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What do you wish you knew before starting at Chatham Elem School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
500
Elementary
DISTRICT 542 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BALL CHATHAM CUSD 5·NCES 170492000183
Chatham Elementary School
525 S College St, Chatham, IL 62629 · (217) 483-2411 · Sangamon County
GRADES KG–04ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL500 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.9:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
31%
157 students
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 95 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 106 | 21% |
| Grade 2 | 96 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 108 | 22% |
| Grade 4 | 95 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (95) is about the same size as its 4th grade class (95).
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Ball Chatham CUSD 5. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
72.3%
IL avg 51.0% . +23.1pp since 2023
Math
70.3%
IL avg 37.9% . +24.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 72 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 70 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 23 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 24 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 72.3% | 70.3% |
| 2023-24 | 49.2% | 46.2% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
65.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Chatham Elementary School
Chatham Elementary School's state test result (65.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham Elementary School this school | 500 | 31.4% | 65.4% |
| Munhall Elementary School Saint Charles | 447 | 29.3% | 63.2% |
| West Elementary School Crystal Lake | 520 | 28.7% | 51.6% |
| Whitman Post Elementary School Rockton | 509 | 32.6% | 64.4% |
| Seth Paine Elementary School Hawthorn Woods | 495 | 29.3% | 74.4% |
| Sarah Adams Elementary School Lake Zurich | 429 | 26.8% | 72.8% |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Chatham Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Sangamon County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.4% | #198 of 1,925 | #4 of 34 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 70.3% | #216 of 2,077 ▲ 171 | #3 of 34 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 72.3% | #290 of 2,077 ▲ 219 | #3 of 34 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 500 | #556 of 2,419 | #6 of 37 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.5:1 | #1,797 of 2,035 | #29 of 33 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.7% | #1,158 of 2,042 | #21 of 33 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 31.4% | #1,747 of 2,132 | #28 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.9% | #715 of 1,461 | #10 of 23 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
500
-8 (-2%) vs 2020
-42% since 1990-91, when it was 864
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 500 | 30.3 | 16.5:1 | 31% (157) |
| 2023-24 | 488 | 28.5 | 17.1:1 | 32% (156) |
| 2022-23 | 470 | 31 | 15.2:1 | 29% (136) |
| 2020-21 | 508 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 581 | 29 | 20.0:1 | 22% (125) |
| 2015-16 | 600 | 30 | 20.0:1 | 24% (142) |
| 2010-11 | 710 | 48 | 14.8:1 | 19% (136) |
| 2000-01 | 732 | 37 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 864 | 38 | 22.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Chatham Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (581 to 500); teachers up 4% (29 to 30.3).
About Chatham Elementary School
In Chatham, Illinois, part of Sangamon County, Chatham Elementary School is an elementary school. Classes run from kindergarten through 4, and the school has 500 students. The average for elementary schools in Illinois is about 381 students, so this school is 31% bigger than average.
Chatham Elementary School is among 6 schools run by Ball Chatham CUSD 5, which serves 4,516 students.
At 77%, White students outnumber all other groups at Chatham Elementary School combined. After that, the student body is 7% multiracial, 6% Black, 5% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. That is close to the 78% White share among all Sangamon County residents. By the diversity index, Chatham Elementary School comes in at 40%.
Teacher staffing is 30.3 full-time equivalents, or about 16.5 students per teacher. The 13.9:1 average for elementary schools in Illinois is lower than this school's figure. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 31%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Sangamon County is 48%.
Chatham Elementary School's average proficiency rate on state tests of 65.4% is 12.0 points above the 53.4% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.
Federal survey data for Sangamon County show that median household income is about $75,357, roughly 37% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. Chatham Elementary School is among the 77 public schools in Sangamon County.
The nearest public school is Glenwood Elementary School, at about 1.6 miles. There are 5 other public schools within five miles. Chatham Elementary School places 2nd of 7 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
The federal government classifies Chatham Elementary School's location as Suburb: Mid-size.
Over 4 years, enrollment stayed close to where it was, going from 508 to 500.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Sangamon County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
194,947
Census ACS
Median income
$75,357
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
77
27,345 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Ball Chatham CUSD 5
- Glenwood High SchoolHigh · 1,484 students
- Glenwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 735 students
- Glenwood Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 672 students
- Glenwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 573 students
- Ball Elementary SchoolElementary · 552 students
Other schools in Chatham
- Glenwood High SchoolHigh · 1,484 students
- Glenwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 735 students
- Glenwood Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 672 students
- Glenwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 573 students
- Ball Elementary SchoolElementary · 552 students
Other Chatham Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Chatham Elementary. Chatham Elementary School is the largest of the 3.
- Chatham ElementaryChatham, VA · 236 students
- Chatham Elementary SchoolChatham, MA · 146 students
Nearby schools
- Glenwood Elementary School1.6 mi · 573
- Glenwood High School1.7 mi · 1,484
- Glenwood Middle School2.7 mi · 735
- Glenwood Intermediate School2.9 mi · 672
- Ball Elementary School4.3 mi · 552
- Auburn Middle School5.4 mi · 200
Frequently asked questions
About Chatham Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Chatham Elementary School?
Chatham Elementary School enrolls approximately 500 students in grades KG-04.
What age range does Chatham Elementary School serve?
Chatham Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 04.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chatham Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Chatham Elementary School is approximately 16.5:1 (30 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Chatham Elementary School?
At Chatham Elementary School, the student body is approximately 77% White, 5% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is Chatham Elementary School public or private?
Chatham Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Ball Chatham CUSD 5.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.