An equity score of 34/100 ranks Decatur Sd 61 #469 of 763 districts in Illinois (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,005 per pupil, Decatur Sd 61 ranks #418 of 848 Illinois districts by per-pupil spending (Illinois districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
7,974
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$16,005
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Decatur Sd 61 operates 15 public schools serving 7,974 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Illinois. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 elementary, 4 combined, 2 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Macon County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,005 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 848 Illinois districts by per-pupil spending. See how Illinois compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 35.3% local, 43.3% state, and 21.4% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 34/100, ranked #469 of 763 in Illinois against a state average of 38, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (25 AP courses district-wide), a 474.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 59.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.1% African American, 25.4% White, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Johns Hill Magnet School, with a diversity index of 71.4/100.
Its largest campus is Macarthur High School, enrolling 1,059 students (14% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Michael E Baum Elem School, at 313 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Decatur Sd 61 school enrollment varies 3.4× across entities
Decatur Sd 61 school enrollment ranges from 313 students (lowest) to 1,059 students (highest), a spread of 746 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Decatur Sd 61 student-counselor ratio is 475:1: well above typical (strongly associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above the benchmark warrant a closer look at the underlying sub-units rather than treating the aggregate as representative.
Decatur Sd 61 chronic absenteeism rate is 59.9%: well above typical (strongly associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above the benchmark warrant a closer look at the underlying sub-units rather than treating the aggregate as representative.