1
Which teacher or staff member at M J Cunningham Elem Sch deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
484
Elementary
DISTRICT 392 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JOLIET PSD 86·NCES 172058002325
M J Cunningham Elementary School
500 Moran St, Joliet, IL 60435 · (815) 723-0169 · Will County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL484 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 28% of Illinois public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.5:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
455 students
DISTRICT 96% · 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 | 24 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 65 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 78 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 80 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 91 | 19% |
| Grade 7 | 1 | 0% |
Student demographics
27%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · 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
22.3%
IL avg 51.0% . +8.7pp since 2023
Math
20.1%
IL avg 37.9% . +9.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 22 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 20 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 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 10 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 22.3% | 20.1% |
| 2023-24 | 13.6% | 10.4% |
% 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
20.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
17.2%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 20% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 17% 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 M J Cunningham Elementary School
M J Cunningham Elementary School's state test result (20.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| M J Cunningham Elementary School this school | 484 | 94.0% | 20.2% |
| Daley Elementary Academy Chicago | 511 | 94.1% | 17.2% |
| Funston Elementary School Chicago | 440 | 97.3% | 16.2% |
| Avondale - Logandale Elementary School Chicago | 459 | 89.8% | 27.9% |
| Fairfield Elementary Academy Chicago | 492 | 98.2% | 14.4% |
| Mozart Elementary School Chicago | 499 | 88.6% | 21.8% |
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 M J Cunningham Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Will County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 20.2% | #1,600 of 1,925 | #84 of 94 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 20.1% | #1,600 of 2,077 ▼ 5 | #86 of 100 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 22.3% | #1,876 of 2,077 ▼ 63 | #94 of 100 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 484 | #611 of 2,419 | #44 of 116 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #1,409 of 2,035 | #67 of 107 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 27.5% | #1,451 of 2,042 | #104 of 108 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 94.0% | #184 of 2,132 | #14 of 103 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.4% | #643 of 1,461 | #32 of 71 |
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
484
-89 (-16%) vs 2020
+52% since 1990-91, when it was 318
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 | 484 | 33.4 | 14.5:1 | 94% (455) |
| 2023-24 | 491 | 31.3 | 15.7:1 | 95% (468) |
| 2022-23 | 496 | 31.3 | 15.8:1 | 96% (476) |
| 2020-21 | 573 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 572 | 32.2 | 17.8:1 | 100% (572) |
| 2015-16 | 566 | 31 | 18.3:1 | 99% (563) |
| 2010-11 | 663 | 30 | 22.1:1 | 87% (577) |
| 2000-01 | 404 | 17 | 23.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 318 | 16 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for M J Cunningham Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (572 to 484); teachers up 4% (32.2 to 33.4).
About M J Cunningham Elementary School
M J Cunningham Elementary School runs as a mid-sized elementary school in Joliet, Illinois. The school runs kindergarten through 5 and enrolls 484 students. That compares with an average of about 381 students for elementary schools in Illinois.
A total of 20 schools make up Joliet PSD 86, with 9,333 students enrolled.
A large majority of enrollment at M J Cunningham Elementary School is Hispanic, at 85%. After that, the student body is 6% Black, 5% White, and 4% multiracial. Among all residents of Will County, the Hispanic share is about 20%. The diversity index for M J Cunningham Elementary School is 27%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Classroom staffing at M J Cunningham Elementary School totals 33.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 14.5:1. The average for elementary schools in Illinois is about 13.9:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at M J Cunningham Elementary School is about 94%. Among public schools in Will County, the average eligibility rate is 44%.
M J Cunningham Elementary School holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 28% of Illinois public elementary schools.
M J Cunningham Elementary School posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 20.2%, compared with a predicted 17.2%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Illinois schools on BeatsExpectations.
For the population of Will County, the median household earns about $109,984 a year, about 38% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 6%. M J Cunningham Elementary School shares Will County with 208 other public schools.
Among nearby public schools, Farragut Elementary School is closest at about 0.7 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of M J Cunningham Elementary School. By average proficiency, M J Cunningham Elementary School is 6th among 9 schools close by.
M J Cunningham Elementary School has an NCES locale of Suburb: Large.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased from 573 to 484, a 16% decline.
Use the discussion section to ask about open houses, carpools, and field trips at M J Cunningham Elementary School. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Will County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
701,462
Census ACS
Median income
$109,984
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
209
113,008 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Joliet PSD 86
- Hufford Junior High SchoolMiddle · 1,072 students
- Washington Jr High & Academy PrgmMiddle · 724 students
- Dirksen Junior High SchoolMiddle · 653 students
- Sator Sanchez Elementary SchoolElementary · 635 students
- Pershing Elementary SchoolElementary · 621 students
- Lynne Thigpen Elementary SchoolElementary · 620 students
Other schools in Joliet
- Joliet West High SchoolHigh · 3,451 students
- Joliet Central High SchoolHigh · 3,295 students
- Hufford Junior High SchoolMiddle · 1,072 students
- Aux Sable Middle SchoolMiddle · 844 students
- Washington Jr High & Academy PrgmMiddle · 724 students
- Dirksen Junior High SchoolMiddle · 653 students
Nearby schools
- Farragut Elementary School0.7 mi · 568
- Taft Elementary School1.2 mi · 424
- Chaney-Monge School1.3 mi · 479
- Sator Sanchez Elementary School1.4 mi · 635
- Joliet Central High School1.5 mi · 3,295
- Pershing Elementary School1.5 mi · 621
Frequently asked questions
About M J Cunningham Elementary SchoolHow large is M J Cunningham Elementary School?
M J Cunningham Elementary School enrolls approximately 484 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does M J Cunningham Elementary School serve?
M J Cunningham Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
How many teachers does M J Cunningham Elementary School have?
M J Cunningham Elementary School employs 33 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.5:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at M J Cunningham Elementary School?
At M J Cunningham Elementary School, the student body is approximately 5% White, 85% Hispanic, 6% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is M J Cunningham Elementary School in?
M J Cunningham Elementary School is part of Joliet PSD 86.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.