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Jefferson Elementary School

Q: Is Jefferson Elementary School a good school?

Jefferson Elementary School ranks 1251 st of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

1251^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Jefferson Elementary School in Ottawa, Illinois, serves prekindergarten through grade 4 and enrolls 304 students; it belongs to Ottawa Education Service District 141, which SchoolDigger ranks at the 20th percentile statewide with 1 star. The clearest concern is English Language Arts (ELA): in 2025–26, 44% of students were proficient, compared with 56% statewide and 53% districtwide, leaving the school 12 points below the state and 9 points below the district.

Math is a relative strength compared with the district, but neither subject is above the state. Jefferson’s 36% math proficiency was 5 points above the district’s 31%, yet 4 points below the state’s 40%. Among 11 nearby schools with current all-grades results, Jefferson ranked third-lowest in both subjects, ahead of only Lincoln Elementary School and Marseilles Elementary School. The closest grade-span comparisons are McKinley Elementary School and Lincoln, both serving PK–4: Jefferson’s ELA score was 10 points below their 54% average, while its math score was 3 points below their 39% average.

Results and SchoolDigger standing have weakened recently: ELA fell 8 points in the latest year, and the school’s overall rank dropped from the 65th percentile with 3 stars in 2023–24 to the 28th percentile with 1 star in 2025–26. Math rose 4 points over those years. Chronic absenteeism was 29% in 2025–26, above the district’s 20% and the state’s 24%; Marseilles Elementary School was the only nearby school with the same rate. As context, 65% of Jefferson students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, and the student-teacher ratio was 13.2 to 1. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings show contrasting results: in 2024–25, its ranking for how well it served Hispanic students was at the 64th percentile, compared with 49th overall; in 2025–26, its ranking for White students was at the 7th percentile, compared with 28th overall.

304

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,122

Per pupil spending ?

64.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.5%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

1709 Columbus St
Ottawa, IL 61350-1526

(815) 434-0726

District: Ottawa Education Service District 141

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Central Intermediate School
	Shepherd Middle School
High:	Ottawa Township High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.5%

Hispanic:

23.0%

African American:

6.6%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (40% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg42%

Illinois avg48%

1,251^st of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Ottawa Education Service District 141

589^th of 738Ottawa Education Service District 141 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
2026	26.2	1251 of 1737	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.6	1048 of 2056	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.9	717 of 2067	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.9	860 of 2077	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.0	1130 of 2082	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.4	789 of 1948	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.5	1492 of 2086	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.2	1095 of 2037	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.7	1200 of 2044	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.5	1020 of 2046	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	27.7	1485 of 2052	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.8	1360 of 2093	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.8	1409 of 2167	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.7	1226 of 2166	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	28.9	1682 of 2147	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.1	1750 of 2139	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.9	1547 of 2120	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.6	1515 of 2092	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	41.9	1473 of 2095	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	39.0	1524 of 2086	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	46.3	1309 of 2022	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	48.4	1239 of 2030	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2003	27.5	1577 of 2020	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	749 of 1049	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	1012 of 1286	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	53.9	855 of 1942	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	790 of 1942	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	956 of 1957	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.4	895 of 1970	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.8	1108 of 1680	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.8	1474 of 2019	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.0	988 of 1964	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	58.3	355 of 982	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.8	173 of 959	82.0%	★★★★☆
2018	54.0	378 of 938	59.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	748 of 1800	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.6	362 of 1793	79.8%	★★★★☆
2023	59.5	576 of 1808	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	678 of 1763	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.1	631 of 1514	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.8	994 of 1816	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.1	648 of 1765	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	1167 of 1947	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.3	628 of 1959	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	765 of 1984	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.9	1226 of 1977	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.4	524 of 1707	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.2	1237 of 2019	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.7	1041 of 1972	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	917 of 1292	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.8	615 of 1156	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.6	695 of 1194	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.5	196 of 763	74.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	12.0	1069 of 1149	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.5	1050 of 1389	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.7	829 of 1392	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	941 of 1419	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.0	1133 of 1425	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	831 of 1308	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.9	1339 of 1462	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	973 of 1463	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)64th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)40th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)29th percentile-20 vs school

Disabled (2025)29th percentile-20 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)7th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts44%-12 vs state

