DeKalb CUSD428

What DeKalb CUSD428 does

DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 (D428) is a public K-12 unit school district organized under the Illinois School Code and headquartered at 901 S 4th St, DeKalb, Illinois, approximately 60 miles west of Chicago. The district serves roughly 6,800 preschool through 12th grade students across 12 schools — Clinton Rosette Middle School, Cortland Elementary, DeKalb High School, Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell Elementary, Early Learning Development Center, Founders Elementary, Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary, Huntley Middle School, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Littlejohn Elementary, Malta Elementary, and Tyler Elementary — and employs approximately 1,000-1,050 staff. Its operating geographies are limited to the City of DeKalb, Town of Cortland, Village of Malta, and adjacent rural townships within DeKalb County.

The district's instructional portfolio spans Common Core-aligned core academics, the PaCE (Personalized Academic College and Career Education) framework at middle and high school levels, Science of Reading-aligned elementary curriculum supported by nearly 90,000 newly distributed classroom books, multilingual programming (bilingual, dual language, ESL) PreK-12, accelerated placement, special education, social-emotional learning, and STEAM enrichment delivered through the NIU-partnered Barb City STEAM Team and annual Barb STEAMCon. Ancillary operations include First Student-managed transportation (with FirstView bus-tracking app), OrganicLife-managed food services under Community Eligibility Provision universal-free meals through 2029, and Skyward Qmativ as the central Student Information System for registration, grading, and attendance. The district publishes a D428 AI Guidance policy governing responsible classroom AI use.

D428 is a government entity rather than a commercial enterprise; it is funded through Illinois state aid, local property taxes, federal grants, and school nutrition programs, and is governed by a seven-member elected Board of Education. Revenue mechanics are statutory rather than transactional — public education is delivered free to in-district residents — with ancillary fee structures only on FOIA copies, transportation pay rates, and select optional services. The 2026-27 enrollment cycle is open, communications run through ParentSquare district-wide, and the leadership transition to incoming Superintendent Billy Hueramo (effective July 1, 2026) represents the most material near-term organizational change.

Name

DeKalb CUSD428

Legal name

DeKalb Community Unit School District 428

Website

https://dist428.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 is a public K-12 unit school district under the Illinois School Code, serving approximately 6,800 PreK-12 students across 12 schools in the City of DeKalb and surrounding DeKalb County communities, funded through state aid, local property taxes, and federal grants, and governed by an elected seven-member Board of Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Child Care Services (624410), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Intervention & PBIS Supports (Tiered, Gen Ed) (EDAJAGAL), District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ), Therapeutic & Developmental Preschools (Specialized Support) (EDACABAO)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Special education services
• Multilingual programs
• Student transportation services
• School food services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dekalb

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: District operates on public funding from state and local tax revenues, federal grants, and school nutrition programs. Governed by Illinois School Code with oversight by Board of Education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 is a public K-12 school district providing free preschool through 12th grade education to approximately 6,800 students across 12 school buildings in DeKalb County, Illinois. The district offers comprehensive academic programs aligned with Common Core and Illinois standards, special education, multilingual/bilingual instruction, college and career readiness pathways, free meals through CEP, and student transportation. Supporting services include student registration through Skyward Qmativ, parent communication via ParentSquare, and bus tracking via the FirstView app.

Product overview

DeKalb CUSD428 operates as a unified school district offering comprehensive K-12 public education across 12 schools serving approximately 6,800 students. The district's educational ecosystem includes core academic programs aligned with Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Illinois Social Science Standards. Key offerings include the PaCE Framework for college and career readiness, Barb STEAMCon and Barb City STEAM Team partnership with NIU for STEM enrichment, multilingual programming (bilingual, dual language, ESL), accelerated placement options, and Little Barbs Academy for kindergarten readiness. Supporting services include transportation via First Student, food services through OrganicLife, and family communication via ParentSquare. The district uses Skyward Qmativ as its Student Information System for registration, grades, and attendance management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DeKalb CUSD428 K-12 Educational Programs

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OrganicLifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Food service provider for district schools starting 2024-25 school year. Provides meals to all K-12 students through Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program offering free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students through 2029.
• First StudentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransportation partner providing bus services for eligible students. Students residing more than 1.5 miles from school, those with special needs IEP requirements, or in hazardous areas qualify. FirstView app available for real-time bus tracking.
• Northern Illinois University (NIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarb City STEAM Team partnership building confidence and learning for D428 students. Growing partnership between district and NIU.
• ParentSquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationCommunication platform used for district-wide and school-level communications, emergency notifications, teacher classroom communications, and parent alerts via email, phone, or text.
• RAMP (Center for Independent Living)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit supporting people with disabilities, emulating Independent Living Philosophy. Resource for special education families.
• Service, Inc. of IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit dedicated to helping people with developmental delays and disabilities. Supports families interested in PUNS List (Illinois Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services).
• Google (Google Apps)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Suite integration used for staff login and authentication through Google Apps Domain.
• ShawLocal / Shaw MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner publishing annual reports through Issuu platform. Recognized with Top Workplaces awards.
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)coreOthersOversight body establishing minimum requirements and standards for school safety drills and emergency response plans per Illinois School Safety Drill Act.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• East Aurora School District 131: Illinois K-12 public district with significant bilingual/ESL and special education populations. Relevant comparable for ELL programming, CEP utilization, and student-and-family services staffing models.
• Champaign Community Unit School District 4: Mid-size Illinois unit district anchored by a major state university (University of Illinois), sharing a similar higher-education partnership model (NIU ↔ D428) that D428 is replicating. Useful comparable for university-district STEAM collaboration.
• Normal Community Unit School District 5: Illinois unit district closely tied to a state university (Illinois State University). Comparable for college-and-career pathway programming (PaCE-like frameworks) and for demographic profile of a college-town service area.
• Sycamore Community Unit School District 427: Neighboring DeKalb County school district of similar size and demographics; operates K-12 public schools in the same regional labor market and competes for the same student population. Most direct geographic comparable for enrollment and funding analysis.
• Joliet Public Schools District 86: Illinois unit school district operating K-12 public schools under Illinois School Code. Comparable for district governance structure, evidence-based funding dynamics, and bilingual/ELL programming mix.
• Rockford Public Schools District 205: Northern Illinois urban school district operating under the same Illinois School Code with substantially larger enrollment. Useful comparable for funding mechanics, special education provision, and district-level operating model benchmarking.

Broad incumbents

• Elgin Area School District U-46: Large Illinois K-12 public school district in the Chicago collar-county region. Relevant broader incumbent for SIS (Skyward) deployment, multilingual programming scale, and state-aid dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dekalbdist428
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DeKalb428
• Facebookfacebook.com/CUSD428

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DeKalb CUSD428