1
If you had an hour of school board time for The Joseph Sears School, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
471
Elementary
STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENILWORTH SD 38·NCES 172097002378
The Joseph Sears School
542 Abbotsford Rd, Kenilworth, IL 60043 · (847) 853-3803 · Cook County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL471 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 99% of Illinois public elementary schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·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
8.9:1
53 FTE teachers
STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
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 | 18 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 44 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 62 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 47 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 51 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 57 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 54 | 11% |
| Grade 7 | 45 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 42 | 9% |
This year's kindergarten class (44) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (42).
Student demographics
27%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
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
87.6%
IL avg 51.0% . +12.4pp since 2023
Math
85.2%
IL avg 37.9% . +17.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 88 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 85 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 12 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 18 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 87.6% | 85.2% |
| 2023-24 | 75.2% | 67.3% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where The Joseph Sears School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 85.2% | #31 of 2,077 ▲ 48 | #13 of 829 ▲ 18 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 87.6% | #36 of 2,077 ▲ 12 | #18 of 829 ▲ 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 471 | #658 of 2,419 | #307 of 901 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 8.9:1 | #44 of 2,035 | #27 of 817 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 27.1% | #1,462 of 2,042 | #540 of 819 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.4% | #455 of 615 | #140 of 186 |
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
471
+4 (+1%) vs 2020
+16% since 1990-91, when it was 407
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 | 471 | 53 | 8.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 480 | 53 | 9.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 471 | 50 | 9.4:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 467 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 451 | 56.6 | 8.0:1 | 1% (3) |
| 2015-16 | 483 | 57 | 8.5:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2010-11 | 539 | 46 | 11.7:1 | N/A |
| 2000-01 | 571 | 44 | 13.0:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 407 | 31 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for The Joseph Sears School.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (451 to 471); teachers down 6% (56.6 to 53).
About The Joseph Sears School
Federal records list The Joseph Sears School as an elementary school in Kenilworth, Illinois. It educates 471 students in pre-K through 8. The typical figure for elementary schools in Illinois is about 381 students.
Kenilworth SD 38 operates The Joseph Sears School.
About 85% of the student body at The Joseph Sears School is White. Other reported shares: 6% multiracial, 6% Asian, and 3% Hispanic. That compares with about 44% White among all Cook County residents. The school's diversity index is 27%, meaning two students picked at random have a 27% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal data list 53 full-time-equivalent teachers at The Joseph Sears School in 2024-25, for a ratio of 8.9:1. That is 5.0 students per teacher below the 13.9:1 average for elementary schools in Illinois.
The allk12 Grade for The Joseph Sears School is A+. Compared with Illinois public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 99% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Within Cook County, the median household income is $83,498, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 43%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. Besides The Joseph Sears School, Cook County has 1,405 other public schools.
The nearest public school is New Trier Township H S Winnetka, at about 0.3 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
The school's federal locale classification is Suburb: Large.
There was little change in enrollment from 2020-21 (467) to 2024-25 (471).
The discussion area below is open to posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Cook County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
5,182,090
Census ACS
Median income
$83,498
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,406
697,934 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Nearby schools
- New Trier Township H S Winnetka0.3 mi · 2,770
- Greeley Elementary School0.6 mi · 355
- Harper Elementary School1.0 mi · 366
- McKenzie Elementary School1.1 mi · 461
- Central Elementary School1.2 mi · 485
- Highcrest Middle School1.3 mi · 748
Frequently asked questions
About The Joseph Sears SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at The Joseph Sears School?
The Joseph Sears School enrolls approximately 471 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does The Joseph Sears School serve?
The Joseph Sears School serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many teachers does The Joseph Sears School have?
The Joseph Sears School employs 53 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 8.9:1.
What is the student diversity at The Joseph Sears School?
Student demographics at The Joseph Sears School are roughly 85% White, 3% Hispanic, 0% Black, 6% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is The Joseph Sears School in?
The Joseph Sears School is part of Kenilworth SD 38.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.