Central School District 51
Central School District 51 is a public school district based in Washington, Illinois, serving 1,349 students in 2 schools. By enrollment it ranks #289 of the 376 Illinois districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 23% of them. Its schools average 674 students each, more than the Illinois median of 465. Its superintendent is Dale Heidbreder. It spends about $10,318 per student on day-to-day operations, 39% less than the Illinois median. It has roughly 17.1 students per teacher.
How Central School District 51 compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Central School District 51 | Illinois median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,318 | $16,815 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,475 | $10,013 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $19.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $16.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 79 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 211 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.1 | 13.6 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 1,349 | 490 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Illinois median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dale Heidbreder
Source: Illinois State Board of Education, Directory of Educational Entities, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to Central School District 51 yet. Recent Illinois coverage is on the Illinois page.
Peer districts in Illinois
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Forest CHSD 115Lake Forest | 1,359 | 1 | $27,234 | 10.4 | #288 |
| Central School District 51Washington · this district | 1,349 | 2 | $10,318 | 17.1 | #289 |
| Schiller Park School District 81Schiller Park | 1,344 | 3 | $14,083 | 11.7 | #290 |
| Northbrook ESD 27Northbrook | 1,340 | 3 | $24,995 | 11.2 | #291 |
| River Forest School District 90River Forest | 1,333 | 3 | $20,886 | 11.5 | #292 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| HolbrookHolbrook, MA | 1,350 | $16,647 | 13.9 |
| Fairfield CityFairfield, AL | 1,348 | $12,493 | 19.3 |
| Creston Community School DistrictCreston, IA | 1,348 | $12,099 | 13.2 |
| Harrison Township School DistrictMullica Hill, NJ | 1,348 | $17,455 | 12.1 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-il-central-school-district-51