Evanston/Skokie School District 65

What Evanston/Skokie School District 65 does

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is a unit of local government operating the public K-8 education system for the City of Evanston and a small adjacent section of the Village of Skokie, Illinois. The district serves approximately 6,500 pre-K through 8th grade students across 10 attendance-area elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 1 K-8 magnet school (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary & Fine Arts), and 3 specialized education centers, with 1,400+ educators and support staff. Its product is comprehensive public education, including core academics, multilingual programs (Two-Way Immersion K-5 and Dual Language 6-8), an African-Centered Curriculum, Special Education, ESL, athletics for grades 4-8, and before/after care (SACC), supported by standard administrative technology (PowerSchool SIS, Navigate 360 visitor management, Blackboard mass notification).

The district's revenue is primarily funded through local property taxes levied within its statutory service boundary, supplemented by Illinois State Board of Education formula grants (Title I, II, III, IDEA) and federal grants including ESSER and Head Start. Family-facing revenue is a minor component: student fees of $280 (K-5) or $290 (grades 6-8) per year, transportation fees for magnet school students, and SACC tuition, with waivers for free and reduced lunch students. The district's GTM motion is geographically constrained: students are assigned by attendance boundary or admitted through competitive magnet enrollment, with permissive transfers and selective enrollment programs creating intra-district choice rather than market expansion.

District 65 is currently in a period of financial restructuring. Projected FY2025 expenditures of $190.5M exceed projected revenue of $177.4M by approximately $13.1M, triggering a multi-phase Structural Deficit Reduction Plan totaling $20M+ in cuts across staffing (Phase I and II, FY25–FY26) and facility consolidation (Phase III, FY27 and beyond), including the January 2026 Board vote to close Kingsley Elementary School. Leadership is in transition: a new CFO has joined, and an Interim Superintendent will lead the district from July 1 through December 31, 2026, while the Board conducts a superintendent search.

Name

Evanston/Skokie School District 65

Legal name

Evanston/Skokie School District 65

Website

https://district65.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is a public K-8 school district serving approximately 6,500 students across 18 schools in Evanston and a small section of Skokie, Illinois, funded primarily by local property taxes and state and federal education grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH), District Enrollment, Zoning & School Choice Administration (EDADABAL)

Keywords

• Public K-8 education
• Elementary school services
• Middle school education
• Special education services
• Bilingual education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Primary funding source from local property taxes levied on residents of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 boundaries. Property tax revenue constitutes the largest portion of district operating funds.
2. State Funding: Illinois State Board of Education formula grants including Title I, II, & III, IDEA Part B Flow-Through and Preschool funds. State funding is determined by enrollment and demographic formulas.
3. Federal Grants: Federal funding through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants, Head Start, Teacher Quality grants, and other competitive federal awards.
4. Student Fees: Fees charged to families for general student expenses ($105-$290 per student depending on grade level), technology device insurance ($80), instructional supplies ($50), classroom activities ($45-$55), and optional services like School Age Childcare (SACC).
5. Transportation Services: Transportation fees charged to families of students enrolled in magnet schools or magnet programs. Cost determined annually based on transportation needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 operates a unified public K-8 education system serving approximately 6,500 pre-K through 8th-grade students across 18 schools and 3 education centers in Evanston and a small neighboring section of Skokie, Illinois. The district delivers core academic instruction supplemented by specialized programs including Two-Way Immersion, Dual Language, African-Centered Curriculum, an arts magnet school, Special Education, ESL, athletics, before/after-school childcare, nutrition, and transportation services.

Product overview

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 operates a unified K-8 public education system serving approximately 6,500 students across 18 schools. The district offers core academic instruction supplemented by specialized programs including Two-Way Immersion (TWI) for K-5 and Dual Language for grades 6-8, the African-Centered Curriculum (ACC) magnet program, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary & Fine Arts School magnet school. Support services include English as a Second Language, Special Education with related therapies, and School Age Childcare (SACC). The district also provides athletics programs for grades 4-8 and digital learning resources including e-learning capabilities for emergency closures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-K through 8th Grade Public Education

