Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
Based on the school district's enrollment of 8,481 students in the 2023-24 school year, that debt amounts to approximately $1,231,940 per student.
White students made up the largest share of the student body at 69% (5,854), followed by Hispanic students at 15.4% as the second-largest group, with 1,310 students.
The school district, located in McHenry County, ranked 32nd among Illinois school districts based on the total outstanding debt in the 2023-24 school year. That represents 41.2% of the district's borrowing capacity, which is determined by its Equalized Assessed Value (EAV), the taxable property value that sets legal debt limits under state law.
The data was obtained by Wirepoints through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois State Board of Education and covers 851 school districts.
School districts across McHenry County had a combined outstanding debt of $326.6 million as of fiscal year 2024.
The data was obtained by Wirepoints through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Illinois has enacted a law that changes the amount of debt school districts can issue. According to an analysis by Chapman, the new rules permit school districts to borrow more money than previously allowed. At the same time, the law modifies limits on property tax extensions that fund this debt. As a result, if districts take on more debt, local property taxes could increase to cover the additional costs.
The Illinois State Board of Education’s budget for fiscal year 2026 will increase from nearly $10.8 billion to about $11.2 billion. This includes a $307 million boost for K–12 schools, marking the smallest annual increase since 2020.
The agency has paused about $50 million in funding previously allocated through the Evidence-Based Funding formula for the Property Tax Relief Grant while reviewing its impact on local tax relief. Officials say the pause could affect the timing and amount of property tax relief available to taxpayers.
The annual reporting aims to increase transparency and accountability around school debt. Future reports will include 15 years of historical data, allowing residents to track long-term financial trends.
| Rank | School District | County | Outstanding Debt | Debt Limit Used (%) | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Public School District 299 | Cook | $9,444,187,549 | 68.7% | 321,668 |
| 2 | Valley View Community Unit School District 365U | Will | $265,500,264 | 59.3% | 14,660 |
| 3 | Oswego Community Unit School District 308 | Kendall | $251,518,343 | 66.1% | 16,696 |
| 4 | Springfield School District 186 | Sangamon | $228,448,511 | 73.6% | 12,849 |
| 5 | Community Unit School District 300 | Kane | $222,362,048 | 32.2% | 20,161 |
| 6 | Champaign Community Unit School District 4 | Champaign | $212,701,151 | 51.1% | 10,250 |
| 7 | School District U-46 | Kane | $204,735,000 | 22.4% | 33,948 |
| 8 | Lincoln Way Community High School District 210 | Will | $199,574,931 | 57% | 6,658 |
| 9 | Elmhurst School District 205 | DuPage | $197,370,795 | 41.7% | 8,285 |
| 10 | Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 | Madison | $187,131,572 | 68.2% | 7,187 |
| 11 | Rockford School District 205 | Winnebago | $154,642,382 | 36.7% | 27,268 |
| 12 | Maine Township High School District 207 | Cook | $151,240,000 | 34% | 6,138 |
| 13 | Cahokia Community Unit School District 187 | St. Clair | $151,005,000 | 1,201.9% | 3,021 |
| 14 | Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 | Cook | $149,938,678 | 48.8% | 11,109 |
| 15 | Hinsdale Township High School District 86 | DuPage | $135,072,073 | 29.9% | 3,774 |
| 16 | New Trier Township High School District 203 | Cook | $134,870,368 | 28.7% | 3,700 |
