1
What's the biggest difference between Reed-Custer High School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
397
High
DISTRICT 464 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·REED CUSTER CUSD 255U·NCES 173338003456
Reed-Custer High School
249 Comet Dr, Braidwood, IL 60408 · (815) 458-2166 · Will County
GRADES 09–12HIGH31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL397 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.8:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
42%
166 students
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 56%
Community
1
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 95 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 97 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 100 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 105 | 26% |
Student demographics
29%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 31% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Reed Custer CUSD 255U. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of IL schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
33.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-14.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 47% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 Reed-Custer High School
Reed-Custer High School's state test result (33.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed-Custer High School this school | 397 | 41.8% | 33.1% |
| Wilmington High School Wilmington | 432 | 43.8% | 40.7% |
| Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School Paxton | 378 | 44.4% | 47.8% |
| Forreston Jr/Sr High School Forreston | 406 | 40.9% | 47.3% |
| Prairie Central High School Fairbury | 487 | 40.0% | 36.3% |
| Chester High School Chester | 335 | 39.4% | 24.2% |
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 Reed-Custer High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Will County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.1% | #309 of 573 | #10 of 13 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 397 | #379 of 708 | #16 of 17 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.6:1 | #82 of 528 | #2 of 17 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 29.2% | #308 of 537 | #17 of 17 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.8% | #381 of 578 | #7 of 13 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -16.8% | #81 of 358 | #3 of 12 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
397
-82 (-17%) vs 2020
+2% since 1990-91, when it was 391
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 | 397 | 34.2 | 11.6:1 | 42% (166) |
| 2023-24 | 397 | 35.6 | 11.2:1 | 43% (171) |
| 2022-23 | 437 | 33.1 | 13.2:1 | 36% (158) |
| 2020-21 | 479 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 477 | 37.5 | 12.7:1 | 33% (156) |
| 2015-16 | 484 | 40 | 12.1:1 | 35% (171) |
| 2010-11 | 545 | 40 | 13.6:1 | 37% (199) |
| 2000-01 | 534 | 44 | 12.1:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 391 | 34 | 11.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Reed-Custer High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (477 to 397); teachers down 9% (37.5 to 34.2).
About Reed-Custer High School
Reed-Custer High School is a small high school located in Braidwood, Illinois. The school enrolls 397 students in grades 9 through 12. Across high schools in Illinois, the average enrollment is about 834.
Reed-Custer High School is part of Reed Custer CUSD 255U, where 3 schools serve 1,393 students.
Of every 100 students at Reed-Custer High School, about 83 are White. It is also 13% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Will County is roughly 62% White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 29, compared with 70 nationally.
Reed-Custer High School reported 34.2 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 11.6:1. High schools in Illinois have an average ratio of 13.8:1. Roughly 42% of students at Reed-Custer High School can receive free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 44% average for public schools in Will County.
Reed-Custer High School is 14.3 points below expectations on state tests, given its student poverty level, placing it in the bottom 10% in Illinois.
The county, Will County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $109,984, about 38% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. The county has 209 public schools and about 113,008 students.
Reed-Custer Middle School is the nearest public school to Reed-Custer High School, about 0.1 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Reed-Custer High School is 7th of 8 on proficiency.
The federal government classifies Reed-Custer High School's location as Town: Fringe.
The school's student count decreased 17% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years.
Reed-Custer High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 Reed Custer CUSD 255U
- Reed-Custer Elementary SchoolElementary · 690 students
- Reed-Custer Middle SchoolMiddle · 306 students
Other schools in Braidwood
- Reed-Custer Elementary SchoolElementary · 690 students
- Reed-Custer Middle SchoolMiddle · 306 students
- SOWIC-EC Reed CusterElementary
- SOWIC-Educ & Life Skills-Reed CusElementary
- SOWIC-Educ & Life Skills-Reed CusElementary
Nearby schools
- Reed-Custer Middle School0.1 mi · 306
- Reed-Custer Elementary School1.0 mi · 690
- Bruning Elementary School3.7 mi · 222
- Braceville Elementary School3.7 mi · 130
- Coal City Intermediate School4.4 mi · 294
- L J Stevens Intermediate School4.5 mi · 353
Frequently asked questions
About Reed-Custer High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Reed-Custer High School?
Reed-Custer High School enrolls approximately 397 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Reed-Custer High School serve?
Reed-Custer High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Reed-Custer High School?
Approximately 11.6:1 students per teacher at Reed-Custer High School.
How diverse is Reed-Custer High School?
Reed-Custer High School reports a student body of 83% White, 13% Hispanic, 0% Black, 4% Two or more.
Is Reed-Custer High School public or private?
Reed-Custer High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Reed Custer CUSD 255U.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.