Benavides Steam Academy

300 Students

Elementary School K - 2nd

School Overview

Benavides STEAM Academy, located in Aurora, Illinois, is a specialized elementary school within the East Aurora School District 131 that focuses on an integrated curriculum centered around Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). The school is designed to foster critical thinking and innovation by embedding hands-on, inquiry-based learning into the daily classroom experience. By emphasizing these five core disciplines, the academy aims to prepare students for the demands of a rapidly evolving digital and global economy, ensuring they develop both technical literacy and creative problem-solving skills from an early age.

Beyond its academic focus, Benavides STEAM Academy is deeply committed to building a collaborative school culture that engages students, staff, and the surrounding community. The school environment is structured to support diverse learners, utilizing modern educational tools and project-based learning initiatives to make abstract concepts tangible. By blending rigorous academic standards with a focus on student agency and exploration, the academy strives to cultivate a lifelong love of learning and provide a strong foundational bridge toward future success in secondary education and beyond.

300

Total Students

25.1

Full-Time Teachers

12.0

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Benavides Steam Academy
Demographic	Student Count
White	7
Hispanic	273
Black	11
Asian	4
Two or More	2
American Indian	3

Hispanic
273 (91.0 %)
Black
11 (3.7 %)
White
7 (2.3 %)
Asian
4 (1.3 %)
American Indian
3 (1.0 %)
Two or More
2 (0.7 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Aurora East USD 131
Phone:	(630)299-5554
Grade Range:	K - 2nd
Total Students:	300
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	25.1
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	12.0
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	0
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	0

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Kindergarten 98

Grade 1 104

Grade 2 98