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Schools›Illinois›Dekalb
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DEKALB CUSD 428·NCES 171200001449

DeKalb High School

501 W Dresser Rd, Dekalb, IL 60115 · (815) 754-2100 · DeKalb County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,134 STUDENTS
Enrollment
2,134
High
DISTRICT 564 · STATE 834
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
142 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
61%
1,308 students
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 951324%
Grade 1057427%
Grade 1148523%
Grade 1256226%
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 69% · US 70%
White
73334%
DISTRICT 31% · STATE 45% · US 43%
Hispanic
73634%
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 29% · US 30%
Black
50824%
DISTRICT 28% · STATE 16% · US 15%
Asian
271%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 6% · US 6%
Two+
1165%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
80%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
1,09051%
Female
1,04049%

School pathway

Feeds from
Clinton Rosette Middle School06–08Huntley Middle School06–08
Based on grade levels within DeKalb CUSD 428. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
27.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.1%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.3pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 DeKalb High School

DeKalb High School's state test result (27.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
DeKalb High School this school2,13461.3%27.9%
H L Richards High School(Campus)
Oak Lawn
1,70261.9%33.5%
United Twp High School
East Moline
1,86258.3%29.3%
A B Shepard High School (Campus)
Palos Heights
1,91667.7%34.9%
Guilford High School
Rockford
2,21658.7%27.2%
Bloomington High School
Bloomington
1,36960.3%32.4%
Matched among Illinois high 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 DeKalb High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn IllinoisIn DeKalb County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
27.9%#380 of 573#8 of 8
Enrollment
ranked largest first
2,134#69 of 708#1 of 8
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.0:1#321 of 528#7 of 8
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
70.2%#29 of 537#1 of 8
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
61.3%#195 of 578#1 of 8
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+16.0%#37 of 191N/A
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
2,134
+203 (+11%) vs 2020
+110% since 1990-91, when it was 1,017
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-252,134141.915.0:161% (1,308)
2023-242,070134.115.4:161% (1,272)
2022-232,083123.816.8:156% (1,176)
2020-211,931N/AN/AN/A
2017-181,840108.417.0:149% (901)
2015-161,7488221.3:148% (843)
2010-111,6549317.8:141% (682)
2000-011,4358616.7:1N/A
1990-911,0176216.4:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DeKalb High School.

Since 2017-18: students up 16% (1,840 to 2,134); teachers up 31% (108.4 to 141.9).

About DeKalb High School

DeKalb High School is a public high school in Dekalb, Illinois. It reported 2,134 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25. That compares with an average of about 834 students for high schools in Illinois.

DeKalb CUSD 428 is the district for DeKalb High School. It has 12 schools and 6,771 students.

No group is above 50% at DeKalb High School; the largest is Hispanic, at 34%. It is also 34% White, 24% Black, and 5% multiracial. DeKalb County's residents are about 15% Hispanic, 20 points below the school's share. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 70%.

The school lists 141.9 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.0:1. Statewide, high schools in Illinois average 13.8:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 61% of the student body. On average, public schools in DeKalb County report 48%.

DeKalb High School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Illinois schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 27.9% and a predicted 36.1%.

The county, DeKalb County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $70,724, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 33% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. The county has 43 public schools and about 16,328 students.

DeKalb High School's closest public school neighbor is Jefferson Elementary School, about 0.5 miles away. Within five miles of DeKalb High School, there are at least 8 other public schools. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, DeKalb High School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.

By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Fringe, or in rural territory close to an urban area.

Enrollment figures show a rise of 203 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25.

Anyone can start a thread about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at DeKalb High School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.

DeKalb County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
100,703
Census ACS
Median income
$70,724
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
43
16,328 students

Quick facts

School name
DeKalb High School
District
DeKalb CUSD 428
Address
501 W Dresser Rd, Dekalb, IL 60115
Phone
(815) 754-2100
County
DeKalb County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
2,134
Teachers (FTE)
142
Student–teacher ratio
15.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
1,308 (61%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
171200001449
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in DeKalb CUSD 428
Other schools in Dekalb
Other DeKalb High schools

2 other US public schools in 3 states are named DeKalb High. DeKalb High School is the largest of the 3.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About DeKalb High School
How large is DeKalb High School?
DeKalb High School enrolls approximately 2,134 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does DeKalb High School serve?
DeKalb High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at DeKalb High School?
Approximately 15.0:1 students per teacher at DeKalb High School.
What is the student diversity at DeKalb High School?
Student demographics at DeKalb High School are roughly 34% White, 34% Hispanic, 24% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is DeKalb High School public or private?
DeKalb High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by DeKalb CUSD 428.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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