Chicago City Wire

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) received $6,632 per-pupil in state and federal subsidies in 2016, ranking 47th among 291 school districts in the Chicagoland area.

Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire, created the ranking by compiling 2016 funding data on all school districts in Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Kane, Lake, Will and Kendall counties.

The analysis accounts for all taxpayer subsidies, including state funding of public employee pensions, paid on behalf of teachers in suburban districts, but not CPS.

On average, the 291 Chicago-area districts analyzed received 69 percent of their funding from local property taxpayers, 23 percent from the state of Illinois, and 7 percent from the federal government.

CPS relies more on state and federal funds than the average Chicagoland district. It receives 55 percent of its funding from Chicago property taxpayers and 45 percent from non-local ones.

All 46 school districts receiving more state and federal subsidy than Chicago are majority black or hispanic, mostly located in poorer south and west suburban communities with little taxable real estate and effective residential property tax rates of more than four percent.

Still, CPS officials have demanded $500 million more-- a 25 percent increase-- from those suburban and downstate taxpayers, claiming the state funding formula is "racist" and "violates the civil rights" of Chicago schoolchildren.

Of 291 Chicago-area districts, 54 percent (156) receive less than 20 percent of their funding from state and federal sources, according to the LGIS analysis. 33 districts receive less than ten percent.

28 percent of the students, 44 percent of the debt

The 291 Chicago area districts spent a collective $21.1 billion to educate 1.24 million students in 2016. They currently have $15.3 billion in debt, not including pension obligations

CPS, which is insolvent but not allowed to file for bankruptcy protection, is responsible for a disproportionate amount of that debt.

In 2016, it represented 28 percent all Chicago-area public students, 29 percent of all Chicago-area public school spending, and 44 percent of all Chicago-area public school debt, owing a total of $6.7 billion.

That's before the district borrows another $389 million this month, which it will put into its teachers pension fund. That fund is currently $10 billion in debt itself.

The 100 most-subsidized districts in the Chicago area (listed below) collectively have $10.4 billion in debt-- 68 percent of the total. They represent 56 percent of the area's students and 55 percent of its public school spending.

$500 million more for CPS?

CPS officials are asking state taxpayers for $500 million more, or $1,421 per student.

According to the LGIS analysis, 103 Chicago area districts (35 percent) currently receive less than $1,421 per student in total from the state.

They include the least-subsidized districts, which fund their schools overwhelmingly with local property taxes.

Channahon District 17 in Will County receives the lowest subsidy-- $1,220 per pupil from state and federal sources.

Avoca District 37 in Wilmette ($1,389), Western Springs District 101 ($1,435), Butler District 53 in Oak Brook ( $1,494) and Glen Ellyn's CCSD 89 ($1,590) receive the lowest subsidies in the Chicago area.

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Which Chicago-area school districts receive the most state and federal funding?

Schools are funded by a combination of local, state, and federal taxpayer dollars. Which 100 school districts receive the most outside subsidy?

