Illinois
Illinois has one of the most inequitable school funding systems in the nation — or at least it did until 2017, when the state enacted the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula, a landmark reform designed to direct additional dollars toward under-resourced districts. The challenge is the speed of change: fully funding every district to its Adequacy Target under EBF will take decades at current appropriation rates. Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest district in the country with over 330,000 students, dominates statewide politics and receives intense scrutiny over outcomes, fiscal management, and school closures. Outside Chicago, the state has 851 additional districts ranging from high-wealth north suburban systems to economically struggling districts in East St. Louis and Cairo. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and SAT (grade 11) serve as the state's primary accountability tools.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | |||||
| City of Chicago SD 299 | 644 | 322K | $25,647↑28% | 74.0%↑34% | 37 |
| SD U-46 | 58 | 35K | $20,015 | 50.1%↓9% | 40 |
| Rockford SD 205 | 45 | 27K | $19,455 | 68.5%↑24% | 46 |
| Indian Prairie CUSD 204 | 33 | 26K | $18,626↓7% | 18.3%↓67% | 54 |
| Plainfield SD 202 | 31 | 25K | $16,449↓18% | 34.7%↓37% | 43 |
| CUSD 300 | 28 | 20K | $19,479 | 43.9%↓20% | 41 |
| CUSD 308 | 22 | 17K | $17,343↓14% | 29.1%↓47% | 42 |
| Naperville CUSD 203 | 22 | 16K | $22,453↑12% | 16.2%↓71% | 54 |
| Valley View CUSD 365U | 20 | 15K | $22,462↑12% | 63.1%↑15% | 42 |
| Schaumburg CCSD 54 | 28 | 15K | $19,829 | — | 49 |
| Waukegan CUSD 60 | 22 | 14K | $22,276↑11% | 66.4%↑21% | 40 |
| Springfield SD 186 | 35 | 13K | $24,858↑24% | 57.6% | 38 |
| Peoria SD 150 | 32 | 13K | $19,209 | 76.2%↑38% | 39 |
| Aurora East USD 131 | 20 | 13K | $19,110 | 69.8%↑27% | 37 |
| McLean County USD 5 | 26 | 12K | $15,564↓23% | 26.4%↓52% | 50 |
| Township HSD 211 | 7 | 12K | $27,388↑36% | 38.1%↓31% | 47 |
| Township HSD 214 | 10 | 12K | $29,458↑47% | — | 50 |
| St Charles CUSD 303 | 18 | 12K | $20,868 | 11.4%↓79% | 39 |
| CUSD 200 | 20 | 12K | $20,401 | 29.9%↓46% | 48 |
| Aurora West USD 129 | 17 | 11K | $17,667↓12% | 46.1%↓16% | 42 |
| Palatine CCSD 15 | 20 | 11K | $20,355 | 40.5%↓26% | 43 |
| Champaign CUSD 4 | 20 | 10K | $24,915↑24% | 51.4%↓7% | 50 |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | |||||
| Joliet PSD 86 | 22 | 9,553 | $19,736 | 94.8%↑72% | 47 |
| Cicero SD 99 | 15 | 8,815 | $23,483↑17% | 88.6%↑61% | 44 |
| Huntley Comm Sch Dist 158 | 9 | 8,595 | $17,184↓15% | 17.6%↓68% | 43 |
| Elmhurst SD 205 | 13 | 8,299 | $28,817↑43% | 15.3%↓72% | 54 |
| Barrington CUSD 220 | 12 | 8,173 | $28,851↑44% | 12.9%↓77% | 41 |
| J S Morton HSD 201 | 4 | 8,134 | $19,906 | 84.1%↑53% | 44 |
| Decatur SD 61 | 17 | 7,974 | $18,855↓6% | 74.9%↑36% | 50 |
| Glenbard Twp HSD 87 | 4 | 7,836 | $25,663↑28% | 36.6%↓33% | 47 |
| Cons HSD 230 | 3 | 7,691 | $24,254↑21% | — | 53 |
| Belvidere CUSD 100 | 11 | 7,558 | $18,415↓8% | 54.1% | 50 |
| Edwardsville CUSD 7 | 15 | 7,274 | $14,508↓28% | 22.4%↓59% | 47 |
| Moline-Coal Valley CUSD 40 | 15 | 7,185 | $16,692↓17% | 56.8% | 45 |
| Crystal Lake CCSD 47 | 13 | 7,109 | $17,843↓11% | 31.5%↓43% | — |
| Joliet Twp HSD 204 | 4 | 6,918 | $18,682↓7% | 65.0%↑18% | 49 |
| DeKalb CUSD 428 | 12 | 6,840 | $19,973 | 62.4%↑13% | 40 |
| Yorkville CUSD 115 | 9 | 6,755 | $15,632↓22% | 25.2%↓54% | — |
| Lincoln Way CHSD 210 | 3 | 6,705 | $19,271 | — | 53 |
| Evanston CCSD 65 | 17 | 6,383 | $27,942↑39% | 37.8%↓31% | 50 |
| Quincy SD 172 | 9 | 6,345 | $13,774↓31% | 60.8%↑10% | 49 |
| Round Lake CUSD 116 | 11 | 6,330 | $23,813↑18% | 83.9%↑52% | 42 |
| Rock Island SD 41 | 14 | 6,204 | $21,876↑9% | 63.8%↑16% | 40 |
| Maine Township HSD 207 | 4 | 6,183 | $36,226↑80% | — | 55 |
| Harlem UD 122 | 11 | 6,178 | $20,135 | 60.4%↑10% | 42 |
| Woodstock CUSD 200 | 12 | 6,159 | $18,672↓7% | 41.7%↓24% | — |
| Collinsville CUSD 10 | 12 | 6,140 | $12,495↓38% | 62.6%↑14% | 44 |
| Wheeling CCSD 21 | 13 | 6,001 | $29,020↑44% | 49.0%↓11% | 44 |
| Granite City CUSD 9 | 9 | 5,817 | $13,895↓31% | 66.1%↑20% | 37 |
| Alton CUSD 11 | 10 | 5,752 | $17,463↓13% | 58.0%↑5% | 50 |