| 17 | Downers Grove Grade School District 58 | DuPage | $132,978,397 | 56.2% | 4,770 |
| 18 | Crete-Monee Community Unit School District 201-U | Will | $129,334,456 | 112.6% | 4,407 |
| 19 | Lake Forest Community High School District 115 | Lake | $128,351,479 | 58.5% | 1,366 |
| 20 | Aurora East Unit School District 131 | Kane | $124,639,488 | 81.9% | 12,080 |
| 21 | Decatur School District 61 | Macon | $118,975,000 | 102.7% | 7,757 |
| 22 | New Lenox School District 122 | Will | $116,993,942 | 94.6% | 4,971 |
| 23 | Barrington Community Unit School District 220 | Lake | $115,755,211 | 25.6% | 7,971 |
| 24 | Peoria School District 150 | Peoria | $114,355,342 | 55.5% | 12,661 |
| 25 | Community High School District 99 | DuPage | $112,198,909 | 28.9% | 4,630 |
| 26 | DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 | DeKalb | $110,355,000 | 67% | 6,538 |
| 27 | Plainfield School District 202 | Will | $110,028,562 | 17.2% | 24,554 |
| 28 | Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34 | Cook | $109,731,954 | 52.3% | 4,281 |
| 29 | Township High School District 113 | Lake | $109,696,997 | 34% | 3,060 |
| 30 | Joliet Public School District 86 | Will | $108,885,000 | 117% | 9,415 |
| 31 | Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65 | Cook | $105,414,499 | 36.2% | 6,193 |
| 32 | Huntley Community School District 158 | McHenry | $104,480,749 | 41.2% | 8,481 |
| 33 | Manhattan School District 114 | Will | $95,649,117 | 321.3% | 1,904 |
| 34 | North Shore School District 112 | Lake | $95,564,674 | 51.8% | 3,739 |
| 35 | Quincy School District 172 | Adams | $91,938,638 | 57.9% | 6,211 |
| 36 | Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 | Lake | $90,469,826 | 69.1% | 4,511 |
| 37 | Berkeley School District 87 | Cook | $87,446,797 | 176.9% | 2,051 |
| 38 | Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 | Cook | $86,576,040 | 51.5% | 6,156 |
| 39 | Arlington Heights School District 25 | Cook | $86,538,314 | 52.3% | 5,266 |
| 40 | Geneva Community Unit School District 304 | Kane | $85,790,000 | 35.6% | 4,996 |
| 41 | Aurora West Unit School District 129 | Kane | $81,462,697.06 | 28.6% | 10,734 |
| 42 | Leyden Community High School District 212 | Cook | $79,255,000 | 31.9% | 3,522 |
| 43 | Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401 | Cook | $77,413,344 | 87% | 2,830 |
| 44 | Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73 | Lake | $76,938,819 | 69.7% | 3,466 |
| 45 | Galesburg Community Unit School District 205 | Knox | $75,690,000 | 101.8% | 3,861 |
| 46 | Sycamore Community Unit School District 427 | DeKalb | $75,440,939 | 71.8% | 3,597 |
| 47 | Warren Township High School District 121 | Lake | $73,589,797 | 42.6% | 3,523 |
| 48 | Joliet Township High School District 204 | Will | $70,352,853 | 24% | 6,688 |
| 49 | Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 | Lake | $69,650,000 | 26.1% | 5,628 |
| 50 | Glenbard Township High School District 87 | DuPage | $66,285,897 | 13.5% | 7,606 |
| 51 | J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 | Cook | $66,260,072 | 36.8% | 7,870 |
| 52 | Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 | McHenry | $65,689,604 | 40.1% | 6,139 |
| 53 | Aptakisic-Tripp Community Consolidated School District 102 | Lake | $63,309,886 | 85.6% | 2,538 |
| 54 | Indian Prairie School District 204 | DuPage | $61,350,655 | 6.5% | 25,781 |
| 55 | Proviso Township High School District 209 | Cook | $61,292,029 | 25.5% | 4,125 |
| 56 | Reavis Township High School District 220 | Cook | $59,190,000 | 58.5% | 1,893 |
| 57 | Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 | DuPage | $58,065,065 | 27.4% | 3,531 |
| 58 | Mascoutah Community Unit School District 19 | St. Clair | $57,351,079 | 97.8% | 4,177 |