Mathematics36%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jefferson Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)							IAR Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1709 Columbus St	Ottawa	61350	LaSalle County	Ottawa Education Service District 141	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 434-0726	304	23	13.2	64.8%	193 (63.5%)	20 (6.6%)	70 (23.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.3%)	26.2	1251^st of 1737 public elementary schools	28.0%		47.6	1048^th of 2056 public elementary schools	49.0%	203			40.7	48.1					43.9	39.0	33.3					36.0	97.5%		$18,122	$926	$17,196
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1110 W Main St	Ottawa	61350	LaSalle County	Ottawa Education Service District 141	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 434-1250	387	29	13.1	69.3%	259 (66.9%)	3 (0.8%)	93 (24.0%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.2%)	17.4	1435^th of 1737 public elementary schools	17.4%		41.4	1180^th of 2056 public elementary schools	42.6%	255			38.3	39.7					39.1	35.0	23.5					28.9	96.3%		$15,761	$586	$15,175
McKinley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1320 State St	Ottawa	61350	LaSalle County	Ottawa Education Service District 141	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 433-1907	364	25	14.8	40.9%	293 (80.5%)	9 (2.5%)	43 (11.8%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.6%)	61.9	639^th of 1737 public elementary schools	63.2%		79.9	395^th of 2056 public elementary schools	80.8%	244			64.5	74.6					68.9	53.2	44.1					48.4	97.3%		$17,404	$489	$16,916
Wallace Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1463 N 33rd Rd	Ottawa	61350	LaSalle County	Wallace CCSD 195	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 433-2986	420	28	14.8	26.7%	346 (82.4%)	7 (1.7%)	56 (13.3%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	80.6	286^th of 1737 public elementary schools	83.5%		75.9	482^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	76.6%	196	76.6	64.9	81.8	67.3	63.8	92.3	70.8	97.3	77.5	68.2	48.1	76.6	64.1	45.8	56.8	59.6	97.2%		$14,348	$1,111	$13,237
Rutland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3231 N Il Route 71	Ottawa	61350	LaSalle County	Rutland CCSD 230	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 433-2949	70	11	6.3	14.3%	55 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (17.1%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)									87.5	100.0						80.0	98.7%		$26,343	$877	$25,466
Marseilles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	201 Chicago St	Marseilles	61341	LaSalle County	Marseilles Education Service District 150	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 554-4338	528	43	12.3	57.2%	396 (75.0%)	13 (2.5%)	87 (16.5%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.4%)	21	1360^th of 1737 public elementary schools	21.7%		30.6	1419^th of 2056 public elementary schools	31.0%	59	45.7	24.4	17.9	36.5	47.8	27.5			28.0	41.1		32.6	25.5			23.6	97.7%		$17,645	$1,875	$15,770
Grand Ridge School	Public	K-8	400 W Main St	Grand Ridge	61325	LaSalle County	Grand Ridge CCSD 95	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 249-6225	212	22	9.6	34.4%	195 (92.0%)	4 (1.9%)	6 (2.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)	69.9	479^th of 1737 public elementary schools	72.4%		60.4	798^th of 2056 public elementary schools	61.2%	319		54.5	91.7	66.7	48.0	76.0	73.7	86.4	73.5	66.7	52.4		56.0	73.7	68.2	55.9	96.6%		$17,569	$1,067	$16,502
Waltham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2902 N Il Route 178	Utica	61373	LaSalle County	Waltham CCSD 185	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 667-4417	246	24	10.4	—	206 (83.7%)	1 (0.4%)	28 (11.4%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.0%)	66.9	534^th of 1737 public elementary schools	69.3%		67	667^th of 2056 public elementary schools	67.6%	133	60.0	76.2	74.1	83.3	50.0	70.0	91.7	95.2	74.7	74.1	60.0	33.3	46.7			50.0	97.7%		$17,306	$743	$16,564
Deer Park C C Elementary School	Public	K-8	2350 E 1025th Rd	Ottawa	61350	LaSalle County	Deer Park CCSD 82	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 434-6930	44	7	6.2	11.4%	38 (86.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.5%)								(n/a)									60.7							39.3	89.7%		$47,033	$332	$46,701
Harding Grade School	Public	PK, KG-4	1643 N 40th Rd	Earlville	60518	LaSalle County	Serena CUSD 2	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 792-8216	130	9	14.4	36.2%	111 (85.4%)	1 (0.8%)	11 (8.5%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.6%)	61.5	647^th of 1737 public elementary schools	62.8%		66	690^th of 2056 public elementary schools	66.4%	43			53.8	50.0					52.2	61.5	75.0					67.4	95.3%		$24,091	$1,739	$22,352

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Central Intermediate School
Middle : Shepherd Middle School
High : Ottawa Township High School

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 304 students attended Jefferson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary School?

Students at Jefferson Elementary School are 63% White, 23% Hispanic, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races.

Is Jefferson Elementary School a good school?

Jefferson Elementary School ranks 1251^st of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Jefferson Elementary School in?

Ottawa Education Service District 141

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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.