	District	Region	State & Federal Subsidy	% of Total
1	North Chicago 187	Lake	$13,681	73%
2	West Harvey-Dixmoor 147	South Cook	$12,388	75%
3	Dolton 148/Riverdale	South Cook	$12,294	64%
4	CCSD 168/Sauk Village	South Cook	$12,113	77%
5	General George Patton 133/Riverdale	South Cook	$12,081	54%
6	Cicero 99	West Cook	$11,131	79%
7	Harvey 152	South Cook	$11,100	84%
8	Posen-Robbins 143-5	South Cook	$10,918	82%
9	Chicago Heights 170	South Cook	$10,882	70%
10	Aurora East USD 131	Kane	$10,861	75%
11	Berwyn North 98	West Cook	$10,692	76%
12	Park Forest 163	South Cook	$10,567	65%
13	Dolton 149/Calumet City	South Cook	$10,470	67%
14	Calumet City 155	South Cook	$10,435	51%
15	Calumet 132	South Cook	$10,354	68%
16	Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview 89	West Cook	$10,175	74%
17	Bloom Township 206	South Cook	$9,995	47%
18	Waukegan CUSD 60	Lake	$9,974	68%
19	Fairmont 89/Lockport	Will	$9,890	49%
20	Lincoln 156/Calumet City	South Cook	$9,878	77%
21	Hazel Crest 152-5	South Cook	$9,867	55%
22	Ford Heights 169	South Cook	$9,686	38%
23	Sandridge 172/Lynwood	South Cook	$9,465	57%
24	Country Club Hills 160	South Cook	$9,354	57%
25	Joliet PSD 86	Will	$9,111	70%
26	Round Lake CUSD 116	Lake	$9,101	63%
27	Thornton Township 205	South Cook	$8,767	38%
28	Prairie-Hills 144/Markham	South Cook	$8,735	59%
29	Chicago Ridge 127-5	South Cook	$8,528	59%
30	Zion 6	Lake	$8,503	59%
31	Morton 201	West Cook	$8,454	54%
32	South Hollland 151	South Cook	$8,447	50%
33	Burnham 154-5	South Cook	$8,362	66%
34	Chaney-Monge 88/Crest Hill	Will	$8,130	60%
35	CCSD 180/Burr Ridge	DuPage	$8,100	37%
36	Argo-Summit 104	South Cook	$8,065	45%
37	Bellwood 88	West Cook	$7,849	55%
38	Harvard CUSD 50	McHenry	$7,602	52%
39	Thornton Fractional Township 215/Calumet City	South Cook	$7,569	42%
40	Brookwood 167/Glenwood	South Cook	$7,315	46%
41	Cook County 130/Blue Island	South Cook	$7,315	47%
42	Midlothian 143	South Cook	$7,312	60%
43	Matteson 162	South Cook	$7,184	41%
44	West Chicago 33	DuPage	$7,045	45%
45	Sunnybrook 171/Lansing	South Cook	$6,845	46%
46	Hoover-Schrum Memorial 157/Calumet City	South Cook	$6,712	39%
47	Chicago 299		$6,632	45%
48	Zion-Benton Township 126	Lake	$6,496	32%
49	Aurora West USD 129	Kane	$6,431	44%
50	Berkeley 87	West Cook	$6,388	44%
51	Bremen 228	South Cook	$6,383	32%
52	Steger 194	South Cook	$6,332	49%
53	Indian Springs 109/Justice	South Cook	$6,276	48%
54	Lansing 158	South Cook	$6,137	42%
55	Laraway CCSD 70C	Will	$6,110	24%
56	Elmwood Park 401	West Cook	$6,061	35%
57	Beach Park CCSD 3	Lake	$5,933	39%
58	Plano 88	Kendall	$5,858	41%
59	Marquardt 15/Glendale Heights	DuPage	$5,835	28%
60	Elgin U-46	North Cook	$5,816	39%
61	Argo CHSD 217	South Cook	$5,575	24%
62	Lockport Township 205	Will	$5,500	36%
63	Homewood-Flossmoor CHSD 233	South Cook	$5,483	24%
64	Crete-Monee CUSD 201U	Will	$5,421	32%
65	Worth 127	South Cook	$5,420	34%
66	Arbor Park 145/Oak Forest	South Cook	$5,341	39%
67	Rich Township 227	South Cook	$5,265	21%
68	Ridgeland 122/Oak Lawn	South Cook	$5,181	30%
69	Proviso 209	West Cook	$5,163	24%
70	Leyden 212/Franklin Park	West Cook	$5,041	25%
71	Harrison SD 36/Wonder Park	McHenry	$4,951	32%
72	Queen Bee 16/Glendale Heights	DuPage	$4,902	29%
73	District 159/Matteson	South Cook	$4,862	21%
74	Gavin 27/Ingleside	Lake	$4,852	30%
75	North Palos 117	South Cook	$4,807	30%
76	Woodstock CUSD 200	McHenry	$4,751	30%
77	Lindop 92/Broadview	West Cook	$4,737	24%
78	Atwood Heights 125/Alsip	South Cook	$4,722	36%
79	Grayslake CHSD 127	Lake	$4,721	21%
80	CHSD 218/Oak Lawn	South Cook	$4,713	21%
81	Lyons 103	West Cook	$4,705	33%
82	Addison 4	DuPage	$4,689	36%
83	CUSD 201/Westmont	DuPage	$4,658	19%
84	Rhodes 84-5/River Grove	West Cook	$4,656	22%
85	Grayslake CCSD 46	Lake	$4,655	30%
86	Wilmington CUSD 209U	Will	$4,618	35%
87	Valley View CUSD 365U	Will	$4,544	28%
88	Johnsburg CUSD 12	McHenry	$4,534	27%
89	Forest Park 91	West Cook	$4,472	18%
90	Union 81/Joliet	Will	$4,441	10%
91	River Grove 85-5	West Cook	$4,419	32%
92	Rockdale 84	Will	$4,396	34%
93	Lake Villa CCSD 41	Lake	$4,394	32%
94	Burbank 111	South Cook	$4,391	29%
95	Flossmoor 161	South Cook	$4,386	28%
96	Plainfield 202	Will	$4,367	36%
97	Mannheim 83/Franklin Park	West Cook	$4,350	20%
98	Oswego CUSD 308	Kendall	$4,318	35%
99	Joliet Township 204	Will	$4,253	23%
100	Des Plaines CCSD 62	North Cook	$4,173	20%

Source: Illinois State Board of Education, Teachers Retirement System

Which Chicago-area school districts receive the least state and federal funding?

Which Illinois property taxpayers get the least outside help in funding their local schools?

	District	Region	State/Federal Subsidy	% of Total
1	Channahon 17	Will	$1,220	7%
2	Avoca 37/Wilmette	North Cook	$1,389	8%
3	Western Springs 101	West Cook	$1,435	11%
4	Butler 53/Oak Brook	DuPage	$1,494	7%
5	CCSD 89/Glen Ellyn	DuPage	$1,590	10%
6	Gower 62/Willowbrook	DuPage	$1,595	8%
7	Glencoe 35	North Cook	$1,625	7%
8	Libertyville 70	Lake	$1,661	13%
9	Itasca 10	DuPage	$1,706	11%
10	Lake Bluff 65	Lake	$1,722	8%
11	Pleasantdale 107/Burr Ridge	West Cook	$1,765	10%
12	Deerfield 109	Lake	$1,776	9%
13	Fremont 79/Mundelein	Lake	$1,789	11%
14	Mount Prospect 57	North Cook	$1,792	15%
15	Center Cass 66/Downers Grove	DuPage	$1,800	12%
16	Lemont-Bromberek 113A	South Cook	$1,815	12%
17	Bloomingdale 13	DuPage	$1,838	11%
18	Oak Grove 68/Libertyville	Lake	$1,842	9%
19	Lincolnshire-Prairieview 103	Lake	$1,857	9%
20	Hinsdale CCSD 181	DuPage	$1,858	9%
21	Northbrook/Glenview 30	North Cook	$1,859	8%
22	Frankfort CCSD 157C	Will	$1,891	13%
23	La Grange 102	West Cook	$1,909	15%
24	Emmons 33/Antioch	Lake	$1,918	10%
25	Kenilworth 38	North Cook	$1,935	7%

Source: Illinois State Board of Education, Teachers Retirement System