Summary:
Talala Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Park Forest, Illinois, serving grades K-5 with a student population of 287. The school is part of the Crete Monee CUSD 201U district, which is ranked 721 out of 823 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Talala Elementary School faces significant challenges compared to nearby schools. The school has a much higher percentage of African American students (75.96%) and a very high percentage of students (96.86%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. Academically, Talala consistently performs below the state and district averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in 2022-2023, only 12.2% of 3rd graders, 8.2% of 4th graders, and 4.5% of 5th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 28.8%, 35.4%, and 35.2%, respectively. Additionally, Talala Elementary School has a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 38.9% in the 2022-2023 school year, compared to the surrounding schools, which range from 9.0% to 41.7%.
While Talala Elementary School receives higher per-student funding ($19,709) compared to the surrounding schools, which range from $17,728 to $21,993 per student, the academic performance of the school remains significantly lower. This suggests that factors beyond just funding, such as instructional quality, school leadership, and community engagement, may be playing a role in the school's performance. For example, Coretta Scott King Magnet School, which is part of the same district, consistently outperforms Talala Elementary School and the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with 34.9% of 3rd graders proficient or better in ELA compared to Talala's 12.2%.
Detail:
Public K-5
District:
Crete Monee CUSD 201U
SchoolDigger Rank:
1880th of 2,077 Illinois Elementary Schools
Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,709
Students who attend Talala Elementary School usually attend:
Student/teacher ratio: 20.1
Number of students: 287
Racial breakdown:
African American:
76.0%
Hispanic:
16.4%
White:
3.5%
more
Two or more races:
3.5%
Asian:
0.3%
American Indian:
0.3%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 96.9%
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