Bloomington Public Schools

What Bloomington Public Schools does

Bloomington Public Schools (District 87) is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, within McLean County. It operates eight schools — six elementary, one junior high, and one high school — serving the city's compulsory-school-age population. The district runs a multilingual education program supporting approximately 800 students across more than 40 languages, with around 600 students actively developing English proficiency within multilingual pathways. Its service population is defined geographically by district attendance boundaries rather than by commercial sales; families within the catchment area are the de facto customer base, and private/charter enrollment is the only substitute channel.

The district's core operating technology stack is built on third-party vendor platforms: Apptegy powers the D87 App for parent/student communication and alerts; Skyward serves as the student information system; Google Classroom supports digital instruction; and Rooms provides internal communication. There is no indication of proprietary in-house platform development. The district also partners with Peachjar for digital flyer distribution and UPchieve for free on-demand tutoring, extending the service offering beyond the physical school footprint.

Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a U.S. public school district: a combination of local property taxes, the McLean County 1% sales tax (activated Spring 2025), federal and state education funding (Title, IDEA, evidence-based funding), student fees, and food & nutrition program receipts. There is no published tuition price; the district is publicly funded and does not compete on price. The business model is therefore non-commercial, with revenue determined by tax base, state funding formulas, and legislative/ballot outcomes rather than market dynamics.

Name

Bloomington Public Schools

Legal name

Bloomington Public Schools District 87

Website

https://district87.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1857

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bloomington Public Schools (District 87) is a public K-12 school district in Bloomington, Illinois, operating eight schools and serving a geographically defined student population that includes roughly 800 multilingual learners across 40+ languages. It is funded through property taxes, a county sales tax, and federal/state education aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA), Attendance, Truancy & Enrollment Compliance (EDAJAHAC), District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Multilingual education programs
• Special education services
• School nutrition programs
• Student information systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Tax Funding: Primary funding from local property taxes and the McLean County 1% sales tax dedicated to improving school facilities, hiring school resource officers, and supporting mental health professionals
2. Federal/State Education Funding: Government funding including Title programs, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funding for special education services
3. Student Fees: Fees for student activities, athletics, and other educational services
4. Food & Nutrition Services: School nutrition program including Cafe 87 Catering, with free and reduced lunch programs available

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bloomington Public Schools District 87 is a public school district operating elementary, junior high, and high schools in Bloomington, Illinois. The district provides free K-12 public education, English language development and bilingual programs serving 40+ languages, special education services under IDEA, school nutrition, athletics, mental health support, and related student services to enrolled students and families within district boundaries.

Product overview

Bloomington Public Schools District 87 operates a unified digital ecosystem centered on its Apptegy-powered website and mobile application. The core D87 App serves as the primary interface for district communication, news, and access to the Rooms parent-teacher chat platform. Supporting the core platform, the district offers Family Access via Skyward for academic information, a Revenue Dashboard for financial transparency, and integrations with Google Classroom, Zoom, Remind, Peachjar, and UPchieve for learning, communication, and tutoring services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• D87 Mobile Application Official mobile application for Bloomington Public Schools District 87 that delivers district news, events calendars, school directories, and integrated access to the Rooms communication platform for families and staff.
• Rooms Parent-Teacher Communication Platform Communication platform accessible via the district app and web browser that enables direct messaging between parents, teachers, and district staff, including parent-teacher chat functionality.
• Family Access Portal (Skyward) Skyward-powered online portal that enables parents and guardians to access student grades, attendance records, schedules, and other academic information.
• Revenue Dashboard Public live dashboard providing transparency on the county-wide 1% sales tax revenue dedicated to school facilities, resource officers, and mental health professionals.
• Cafe 87 Catering Catering service offered by the district's Food & Nutrition department for school and community events.
• Helping Minds Grow Podcast District-produced podcast for community engagement, education awareness, and supporting student wellness and mental health topics.
• Multilingual/Bilingual Education Programs Comprehensive English Development Programs and Bilingual Programs, including a One-Way Dual Language program starting at pre-K with 95% Spanish instruction and a Transitional Bilingual Program, serving approximately 800 multilingual students across 40+ languages.
• UPchieve Free Online Tutoring Free online tutoring service available to District 87 students, delivered through the district's partnership with UPchieve.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PeachjarcoreTechnology or IntegrationPeachjar's platform streamlines school-to-home communication by distributing school and community resources directly to families as digital flyers. The partnership helps the district go paperless and save thousands of trees annually.
• ApptegycoreTechnology or IntegrationApptegy provides the website platform powering the district's online presence and mobile app functionality. The custom-built D87 App is powered by Apptegy technology.
• McLean CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn Spring 2025, McLean County adopted a 1% sales tax dedicated to improving school facilities, hiring school resource officers, and supporting mental health professionals, with the cost shared by countywide retailers and online merchants.
• UPchieveminorOthersFree online tutoring service available to District 87 students through the district's partnership with UPchieve.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Champaign Unit 4 School District: Central Illinois public K-12 district serving a comparable mid-size city. Similar demographic mix including multilingual learners, and similar technology adoption patterns (Apptegy-style platforms).
• Elgin Area School District U-46: Large Illinois public K-12 district notable for its very high multilingual learner share — directly comparable reference for bilingual programming scale and dual language pathway design.
• Rockford Public Schools District 205: Mid-size Illinois public K-12 district in a post-industrial city with comparable demographic profile, multilingual learner population, and reliance on state and federal funding streams.
• Peoria Public Schools District 150: Mid-size central Illinois public K-12 district comparable in scale to District 87. Similar urban-core demographic profile, comparable per-pupil funding dynamics, and overlapping vendor ecosystem for SIS and communication platforms.
• Aurora Public Schools District 129: Mid-size Illinois public K-12 district with similar scale and growing multilingual population. Comparable mix of career and technical education, special education, and family communication platforms.
• Decatur Public Schools District 61: Central Illinois public K-12 district of comparable size with similar urban demographic and multilingual learner composition. Useful benchmark for funding and program delivery efficiency.
• Springfield School District 186: Illinois public K-12 district of comparable size operating in a mid-size city (state capital). Comparable mix of multilingual learner services, special education, and community-funded facility programs.
• Cicero School District 99: Illinois public K-12 district with comparable demographic profile, large multilingual learner population, and similar dependence on Title III and bilingual education funding streams.
• Joliet Public School District 86: Mid-size Illinois public K-12 district with comparable scale and an increasingly multilingual student population. Similar reliance on state foundation formula and federal Title programs.

Direct peers

• McLean County Unit District No. 5: Adjacent public K-12 district serving Normal, Illinois within the same McLean County as District 87. Most directly comparable peer — similar size, same labor market, overlapping vendor stack (Skyward, Apptegy), and shared exposure to the new 1% county sales tax.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/District_87
• Facebookfacebook.com/BloomingtonDistrict87

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Bloomington Public Schools