Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0Ottawa’s public schools score below 55% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation
19% of students in Ottawa’s public schools are proficient in math, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the four public school districts serving Ottawa, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.
From Illinois state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Ottawa’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2021, 28% of tested students were proficient in reading and 19% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
82% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
Ottawa Township High School District 140 spends $18,784 per student and Ottawa Elementary School District 141 $18,096, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
Five elementary schools, then three middle and one high school
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Ottawa’s grade
B−: better than 45% of Illinois school districts, #488 of 768 Illinois towns. Both inputs trail the Illinois average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Ottawa, with each school’s own grade.
5th grade in Ottawa · depends on your address
Wallace Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 420 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Central Intermediate School
Grades 5–6 · 339 students · 12:1 students per teacher
Rutland Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 70 students · 6:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Ottawa · depends on your address
Wallace Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 420 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Central Intermediate School
Grades 5–6 · 339 students · 12:1 students per teacher
Rutland Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 70 students · 6:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Ottawa · depends on your address
Wallace Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 420 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Shepherd Middle School
Grades 7–8 · 353 students · 12:1 students per teacher
Rutland Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 70 students · 6:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Ottawa · depends on your address
Wallace Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 420 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Shepherd Middle School
Grades 7–8 · 353 students · 12:1 students per teacher
Rutland Elem School
Grades PK–8 · 70 students · 6:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Ottawa
Ottawa Township High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,223 students · 14:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Ottawa
Ottawa Township High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,223 students · 14:1 students per teacher
To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Four districts serve Ottawa
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Below the state in reading
Ottawa vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Ottawa’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | B− | Ottawa Elementary School District 141 PK–8 · Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230 PK–8 · Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 PK–8 |
| Naplate | — | Ottawa Elementary School District 141 PK–8 · Ottawa Township High School District 140 9–12 |
| Ottawa Township | C+ | Ottawa Elementary School District 141 PK–8 · Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 PK–8 · Ottawa Township High School District 140 9–12 |
| Wallace | — | Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 PK–8 · Ottawa Township High School District 140 9–12 |
| Rutland | C+ | Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230 PK–8 · Ottawa Township High School District 140 9–12 |
| Dayton | C+ | Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 PK–8 · Serena CUSD 2 PK–12 · Ottawa Township High School District 140 9–12 |
All 5 neighbors share Ottawa Township High School District 140 with Ottawa for grades 9–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Ottawa
7 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Ottawa’s schools
Are Ottawa’s schools good?
On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Ottawa children attend score below 55% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B− Schools grade, #488 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 48%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Ottawa in?
Ottawa Township High School District 140, which runs grades 9–12 and enrolls 1,223 students in 1 schools (2024–25).
Where do Ottawa kids go to high school?
Ottawa Township High School, with 1,223 students; its own test results earn a B−.
What is Ottawa’s graduation rate?
82% of the class of 2023 in Ottawa Township High School District 140 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.
How much does Ottawa spend per student?
$18,784 in Ottawa Township High School District 140, $18,096 in Ottawa Elementary School District 141, $30,971 in Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230 and $17,088 in Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Ottawa families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Ottawa → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Illinois. Stars are from neighbors.