Decatur School District 61
Decatur School District 61 is a public school district based in Decatur, Illinois, serving 7,840 students in 16 schools. By enrollment it ranks #28 of the 376 Illinois districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 93% of them. Its schools average 490 students each, about the same as the Illinois median of 465. Its superintendent is Dr. Nicole Moody. It spends about $15,761 per student on day-to-day operations, 6% less than the Illinois median. It has roughly 17.2 students per teacher.
How Decatur compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Decatur | Illinois median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $15,761 | $16,815 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,497 | $10,013 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $162.4 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $132.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 457 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 903 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.2 | 13.6 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 713 | 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 →Dr. Nicole Moody
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 Decatur School District 61 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrington CUSD 220Barrington | 7,936 | 12 | $26,243 | 13.3 | #27 |
| Decatur School District 61Decatur · this district | 7,840 | 16 | $15,761 | 17.2 | #28 |
| Glenbard Twp HSD 87Glen Ellyn | 7,810 | 4 | $21,381 | 16.5 | #29 |
| J S Morton HSD 201Cicero | 7,709 | 4 | $14,602 | 15.8 | #30 |
| Cons HSD 230Orland Park | 7,613 | 3 | $23,382 | 15.3 | #31 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood ISDSan Antonio, TX | 7,849 | $12,226 | 15.5 |
| Carteret County Public SchoolsBeaufort, NC | 7,847 | $11,366 | 15.8 |
| Elmbrook School DistrictBrookfield, WI | 7,845 | $13,135 | 15.8 |
| Pittsylvania County Public SchoolsChatham, VA | 7,830 | $11,623 | 12.7 |
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-decatur-school-district-61