Harper Elem School

Harper Elem School is a mid-tier elementary campus in Wilmette, Illinois, part of Wilmette SD 39. The school serves 366 students in grades K through 4.

Wilmette SD 39 runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 3,288 students. Harper Elem School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Harper Elem School records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%). Other groups include 7% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, 4% Asian. By comparison, Cook County as a whole is about 44% White, so the school skews noticeably more White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Harper Elem School has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Harper Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Cook County indicate median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Harper Elem School is one.

The closest other public school is Marie Murphy School, roughly 0.6 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Harper Elem School.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Harper Elem School has declined 11%, going from 411 students in 2018 to 366 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 14.2:1 in 2018 to 12.2:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.