	482	32.0	15.0	97
2011	436	28.1	15.5	85.3
2012	521	31.0	16.8	86.2
2013	521	n/a	n/a	87.1
2014	573	n/a	n/a	86.4
2015	576	33.0	17.4	92.4
2016	543	32.0	16.9	91.2
2017	522	31.9	16.3	87.9
2018	470	32.4	14.4	84
2019	459	39.0	11.7	88.5
2020	426	28.0	15.2	87.8
2021	294	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	317	16.0	19.8	84.2
2023	327	22.0	14.8	83.5

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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