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Nicholson Elementary School

Q: Is Nicholson Elementary School a good school?

Nicholson Elementary School ranks 1379 th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Nicholson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 337 students attended Nicholson Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Nicholson Elementary School?

Students at Nicholson Elementary School are 74% Hispanic, 12% White, 10% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Nicholson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Washington Middle School High : West Aurora High School

Public Grades K-5

1379^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Nicholson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Montgomery, Illinois, serving 330 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Aurora West Unified School District 129, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nicholson Elementary consistently underperforms compared to state and district averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 32.5% of Nicholson students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 40.1% for the district and 53.1% for the state. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 22.2% to 26.3% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Nicholson's performance lags behind nearby schools like Long Beach Elementary, Boulder Hill Elementary, and Freeman Elementary, which tend to have higher proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism.

Nicholson Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 51.13% to 55.45% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years. This is higher than the nearby schools in the Cusd 308 district, which have lower percentages of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11 to 12.4 students per teacher, does not seem to be translating into better academic results. Addressing the root causes of Nicholson's underperformance, such as chronic absenteeism and socioeconomic factors, may be crucial for improving the educational experience and outcomes for its students.

337

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,155

Per pupil spending ?

58.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

649 N Main St
Montgomery, IL 60538-1225

(630) 301-5013

District: Aurora West Unified School District 129

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Washington Middle School
High:	West Aurora High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

74.2%

White:

12.2%

African American:

9.8%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Nicholson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (32% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts scores 21 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg32%

Illinois avg44%

1,379^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Aurora West Unified School District 129

660^th of 811Aurora West Unified School District 129 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	1379 of 2056	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.9	1597 of 2067	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	1699 of 2077	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	1530 of 2082	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	1610 of 1948	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	1674 of 2086	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	1531 of 2037	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.9	1521 of 2044	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.0	1370 of 2046	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.4	1497 of 2052	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.3	1730 of 2093	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	46.6	1231 of 2167	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	22.6	1806 of 2166	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	5.1	2088 of 2147	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	14.0	1918 of 2139	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	17.9	1830 of 2120	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.9	1528 of 2092	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.4	1733 of 2095	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.5	1697 of 2086	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	35.4	1485 of 2022	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.0	1668 of 2030	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	22.5	1639 of 2020	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	40.8	461 of 886	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	434 of 788	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.7	764 of 826	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	651 of 788	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	504 of 768	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.9	404 of 537	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	680 of 743	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	36.0	485 of 718	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	1439 of 1942	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	1562 of 1942	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	1710 of 1957	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	1360 of 1970	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.7	1310 of 1680	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	1642 of 2019	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	1592 of 1964	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	472 of 982	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.9	679 of 959	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	836 of 970	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	740 of 954	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	693 of 742	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	787 of 955	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.5	595 of 938	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	1038 of 1800	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.8	1402 of 1793	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.9	1004 of 1808	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	923 of 1763	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.3	1086 of 1514	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.1	1242 of 1816	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1291 of 1765	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	1190 of 1947	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.4	1435 of 1959	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	1470 of 1984	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	1565 of 1977	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	1528 of 1707	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	1567 of 2019	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	1326 of 1972	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	31.2	809 of 1195	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.8	1015 of 1156	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	881 of 1194	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	1.7	1461 of 1462	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	1268 of 1463	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2024)48th percentile+25 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)45th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)39th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2024)32nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)26th percentile-7 vs school

White (2019)<1st percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Science33%-7 vs state

