Decatur Public Schools

Public K-12 Educationdps61.org

Decatur Public Schools District #61 is an Illinois public K-12 district serving approximately 7,700 students across 15 schools in Decatur, including two high schools, three magnet schools, neighborhood elementary schools, and a PreK program, funded by property taxes and state/federal education aid.

Company typePrivate
Founded1865
HeadquartersDecatur, United States
Headcount251–500
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Decatur Public Schools does

Decatur Public Schools District #61 is a public K-12 school district and political subdivision of the State of Illinois, serving approximately 7,700 students from PreKindergarten through 12th grade across 15 schools in Decatur, Illinois. The district operates two traditional high schools (Eisenhower and MacArthur), three magnet schools (Johns Hill Magnet School focused on arts integration, Ellsworth Dansby Jr. Magnet School focused on STEM, and Montessori Academy for Peace), five neighborhood elementary schools, Stephen Decatur Middle School, and the Pershing Early Learning Program for PreK. Magnet enrollment is allocated through a Schoolmint-based lottery system, while neighborhood schools assign students by geographic boundary, with online registration handled through Skyward.

The district's technology stack is composed entirely of commercial off-the-shelf platforms: Finalsite for the public website, Skyward as the student information system with multi-factor authentication, Nutrislice for cafeteria menus, Edulog for real-time bus tracking, Google Classroom for e-learning day assignments, Peachjar for digital flyer distribution, and Frontline AppliTrack for staff recruitment. The district also maintains an internal Data Warehouse for the research, data, and accountability department. No proprietary technology, AI/ML systems, or differentiated platform architecture is present; technology serves an administrative and communications-support role rather than a product-differentiation role.

Revenue is generated entirely through government channels — local property taxes, Illinois state education funding (including Evidence-Based Funding), and federal grants — with no tuition, fees, or commercial revenue streams. Services are provided free at point of use to families residing within district boundaries. The district is governed by an elected Board of Education, with day-to-day operations led by a Superintendent and a district leadership team that includes assistant superintendents, a Chief Operational Officer, and functional directors across HR, IT, communications, buildings and grounds, student services, and special education. The district employs approximately 1,700 staff, including more than 460 certified teachers averaging 13 years of classroom experience, with 44% holding a master's degree or higher.

Decatur Public Schools firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Decatur Public Schools
Legal name: Decatur Public Schools District #61
Website: https://dps61.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1865
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 251–500 employees
Short description: Decatur Public Schools District #61 is an Illinois public K-12 district serving approximately 7,700 students across 15 schools in Decatur, including two high schools, three magnet schools, neighborhood elementary schools, and a PreK program, funded by property taxes and state/federal education aid.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Decatur Public Schools industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public K-12 Education
NAICS: Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

Public K-12 education
Magnet school programs
Early childhood education
Special education services
STEM education

Where Decatur Public Schools is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Decatur
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

Decatur Public Schools business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Public Education Funding: Government-funded public education provided at no cost to students. Funded through local property taxes, state education funding, and federal grants. The district does not generate traditional revenue from customers.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Annual	Free public education K-12

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Decatur Public Schools product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Decatur Public Schools District #61 delivers free public K-12 education to approximately 7,700 students across 15 schools in Decatur, Illinois, including two high schools, three magnet schools (arts integration, STEM, and Montessori), neighborhood elementary schools, and a PreK early learning program. The district offers supplemental services including transportation, food services, athletics, special education, before/after-school extended day programs, and an e-learning platform, all funded by local property taxes, state education funding, and federal grants.

Product overview

Decatur Public Schools District #61 is a traditional public school district providing comprehensive K-12 education services through a network of 15 schools. The district operates two high schools (Eisenhower and MacArthur), three magnet schools (Johns Hill Magnet School focused on arts integration, Ellsworth Dansby Jr. Magnet School focused on STEM, and Montessori Academy for Peace), five neighborhood elementary schools, and specialized programs including Pershing Early Learning Program for PreK. The district also offers supplemental services including The Prep Academy for college readiness, InspirEd Futures Internship Program, Extended Day care, and E-Learning platforms for academic resources. Students are served across PreK through 12th grade with an average class size of 19.6 students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