Quantifiable outcome

• Increases in Ambitious Instruction, Effective Leaders, and Collaborative Teachers measures from 5Essentials Survey under current leadership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Cordogan ClarkmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 14 June 2021Architecture and planning firm hired for Master Facility Planning in 2021. Tasked with facilities assessment, master planning, feasibility studies, programming, space and capacity planning, ADA and Life/Safety analysis, and enrollment/demographics analysis.
• Community Organizations (Dozens)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict 65 partners with dozens of community organizations throughout Evanston to enhance the educational experience and lives of students and families. Partnerships support various programs including Books & Breakfast, Y.O.U. (youth services), and extended learning opportunities.
• Illinois State Board of EducationcoreOthersState education agency providing formula grants (Title I, II, III, IDEA) and regulatory oversight for District 65 operations.
• Federal Government (ESSER Program)coreOthersFederal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief grants providing COVID-19 recovery funding for learning loss interventions, mental health services, and safe school reentry.
• Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIASB facilitates superintendent search process with network of over 7,000 superintendents and administrators. Has conducted hundreds of Illinois superintendent searches over more than 50 years.
• City of EvanstoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint City-Schools Committee collaboration, City School Liaison Committee, CARP Committee, Climate Action Team, and sustainable operations partnerships. City provides support for tree plantings, native plants, and transportation planning.
• StudioGCmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm contracted in September 2025 to conduct combined Master Facility/10-Year Health Life Safety report for all District 65 school sites.
• City of Evanston Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for elementary and middle school athletics programs (grades 4-8) providing sports facilities and programming.
• Foundation 65coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit foundation providing financial support and partnership around student programs and educational empowerment for District 65 schools.
• YMCAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSummer learning programs including YMCA and YMCA/MSX partnerships for summer childcare services.
• Y.O.U. (Youth Organizations Umbrella)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal youth services organization partnering for community-based extended learning and before/after school programming.
• Head Start / Early Head StartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal early childhood program operating through Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center with Quality Assurance oversight for Head Start and Early Head Start services.
• Books & BreakfastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing breakfast and literacy support programs for students.
• Evanston Township High School District 202coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Agreement for operation of Park School, shared services committee, and articulation coordination for student transitions from 8th grade to high school.
• Evanston Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing access to surveys, hard copy documents, and educational resources for families.
• Fleetwood-Jourdain Community CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing space for district engagement events and access to district surveys and information.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Oak Park Elementary School District 97: Suburban Illinois K-8 public school district of comparable size serving Oak Park; similar progressive community demographics, equity policy orientation, and dual-language programming make it one of the closest peer districts to District 65.
• Evanston Township High School District 202: The receiving high school district for District 65 graduates under the Joint Agreement; directly comparable Illinois public school entity with overlapping student body, shared services, and feeder-pattern alignment.
• Park Ridge-Niles School District 64: Suburban Illinois K-8 public school district serving Park Ridge and Niles; similar size, similarly situated near Chicago, comparable magnet and special education programming — a natural benchmark for enrollment and budget operations.
• Glenview School District 34: Suburban Illinois K-8 public school district serving Glenview; comparable enrollment scale, similar demographic profile, and same Illinois funding framework — directly comparable for per-pupil cost and operational benchmarking.
• Wilmette School District 39: Affluent suburban Illinois K-8 public school district on Chicago's North Shore; very similar competitive market positioning to District 65, with comparable property-tax funding base and family demographics.
• Winnetka School District 36: Affluent suburban Illinois K-8 public school district adjacent to Wilmette; comparable scale, similar high property-tax funding model, and competing for the same North Shore families as District 65.
• Northbrook School District 28: Suburban Illinois K-8 public school district serving Northbrook and Glenview; similar enrollment scale, comparable property-tax funding model, and competing for North Shore families on the Chicago border.

Regional players

• Skokie School District 68: Neighboring K-8 public school district in the Village of Skokie; serves overlapping geography and competes for the same Skokie families, though District 65 only covers a small section of Skokie.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Public Schools: Illinois' largest K-12 urban public school district; shares state funding framework, regulatory environment, and ISBE oversight but operates at vastly larger scale and different demographic profile than District 65.

Others

• New Trier Township High School District 203: North Shore high school district that draws feeder students from several K-8 districts including parts of District 65's service area; relevant as an alternative high school destination that competes with ETHS for District 65 graduates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/D65Video
• Facebookfacebook.com/EvanstonSkokieSchoolDistrict65
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evanston-skokie-school-district-65

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Evanston/Skokie School District 65