Coal City Community Unit School District

What Coal City Community Unit School District does

Coal City Community Unit School District #1 is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Coal City, Illinois, serving approximately 2,122 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade across five attendance centers — Early Childhood Center, Elementary School, Intermediate School, Middle School, and High School — within a 55-square-mile area in eastern Grundy County. The district serves the communities of Carbon Hill, Coal City, Diamond, and Goose Lake and is led by Superintendent Christopher T. Spencer, who has spent his entire 29-year education career with the district. It is governed by a seven-member elected Board of Education and operates as a unit of Illinois state government rather than as a commercial enterprise.

The district's technology and operational stack is built on standard K-12 administrative platforms rather than proprietary systems: PowerSchool for the student information system and gradebook, Frontline Education for HR, absence management, and substitute finding, Skyward for employee access, RevTrak for online fee payments, EASYIEP for special education IEP management, Applitrack for employment applications, GCN Training for compliance training, and Finalsite for the district's website. The district employs 101-250 staff, including 16 National Board Certified Teachers accumulated over 25 years under mentor Pam Vigna, and offers academic programs in core subjects, fine arts (including an award-winning theatre program), career and technical education, world languages, physical education, and special education.

As a public entity, Coal City Schools is funded primarily through local property taxes, Illinois state aid distributed via per-pupil formulas, and federal grants including Title I, special education, and school nutrition programs. Education is tuition-free to district residents, with ancillary revenue from student activity fees, athletic and course-material fees, facility rentals (including an 800-seat Performing Arts Center), and supplementary fundraising through the Unit 1 Educational Foundation. The district has engaged Chapman and Cutler LLP as bond counsel and Raymond James as financial advisor, and in March 2025 updated a 10-year facility assessment plan with Cordogan Clark and Associates covering capital needs through 2035.

Name

Coal City Community Unit School District

Legal name

Coal City Community Unit School District #1

Website

https://coalcityschools.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Coal City Community Unit School District #1 is a public K-12 district in Coal City, Illinois, serving approximately 2,122 students across pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at five attendance centers in eastern Grundy County, funded by property taxes and Illinois state aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Pre-kindergarten programs
• Secondary education services
• Special education programs
• Performing arts center

Headquarters

HQ city

Coal City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Local property taxes constitute the primary funding source for the school district, supporting educational operations and facilities
2. State Aid: Illinois state funding for public education distributed based on per-pupil formulas and categorical aids
3. Federal Funding: Federal education grants and programs including Title I, special education, and school nutrition programs
4. Facility Rental Fees: Community groups pay fees to use school facilities including the Performing Arts Center
5. Student Fees: Fees for student activities, athletics, and course-specific materials as documented in annual fee schedules

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coal City Community Unit School District #1 is a unified public school district that provides tuition-free pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education to district residents across five attendance centers in eastern Grundy County, Illinois. The district also offers supplemental fee-based programs including summer athletic camps, an award-winning Coal City Theatre Department housed in an 800-seat Performing Arts Center, and rental of the Performing Arts Center facility to community groups.

Product overview

Coal City Community Unit School District #1 operates as a unified public school district offering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education through five attendance centers. The district's portfolio includes four traditional schools (Early Childhood Center, Elementary School, Intermediate School, Middle School, and High School) plus a 800-seat Performing Arts Center housing the award-winning Coal City Theatre Department. Academic programs span across core subjects (English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies), Fine Arts (visual arts, music, theater), Career & Technical Education, World Languages, and Physical Education/Health. The district maintains specialized programs including Special Populations services, SECA (Social Emotional Career Academic) curriculum, and Summer Camps. With approximately 2,122 students across 55 square miles, the district serves the Illinois communities of Carbon Hill, Coal City, Diamond, and Goose Lake, achieving Exemplary designations for its Intermediate and High Schools from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 92.4% graduation rate
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

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

• Cordogan Clark and AssociatesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Engaged in 2019 to develop Facility Assessment Plan 2019-2029 for long-range capital planning. In 2022, engaged for Facilities Improvement Plan development. In 2023, performed decennial Health Life Safety Survey. Update engagement in March 2025 to update facilities assessment through 2035.
• FAIRCOMminorOthersLobbying organization membership. District is a member of FAIRCOM which uses McGuire Woods Consulting and Whitt Law to monitor legislative activities pertaining to power plant legislation. Annual membership dues are $5,000.
• Illinois Association of School BoardsminorOthersState-level school board association membership with lobbying component. Annual membership dues are $7,625.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationStudent information system used for grades, assignments, attendance, and parent/student communications portal. URL: powerschool.ccu1.net
• ApplitrackcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline application system for employment opportunities at the district
• RevTrakcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment platform for school fees and registrations. URL: coalcity.revtrak.net
• Frontline EducationcoreTechnology or IntegrationHR management and professional development platform for staff
• EASYIEPcoreTechnology or IntegrationSpecial education individualized education program management system
• GCN TrainingcoreTechnology or IntegrationCompliance and professional development training platform for staff
• Van Gogh School PhotographersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography service for school pictures including senior portraits at Coal City High School
• Chapman and Cutler LLPmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBond legal counsel engaged to verify compliance regarding Working Cash Bond issuance in November 2023. Memo dated March 27, 2025 confirmed district met all limitation calculations and had lawful authority to issue bonds.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wilmington Community Unit School District 209U: Adjacent Will County K-12 district with similar small-town demographic profile and comparable enrollment scale. Comparable in mission, funding structure, and grade-band configuration.
• Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201: Neighboring K-12 public school district in Grundy/Will Counties serving a similar rural-to-suburban Illinois community. Directly comparable in mission, funding model (property tax + state aid), grade-band structure, and regional competitive set for student enrollment.
• Reed-Custer Community Unit School District 255U: Neighboring Grundy/Will County K-12 public district with comparable enrollment (~2,000 students), similar property-tax funding model, and overlapping athletic conference. Direct peer for facility planning, academic programming, and district governance comparison.
• Dwight Township High School District 230: Rural Illinois public high school district with comparable enrollment and similar IHSA athletic footprint. Directly comparable in per-pupil funding realities, college preparation programming, and extracurricular breadth.
• Morris Community High School District 101: Adjacent Grundy County public high school district with similar enrollment scale (~800-1,000 high school students) and rural/small-town demographic profile. Directly comparable in funding structure, athletics (IHSA), and college-prep programming.

Others

• Illinois State Board of Education: State regulatory and oversight body that issues the Exemplary/Commendable designations Coal City holds and administers per-pupil funding formulas. Functions as the framework-setting peer rather than a competitor.
• Illinois Association of School Boards: State-level trade association of which Coal City is a dues-paying member. Relevant peer not as a competitor but as a governance/advocacy resource shaping the policy environment (funding formulas, mandates) under which the district operates.

Broad incumbents

• Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202: Larger Will County K-12 district in the same competitive enrollment region. Larger scale offers contrast in operational efficiency, course breadth, and facility modernization that informs Coal City's competitive positioning for boundary-area families.
• Oswego Community Unit School District 308: Larger neighboring district in the same regional Illinois market. Comparable in K-12 public education mission but operates at significantly greater scale, serving as a benchmark for programming breadth Coal City might aspire to as it grows.

Regional players

• Gardner Grade School District 72C: Adjacent Grundy County elementary district feeding into Coal City-area high schools. Comparable in early childhood/elementary programming, though geographically distinct and serves only lower grades.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/coalcityschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/coalcityunit1
• Xx.com/unitdistrict1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coal-city-school-district-1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Coal City Community Unit School District