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C+

Ottawa Elementary School District 141

Public school districtGrades PK–8Regional · 4 towns

Serves Ottawa, Ottawa Township, South Ottawa Township and Naplate, and parts of Utica Township and Fall River Township.

Ottawa’s School Grade B− better than 45% of Illinois school districts

Students
1,747
Schools
5
Spent per student
$18,096
IL $21,567
Students per teacher
13:1
Free or reduced lunch
57%
Debt
$6.4M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Ottawa Elementary School District 141

  • Its letter, C+: results better than 41% of Illinois districts
  • Math proficiency 9 pts below the state
  • Spends 16% less per student than the IL average
  • 13 students per teacher
  • Debt of $6.4M, about $3,652 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

C+: better than 41% 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+
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
B−Ottawa 18,684C+Ottawa Township 11,179C+South Ottawa Township 8,299Naplate 414

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Ottawa. Grade by grade →

PK–45 elementary schoolsWallace Community Consolidated School District 195
5–83 middle schoolsWallace Community Consolidated School District 195
9–12Ottawa Township High SchoolOttawa Township High School District 140

Test scores vs. IL

2020–21 · 2021–22
Math proficiency17%
State average 25.8% · 983 students tested
Reading / language arts27%
State average 29.9% · 1,070 students tested

Graduation rate 82% at Ottawa Twp HSD 140, which runs the high school (state 87.6%) · class of 2023.

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
$18,096 per student · 16% below IL
Spending
Classroom instruction 59%Support & administration 39%Other 3%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 41%State 51%Federal 8%

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

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

Enrollment over time
1,773’20
1,759’21
1,745’22
1,774’23
1,747’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 71%Hispanic 19%Two or more races 5%Black 3%Asian 1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

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

Lincoln Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–4 · Ottawa
C+
387 students13:1
McKinley Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–4 · Ottawa
A−
364 students15:1
Jefferson Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–4 · Ottawa
B
304 students13:1
Central Intermediate School
Middle · Grades 5–6 · Ottawa
C+
339 students12:1
Shepherd Middle School
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Ottawa
B−
353 students12:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Ottawa Township High School District 140Dayton Township, Deer Park Township, Farm Ridge Township
$18,784per student
LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120Deer Park Township, LaSalle, LaSalle Township
$26,538per student
Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195Dayton Township, Wallace Township
$17,088per student
Deer Park Community Consolidated School District 82Deer Park Township, Farm Ridge Township
$39,486per 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.