Enrollment
270
Elementary
DISTRICT 342 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SYCAMORE CUSD 427·NCES 173846003921
West Elementary School
718 S Locust St, Sycamore, IL 60178 · (815) 899-8219 · DeKalb County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL270 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 65% of Illinois public elementary schools
- BTest 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.3:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
162 students
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 56%
Community
0
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 49 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 20% |
| Grade 2 | 37 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 45 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 38 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 48 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (49) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (48).
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 38% · 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
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Sycamore CUSD 427. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
55.3%
IL avg 51.0% . +22.9pp since 2023
Math
46.3%
IL avg 37.9% . +25.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 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 23 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 26 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 55.3% | 46.3% |
| 2023-24 | 32.4% | 20.7% |
% 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
45.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.9%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 West Elementary School
West Elementary School's state test result (45.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Elementary School this school | 270 | 60.0% | 45.4% |
| Ruth Bader Ginsburg Elementary Chicago | 260 | 62.7% | 31.6% |
| Jefferson Elementary School Ottawa | 304 | 64.8% | 41.6% |
| Olson Park Elementary School Machesney Park | 294 | 54.8% | 52.9% |
| Arthur Grade School Arthur | 258 | 55.8% | 48.6% |
| John Greer Elementary School Hoopeston | 232 | 63.8% | 38.2% |
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 West Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In DeKalb County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.4% | #727 of 1,925 | #12 of 22 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.3% | #774 of 2,077 ▲ 381 | #12 of 22 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 55.3% | #831 of 2,077 ▲ 246 | #7 of 22 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 270 | #1,716 of 2,419 | #18 of 24 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.3:1 | #338 of 2,035 | #4 of 23 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.2% | #848 of 2,042 | #10 of 23 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 60.0% | #1,013 of 2,132 | #8 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.3% | #1,234 of 1,461 | #10 of 13 |
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
270
+10 (+4%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 325
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 | 270 | 24 | 11.3:1 | 60% (162) |
| 2023-24 | 254 | 21.5 | 11.8:1 | 60% (152) |
| 2022-23 | 253 | 23 | 11.0:1 | 51% (128) |
| 2020-21 | 260 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 282 | 20.7 | 13.6:1 | 45% (127) |
| 2015-16 | 274 | 19 | 14.4:1 | 53% (146) |
| 2010-11 | 309 | 19 | 16.3:1 | 48% (147) |
| 2000-01 | 297 | 18 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 325 | 21 | 15.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (282 to 270); teachers up 16% (20.7 to 24).
About West Elementary School
West Elementary School is a small elementary school in Sycamore, Illinois, one of the schools in Sycamore CUSD 427. Total enrollment is 270 students, and the grades served are kindergarten through 5. That is 29% below the average of about 381 students for elementary schools in Illinois.
Sycamore CUSD 427 runs 7 schools with a combined 3,720 students. West Elementary School is one of them.
More than half of the students at West Elementary School are White (65%). The rest of enrollment is 21% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 6% Black. Census estimates put the White share of DeKalb County's population at about 74%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, West Elementary School scores 52%.
Staffing at West Elementary School comes to 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 11.3:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in Illinois is 13.9:1. West Elementary School counts 60% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 12 points above the 48% average for public schools in DeKalb County.
Among Illinois public elementary schools, West Elementary School outscored 65%, which works out to a B+ on the allk12 Grade.
In Illinois, West Elementary School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 45.4% actual against a predicted 36.9%.
DeKalb County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $70,724, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 33%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. DeKalb County's 43 public schools enroll about 16,328 students and include West Elementary School.
West Elementary School is about 0.4 miles from Sycamore High School, its nearest public school. West Elementary School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Local comparison: West Elementary School ranks 7th of 9 nearby schools, at 45.4% versus a 45.2% average.
Under the NCES locale system, West Elementary School is Suburb: Small.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 270, up from 260 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.
DeKalb County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
100,703
Census ACS
Median income
$70,724
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
43
16,328 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sycamore CUSD 427
- Sycamore High SchoolHigh · 1,161 students
- Sycamore Middle SchoolMiddle · 847 students
- South Prairie Elementary SchoolElementary · 456 students
- North Grove Elementary SchoolElementary · 377 students
- North Elementary SchoolElementary · 309 students
- Southeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 300 students
Other schools in Sycamore
- Sycamore High SchoolHigh · 1,161 students
- Sycamore Middle SchoolMiddle · 847 students
- South Prairie Elementary SchoolElementary · 456 students
- North Grove Elementary SchoolElementary · 377 students
- North Elementary SchoolElementary · 309 students
- Southeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 300 students
Other West Elementary schools
50 other US public schools in 25 states are named West Elementary. West Elementary School is the 38th largest of the 51.
- West Elementary SchoolCrystal Lake, IL · 520 students
- West Elementary SchoolAlton, IL · 407 students
- West Elementary SchoolZion, IL · 339 students
- West ElementaryMt Juliet, TN · 849 students
- West ElementaryBixby, OK · 757 students
Nearby schools
- Sycamore High School0.4 mi · 1,161
- Southeast Elementary School0.9 mi · 300
- South Prairie Elementary School0.9 mi · 456
- Sycamore Middle School1.2 mi · 847
- North Elementary School1.5 mi · 309
- North Grove Elementary School2.7 mi · 377
Frequently asked questions
About West Elementary SchoolHow large is West Elementary School?
West Elementary School enrolls approximately 270 students in grades KG-05.
Is West Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does West Elementary School have?
West Elementary School employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.3:1.
What is the student diversity at West Elementary School?
Student demographics at West Elementary School are roughly 65% White, 21% Hispanic, 6% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is West Elementary School public or private?
West Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Sycamore CUSD 427.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.