Dakota Jr Sr High School

As a compact secondary school in Dakota, Illinois, Dakota Jr Sr High School caters to 344 students from grades 7 through 12, overseen by Dakota CUSD 201. Enrollment runs roughly 59% leaner than the state mean of about 834.

Dakota CUSD 201 comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 754 students; Dakota Jr Sr High School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Dakota Jr Sr High School reports that nearly all students (91%) are White; the rest breaks down as 4% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Stephenson County as a whole is about 80% White, so the school skews visibly more White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school employs 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.5:1. The state averages about 13.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 30% of students at Dakota Jr Sr High School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Stephenson County (around 50%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Dakota Jr Sr High School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 54.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 50.6%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Stephenson County indicate median household earnings sit near $64,043, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Dakota Jr Sr High School is one of 23 public schools in Stephenson County (combined enrollment of about 6,092 students).

Nearest neighbor: Dakota Elementary School, around 0.2 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Dakota Jr Sr High School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 36.3%.

Dakota Jr Sr High School operates from a small-town location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Dakota Jr Sr High School has edged down 9%, going from 380 students in 2018 to 344 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.