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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at South Elgin High School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,665
High
DISTRICT 2,268 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SD U-46·NCES 171371005611
South Elgin High School
760 E Main St, South Elgin, IL 60177 · (847) 289-3760 · Kane County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL2,665 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 60% of Illinois public high schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats 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 high schools
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
174 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.7:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
998 students
DISTRICT 56% · 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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 639 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 657 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 653 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 716 | 27% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · 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
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.9%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% 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 South Elgin High School
South Elgin High School's state test result (42.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Elgin High School this school | 2,665 | 37.4% | 42.3% |
| Lane Technical High School Chicago | 4,604 | 35.2% | 90.3% |
| Bartlett High School Bartlett | 2,037 | 39.1% | 45.3% |
| Plainfield East High School Plainfield | 1,825 | 39.7% | 45.8% |
| Lincoln Park High School Chicago | 2,214 | 43.7% | 57.0% |
| Glenbard East High School Lombard | 2,311 | 47.9% | 41.9% |
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 South Elgin High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Kane County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.3% | #166 of 573 | #3 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,665 | #32 of 708 | #3 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #346 of 528 | #5 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.4% | #41 of 537 | #1 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.4% | #437 of 578 | #5 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.3% | #355 of 358 | #7 of 7 |
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
2,665
-215 (-7%) vs 2020
-2% since 2010-11, when it was 2,718
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 | 2,665 | 174.2 | 15.3:1 | 37% (998) |
| 2023-24 | 2,770 | 174.9 | 15.8:1 | 31% (848) |
| 2022-23 | 2,844 | 172.1 | 16.5:1 | 33% (926) |
| 2020-21 | 2,880 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,673 | 139.7 | 19.1:1 | 32% (867) |
| 2015-16 | 2,765 | 146 | 18.9:1 | 32% (881) |
| 2010-11 | 2,718 | 132 | 20.6:1 | 28% (771) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Elgin High School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (2,673 to 2,665); teachers up 25% (139.7 to 174.2).
About South Elgin High School
South Elgin High School is a high-enrollment high school serving families in South Elgin, Illinois. Enrollment totals 2,665 students across grades 9 through 12. Across high schools in Illinois, the average enrollment is about 834.
South Elgin High School is one of the 51 schools that make up SD U-46 (34,036 students in total).
Hispanic students make up 39% of enrollment at South Elgin High School, the largest share of any group. The next largest groups are 38% White, 12% Asian, 6% Black, and 5% multiracial. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 68, compared with 70 nationally.
The school has 174.2 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of 15.3 students per teacher. The average for high schools in Illinois is 13.8:1, so this school has more students per teacher. The school reported 37% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. Across public schools in Kane County, the average is 48%.
South Elgin High School holds a B allk12 Grade, placing it above 60% of Illinois public high schools.
After adjusting for student poverty, South Elgin High School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Illinois schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 42.3%; the prediction is 49.9%.
American Community Survey estimates for Kane County show that the median household earns about $103,163 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 38%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Across Kane County, 167 public schools serve about 87,252 students.
About 0.3 miles separate South Elgin High School from the closest public school, Kenyon Woods Middle School. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools average 35.4% on proficiency, and South Elgin High School is above that at 42.3%.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Suburb: Large: in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 2,665, down from 2,880 in 2020-21.
This community page is for conversations about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Kane County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
517,255
Census ACS
Median income
$103,163
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
167
87,252 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in SD U-46
- Elgin High SchoolHigh · 2,576 students
- Larkin High SchoolHigh · 2,174 students
- Bartlett High SchoolHigh · 2,037 students
- Streamwood High SchoolHigh · 1,890 students
- Kenyon Woods Middle SchoolMiddle · 873 students
- Eastview Middle SchoolMiddle · 757 students
Other schools in South Elgin
- Kenyon Woods Middle SchoolMiddle · 873 students
- Clinton Elementary SchoolElementary · 596 students
- Fox Meadow Elementary SchoolElementary · 577 students
- Corron Elementary SchoolElementary · 487 students
- Willard Elementary SchoolElementary · 370 students
Nearby schools
- Kenyon Woods Middle School0.3 mi · 873
- Clinton Elementary School0.4 mi · 596
- Willard Elementary School0.9 mi · 370
- Lowrie Elementary School1.8 mi · 397
- Huff Elementary School1.8 mi · 577
- Fox Meadow Elementary School1.8 mi · 577
Frequently asked questions
About South Elgin High SchoolHow many students attend South Elgin High School?
South Elgin High School enrolls approximately 2,665 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does South Elgin High School serve?
South Elgin High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Elgin High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South Elgin High School is approximately 15.3:1 (174 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at South Elgin High School?
Student demographics at South Elgin High School are roughly 38% White, 39% Hispanic, 6% Black, 12% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is South Elgin High School in?
South Elgin High School is part of SD U-46.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.