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C+

Aurora West Unit School District 129

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 5 towns

Serves Aurora, Aurora Township, Batavia Township, Montgomery and North Aurora, and parts of Batavia, Sugar Grove Township, Blackberry Township and Sugar Grove.

Aurora’s School Grade B+ better than 73% of Illinois school districts

Students
11,020
Schools
16
Spent per student
$17,236
IL $21,567
Students per teacher
15:1
Free or reduced lunch
50%
Debt
$81.5M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Aurora West Unit School District 129

  • Its letter, C+: results better than 37% of Illinois districts
  • Math proficiency 11 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 13 pts below the state
  • Spends 20% less per student than the IL average
  • 15 students per teacher
  • Debt of $81.5M, about $7,392 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

C+: better than 37% of the 887 Illinois school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
C−
GraduationFour-year graduation close to the state, class of 2023
C+
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
B+Aurora 181,505CAurora Township 127,446BBatavia Township 35,974BMontgomery 21,978C+North Aurora 19,406

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Aurora. Grade by grade →

K–543 elementary schoolsAurora East Unit School District 131
6–815 middle schoolsIndian Prairie Community Unit School District 204
9–125 high schoolsAurora East Unit School District 131

Test scores vs. IL

2020–21 · 2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency15%
State average 25.8% · 3,832 students tested
Reading / language arts17%
State average 29.9% · 5,596 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)87%
State average 87.6% · 960 in the class

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$17,236 per student · 20% below IL
Spending
Classroom instruction 61%Support & administration 36%Other 3%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 45%State 40%Federal 15%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
11,253’20
11,195’21
11,211’22
11,035’23
11,020’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 65%White 19%Black 10%Two or more races 3%Asian 3%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

16 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools.

Freeman Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Aurora
C+
529 students18:1
Greenman Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Aurora
C
528 students13:1
McCleery Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Aurora
C
513 students13:1
Hall Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Aurora
C−
512 students17:1
Hill Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Aurora
D
511 students14:1
West Aurora Learning Center/ELA
Prekindergarten · Grades PK · Aurora
505 students32:1
Smith Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Aurora
C−
425 students14:1
Goodwin Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · North Aurora
C+
315 students13:1
Fearn Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · North Aurora
B
492 students17:1
Schneider Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · North Aurora
C−
361 students12:1
Nicholson Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Montgomery
D
337 students16:1
Washington Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Aurora
C+
690 students16:1
Herget Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Aurora
C+
594 students14:1
Jefferson Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Aurora
C
577 students13:1
Jewel Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · North Aurora
B+
490 students14:1
West Aurora High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Aurora
B−
3,641 students16:1

Left off: 1 school reporting no students for 2024–25.

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Geneva Community Unit School District 304Geneva, Geneva Township
$21,141per student
Community High School District 94Warrenville, West Chicago, Winfield Township
$19,365per student
Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204Naperville, Naperville Township
$19,401per student
Oswego Community Unit School District 308Oswego Township, Oswego
$18,315per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Illinois.