K-12 General Education Program Comprehensive K-12 public education program serving approximately 7,700 students across 15 schools, including two high schools, neighborhood elementary schools, and a middle school, provided free of charge to families.
Pershing Early Learning Program
Johns Hill Magnet School (Arts Integration) K-8 arts integration magnet school integrating visual and performing arts into the curriculum; also houses the district's English Language Learners program.
Ellsworth Dansby Jr. Magnet School (STEM) K-8 STEM-focused magnet school emphasizing science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education.
Montessori Academy for Peace Magnet school offering the Montessori educational approach for students in Decatur Public Schools.
The Prep Academy (Diploma Degree Program) High school program focused on college and career readiness, preparing students for post-secondary education and career pathways.
InspirEd Futures Internship Program Internship program providing high school students with real-world work experience and career exploration opportunities.
Extended Day Before & After School Program Before and after school child care and academic support program for working families of enrolled students.
E-Learning Platform Online learning management system providing eLearning activities, testing resources, standards-based grading materials, and Social Emotional Learning content; supports district-wide e-learning days for snow days and emergency closures.
School Transportation Services School bus transportation services with Edulog Parent Portal integration for real-time bus tracking.
Food Services Cafeteria and meal services managed through the Nutrislice menu platform across all district schools.
Athletics Programs Elementary, middle, and high school athletics programs, including basketball and other sports, across district schools.
Special Education Services Comprehensive special education programs including collaborative classrooms and intensive services, operated in coordination with the Macon-Piatt Special Education District (MPSED).

Quantifiable outcome

Average class size of 19.6 students, below state average of 20.7

Companies that use Decatur Public Schools

Customer profile

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Decatur Public Schools technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Decatur Public Schools partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

Millikin UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHMS students had opportunity to collaborate with Millikin University's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, rehearsing and performing for students during the day, then presenting a community concert the same night.
CartwheelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree mental health care services available to DPS families through Cartwheel partnership.
BLDD ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBLDD Architects designed the new Ellsworth Dansby Jr. Magnet School building. Presented design development plans to DPS Board of Education.
Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Board partnered with IASB for superintendent search process and stakeholder surveys for candidate profile creation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Decatur Public Schools competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

Frontline Education: Provider of Frontline AppliTrack, the applicant tracking and HR platform that Decatur Public Schools uses; an EdTech vendor/ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
Skyward (Skyward, Inc.): Provider of the Skyward Student Information System that DPS uses for enrollment, grade tracking, and registration; a critical infrastructure provider/ecosystem partner to the district's operations.

Broad incumbents

Cleveland Metropolitan School District: Larger Midwestern public school district serving a similar industrial/post-industrial urban population, useful as a benchmark for facility investment, special education, and declining-enrollment strategies.
Chicago Public Schools: Illinois state-level public school district serving as the regulatory and funding environment setter; broadly incumbent in the same Illinois educational policy regime as DPS but at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

Indianapolis Public Schools: Midwest urban public school district with comparable enrollment scale and demographic profile, but operates outside Illinois — useful for benchmarking magnet and innovation school strategies.

Direct peers

Rockford Public Schools District 205: Larger Illinois public school district serving a similar Rust Belt industrial context; useful peer for facility investment, magnet differentiation, and ELL programming comparisons.
Peoria Public Schools District 150: Illinois public school district in a comparable mid-size city, with similar face of mid-sized district operational challenges, governance, and magnet programs; useful peer for budget and enrollment dynamics.
Bloomington District 87: Central Illinois public school district of nearly identical enrollment scale (~7,000 students), with similar magnet/STEM, neighborhood elementary, and high school structure — a near-direct operating comparability.
Springfield Public Schools (District 186): Illinois public school district of comparable scale serving the state capital; operates similar PreK-12 footprint with magnet programs, ELL, and special education services, making it the closest same-state size match for Decatur Public Schools.
Champaign Unit 4 Schools: Mid-size Illinois public school district operating a comparable PreK-12 model with magnet options, early childhood, and university partnerships (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), comparable to DPS's Millikin partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Decatur Public Schools financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Decatur Public Schools leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Decatur Public Schools funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Decatur Public Schools M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Decatur Public Schools

What does Decatur Public Schools do?

Is Decatur Public Schools a public or private company?

Decatur Public Schools is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Decatur Public Schools founded?

Decatur Public Schools was founded in 1865. It employs 251 to 500 people.

Where is Decatur Public Schools based?

Decatur Public Schools is headquartered in Decatur, United States, in the North America region.

How does Decatur Public Schools make money?

One revenue line is on record: public Education Funding.

Who are Decatur Public Schools's main competitors?

Others on record are Frontline Education and Skyward (Skyward, Inc.). Broad incumbents are Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Chicago Public Schools. Indianapolis Public Schools is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Rockford Public Schools District 205, Peoria Public Schools District 150, Bloomington District 87, Springfield Public Schools (District 186) and Champaign Unit 4 Schools.

Does Decatur Public Schools have an API?

No public API is recorded for Decatur Public Schools.

What industry is Decatur Public Schools in?

Decatur Public Schools's product category is Public K-12 Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADABAA, Public School Districts (K–12), with a secondary code of EDAJAAAD, Public High Schools. Its NAICS code is 611110 and its SIC code is 8200.