English Language Arts32%-21 vs state

Mathematics31%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nicholson Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)	IAR English Language Arts (2025)				IAR Mathematics (2025)				% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Pneumococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Pneumococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Nicholson Elementary School	Public	K-5	649 N Main St	Montgomery	60538	Kane County	Aurora West Unified School District 129	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 301-5013	337	21	15.9	58.8%	41 (12.2%)	33 (9.8%)	250 (74.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.3%)	32.3	1379^th of 2056 public elementary schools	32.9%		22.9	1597^th of 2067 public elementary schools	22.7%	218	33.3	28.6	27.5	46.2	32.5	42.9	25.8	23.7	30.7	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	98.2	97.9	97.9		$19,155	$1,701	$17,454
Rose E Krug Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	240 Melrose Ave	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-5280	271	16	17.1	66.8%	6 (2.2%)	37 (13.7%)	218 (80.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	12.3	1864^th of 2056 public elementary schools	9.3%		15.7	1819^th of 2067 public elementary schools	12.0%	45	17.1	11.1	17.2	31.4	19.3	15.6	13.3	11.4	13.6	96.0	96.8	96.8	96.8	99.6	96.0	97.6		$21,745	$1,942	$19,802
C M Bardwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	550 S Lincoln Ave	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-5300	679	40	16.9	67.2%	16 (2.4%)	20 (2.9%)	629 (92.6%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.0%)	8.7	1978^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.8%		11.7	1986^th of 2067 public elementary schools	3.9%	8	9.9	19.8	12.0	23.9	18.6	13.5	5.4	4.3	7.8	94.3	96.0	96.0	96.0	100.0	93.0	95.5		$18,131	$2,099	$16,032
G N Dieterich Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1141 Jackson St	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-8280	507	31	16.4	63.3%	16 (3.2%)	16 (3.2%)	461 (90.9%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	8.1	1990^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.2%		11.4	1995^th of 2067 public elementary schools	3.5%	5	11.8	14.5	9.7	18.8	14.3	16.1	5.6	5.8	8.9	97.5	96.8	96.8	96.8	100.0	95.5	97.1		$20,413	$1,866	$18,546
Long Beach Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	67 Longbeach Rd	Montgomery	60538	Kendall County	Cusd 308	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 636-3300	632	35	18.0	59.5%	167 (26.4%)	64 (10.1%)	354 (56.0%)	22 (3.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.5%)	26.1	1537^th of 2056 public elementary schools	25.2%		23.5	1585^th of 2067 public elementary schools	23.3%	48	23.3	36.0	39.3	29.1	35.3	36.0	20.7	16.1	24.0	96.8	96.6	96.6	96.6	96.6	96.6	97.0		$16,711	$896	$15,814
Boulder Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	163 Boulder Hill Pass	Montgomery	60538	Kendall County	Cusd 308	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 636-2900	476	44	10.8	58.8%	119 (25.0%)	54 (11.3%)	273 (57.4%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.8%)	30.6	1421^st of 2056 public elementary schools	30.9%		32.8	1321^st of 2067 public elementary schools	36.1%	100	32.9	30.1	38.9	43.2	37.6	30.1	23.4	23.0	25.3	96.0	96.0	96.0	96.0	99.3	95.7	96.0		$14,577	$526	$14,051
Freeman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	153 S Randall Rd	Aurora	60506	Kane County	Aurora West Unified School District 129	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 301-5002	529	30	17.6	14.9%	186 (35.2%)	58 (11.0%)	261 (49.3%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.4%)	44.7	1113^th of 2056 public elementary schools	45.9%		36.5	1235^th of 2067 public elementary schools	40.3%	122	35.9	46.5	38.1	41.9	42.2	58.1	32.1	29.0	39.5	98.7	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	98.7	7.4	$15,334	$1,740	$13,593
Old Post Elementary School	Public	K-5	100 Old Post Rd	Oswego	60543	Kendall County	Cusd 308	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 636-3400	387	29	13.4	30.7%	231 (59.7%)	22 (5.7%)	98 (25.3%)	15 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.4%)	70.5	588^th of 2056 public elementary schools	71.4%		62.1	697^th of 2067 public elementary schools	66.3%	109	56.5	59.5	67.6	58.0	61.6	56.0	45.6	44.9	49.1	96.2	96.9	96.9	96.9	12.3	96.0	97.1		$16,514	$510	$16,004
John Gates Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 7th Ave	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-5600	427	29	14.5	60.4%	4 (0.9%)	8 (1.9%)	411 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	12.6	1855^th of 2056 public elementary schools	9.8%		13.7	1909^th of 2067 public elementary schools	7.6%	54	21.2	12.3	14.9	34.6	19.6	13.8	14.9	3.8	11.4	97.3	98.5	98.5	98.5	100.0	97.1	97.8		$21,285	$2,127	$19,158
Greenman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	729 W Galena Blvd	Aurora	60506	Kane County	Aurora West Unified School District 129	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 301-5004	528	41	12.8	59.7%	52 (9.8%)	27 (5.1%)	417 (79.0%)	19 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.3%)	26.9	1514^th of 2056 public elementary schools	26.4%		15.1	1844^th of 2067 public elementary schools	10.8%	330	26.5	35.2	30.4	42.2	36.0	28.4	21.5	20.7	23.7	97.8	98.2	98.2	98.2	98.2	97.0	97.4	6.9	$17,057	$2,058	$14,998

Frequently Asked Questions about Nicholson Elementary School

What district is Nicholson Elementary School in?

Aurora West Unified School District 129

What schools do graduates of Nicholson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Washington Middle School
High : West Aurora High School

Is Nicholson Elementary School a good school?

Nicholson Elementary School ranks 1379^th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Nicholson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 337 students attended Nicholson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Nicholson Elementary School?

Students at Nicholson Elementary School are 74% Hispanic, 12% White, 10% African American, 3% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.