| 59 | McLean County Unit School District 5 | McLean | $57,136,138 | 14.3% | 12,357 |
| 60 | Belvidere Consolidated Unit School District 100 | Boone | $55,754,905 | 35.3% | 7,407 |
| 61 | Winnetka School District 36 | Cook | $54,417,468 | 45.6% | 1,710 |
| 62 | Kaneland Community Unit School District 302 | Kane | $54,314,060 | 36.1% | 3,881 |
| 63 | Burbank School District 111 | Cook | $54,235,000 | 71.6% | 3,161 |
| 64 | Highland Community Unit School District 5 | Madison | $51,667,484 | 70.5% | 2,761 |
| 65 | Williamsville Community Unit School District 15 | Sangamon | $51,243,032 | 139.4% | 1,441 |
| 66 | Villa Park School District 45 | DuPage | $50,840,000 | 54.9% | 3,139 |
| 67 | Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 | Lake | $50,513,367 | 42.2% | 2,241 |
| 68 | Belleville Township High School District 201 | St. Clair | $50,292,863 | 36.5% | 4,676 |
| 69 | Bremen Community High School District 228 | Cook | $50,000,000 | 39% | 4,854 |
| 70 | Rochester Community Unit School District 3A | Sangamon | $49,550,000 | 111.5% | 2,031 |
| 71 | Jacksonville School District 117 | Morgan | $48,709,223 | 72.1% | 3,094 |
| 72 | LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120 | LaSalle | $48,496,607 | 102.7% | 1,167 |
| 73 | Chicago Heights School District 170 | Cook | $48,300,000 | 216.8% | 2,603 |
| 74 | Alton Community Unit School District 11 | Madison | $47,555,240 | 37.3% | 5,580 |
| 75 | Cicero School District 99 | Cook | $46,889,358 | 62.5% | 8,555 |
| 76 | Schiller Park School District 81 | Cook | $46,297,353 | 134.7% | 1,350 |
| 77 | East Maine School District 63 | Cook | $45,849,510 | 45.3% | 3,623 |
| 78 | Hall High School District 502 | Bureau | $45,124,588 | 389.4% | 407 |
| 79 | DuPage High School District 88 | DuPage | $44,795,000 | 17.4% | 3,715 |
| 80 | Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 | Kendall | $44,670,000 | 25.2% | 7,032 |
| 81 | Freeport School District 145 | Stephenson | $44,619,920 | 83.8% | 3,512 |
| 82 | Rock Island School District 41 | Rock Island | $43,947,608 | 45.2% | 6,124 |
| 83 | Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 | Grundy | $43,839,480 | 47.3% | 4,418 |
| 84 | Johnsburg Community Unit School District 12 | McHenry | $43,221,464 | 62.5% | 1,668 |
| 85 | Bloomington School District 87 | McLean | $42,930,000 | 31% | 4,610 |
| 86 | Community Unit School District 200 | DuPage | $41,334,334 | 7.7% | 11,488 |
| 87 | East Prairie School District 73 | Cook | $40,230,000 | 200.7% | 524 |
| 88 | Oak Park Elementary School District 97 | Cook | $40,170,052 | 24.6% | 5,540 |
| 89 | Matteson Elementary School District 162 | Cook | $39,486,806 | 111.9% | 2,335 |
| 90 | Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 | Lake | $39,156,680 | 14.3% | 4,573 |
| 91 | Maroa Forsyth Community Unit School District 2 | Macon | $38,837,000 | 107.9% | 1,166 |
| 92 | Skokie School District 69 | Cook | $38,560,011 | 98.8% | 1,819 |
| 93 | Bensenville School District 2 | DuPage | $38,531,000 | 67.2% | 2,022 |
| 94 | Fenton Community High School District 100 | DuPage | $38,310,000 | 36% | 1,371 |
| 95 | Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 | Cook | $37,952,442 | 51% | 1,239 |
| 96 | Argo Community High School District 217 | Cook | $37,210,000 | 51.7% | 1,771 |
| 97 | East Richland Community Unit School District 1 | Richland | $37,110,000 | 85.6% | 2,166 |
| 98 | McHenry Community High School District 156 | McHenry | $37,070,258 | 34.9% | 2,177 |
| 99 | Plano Community Unit School District 88 | Kendall | $36,954,545 | 76.5% | 2,419 |
| 100 | Northfield Township High School District 225 | Cook | $36,580,000 | 7.1% | 5,030 |
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