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Does Lester Elem School have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
531
Elementary
DISTRICT 344 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DOWNERS GROVE GSD 58·NCES 171254001513
Lester Elementary School
236 Indianapolis Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515 · (630) 719-5855 · DuPage County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL531 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
DISTRICT 16% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 17 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 70 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 56 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 66 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 93 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 61 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 93 | 18% |
| Grade 6 | 75 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (70) is 7% smaller than its 6th grade class (75).
Student demographics
38%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · 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
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
79.1%
IL avg 51.0% . +14.7pp since 2023
Math
70.9%
IL avg 37.9% . +7.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 79 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 71 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 15 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 79.1% | 70.9% |
| 2023-24 | 64.4% | 63.5% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Lester Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In DuPage County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 70.9% | #205 of 2,077 ▼ 89 | #44 of 141 ▼ 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 79.1% | #156 of 2,077 ▲ 29 | #34 of 141 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 531 | #428 of 2,419 | #25 of 163 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.6:1 | #1,894 of 2,035 | #141 of 146 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 37.8% | #1,209 of 2,042 | #129 of 146 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.4% | #415 of 615 | #37 of 57 |
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
531
-2 (0%) vs 2020
+39% since 1990-91, when it was 382
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 | 531 | 30.3 | 17.6:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 546 | 29.2 | 18.7:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 554 | 29.8 | 18.6:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 533 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 504 | 24.9 | 20.2:1 | 6% (29) |
| 2015-16 | 497 | 24 | 20.7:1 | 7% (34) |
| 2010-11 | 507 | 25 | 20.3:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 456 | 21 | 21.7:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 382 | 18 | 21.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Lester Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (504 to 531); teachers up 21% (24.9 to 30.3).
About Lester Elementary School
A medium-sized elementary school in Downers Grove, Illinois, Lester Elementary School is part of Downers Grove GSD 58. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 531 students in pre-K through 6. Against the 381-student average for elementary schools in Illinois, enrollment here is 39% higher.
Lester Elementary School is part of Downers Grove GSD 58, where 13 schools serve 4,811 students.
White students account for 78% of enrollment at Lester Elementary School. The remaining students are 11% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 4% Asian. Census figures show DuPage County is about 65% White. By the diversity index, Lester Elementary School comes in at 38%.
Dividing enrollment by its 30.3 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 17.6:1. The 13.9:1 average for elementary schools in Illinois is lower than this school's figure.
Census estimates describe DuPage County this way: median household income is about $112,096, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 52% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 5%. Federal data list 277 public schools in DuPage County, with a combined enrollment of about 138,557.
The school nearest to Lester Elementary School is C E Miller Elementary School, at a distance of about 0.7 miles. Within five miles of Lester Elementary School, there are at least 8 other public schools.
By NCES locale, the school is City: Small, or inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Federal data show 533 students in 2020-21 and 531 in 2024-25, a difference of under 3%.
Discussions about Lester Elementary School may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
DuPage County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
930,024
Census ACS
Median income
$112,096
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
52%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
277
138,557 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Downers Grove GSD 58
- Herrick Middle SchoolMiddle · 626 students
- O Neill Middle SchoolMiddle · 403 students
- Hillcrest Elementary SchoolElementary · 382 students
- Kingsley Elementary SchoolElementary · 359 students
- Highland Elementary SchoolElementary · 352 students
- Fairmount Elementary SchoolElementary · 342 students
Other schools in Downers Grove
- Comm H S Dist 99 - South High SchoolHigh · 2,591 students
- Comm H S Dist 99 - North High SchoolHigh · 2,082 students
- Herrick Middle SchoolMiddle · 626 students
- O Neill Middle SchoolMiddle · 403 students
- Hillcrest Elementary SchoolElementary · 382 students
- Prairieview Elementary SchoolElementary · 380 students
Other Lester Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Lester Elementary. Lester Elementary School is the largest of the 2.
- LESTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLJACKSON, MS · 168 students
Nearby schools
- C E Miller Elementary School0.7 mi · 194
- Whittier Elementary School0.8 mi · 307
- J T Manning Elementary School1.0 mi · 386
- Comm H S Dist 99 - North High School1.0 mi · 2,082
- South School1.1 mi · 53
- Highland Elementary School1.2 mi · 352
Frequently asked questions
About Lester Elementary SchoolHow large is Lester Elementary School?
Lester Elementary School enrolls approximately 531 students in grades PK-06.
Is Lester Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Lester Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
How many students per teacher at Lester Elementary School?
Approximately 17.6:1 students per teacher at Lester Elementary School.
How diverse is Lester Elementary School?
Lester Elementary School reports a student body of 78% White, 11% Hispanic, 2% Black, 4% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Lester Elementary School in?
Lester Elementary School is part of Downers Grove GSD 58.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.