Board of Education of City of Chicago

What Board of Education of City of Chicago does

The Chicago Board of Education is the statutory governing body of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), established under Illinois law in 1840. It provides governance, organizational, and financial oversight for a K-12 public school system serving over 325,000 students across 635 schools, with offerings spanning preschool through high school including magnet, selective-enrollment, International Baccalaureate, classical, fine arts, and STEM programs. The Board approves the district's annual budget, sets policy, hires and evaluates the Superintendent/CEO, and oversees school actions, charters, and major contracts. Operationally, the Board does not sell products or services in the commercial sense; rather, it administers public education delivery funded primarily through a property tax levy (estimated at approximately $4.29 billion for FY2026, representing 48% of district revenue) supplemented by state and federal appropriations. A $9+ billion total district budget underwrites the enterprise.

The Board transitioned to a hybrid governance model on January 15, 2025, inducting 20 members (10 elected district representatives plus a mayor-appointed Board President, with additional appointees during the transition) — making it the largest public school governing body in the United States. The hybrid model will fully convert to elected governance in 2027. Leadership was stabilized in March 2026 with the selection of Dr. Macquline King as permanent Superintendent/CEO on a three-year contract following a national search. Recent strategic priorities include the Healthy Green Schools Pilot Program targeting clean energy and building electrification across 12 schools by FY2026 (earning the first district-level Gold Certification under the Healthy Green Schools and Colleges Standard), expansion of special education services through the Office for Students with Disabilities, and the conversion of high-performing charter schools such as Chicago High School for the Performing Arts (ChiArts) to district management for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Board's revenue mechanics are fundamentally governmental: it raises a property tax levy to its statutory legal limit annually, with FY2026 representing a $188 million increase over the prior year and approximately $25 million in additional revenue secured through a December 2025 levy amendment. Distribution channels are institutional — public board and committee meetings, an in-district headquarters at the CPS Loop Office (42 W. Madison Street, Chicago), YouTube live streaming, and a multi-channel community engagement apparatus including written public comment, office hours with Board members, and committees such as the Black Student Achievement Committee (BSAC) and Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). Customer concentration is structurally inherent: revenue derives from Chicago taxpayers and state/federal appropriations within a single jurisdictional monopoly, while end-users (students, families, special education populations, and the broader Chicago community) number in the hundreds of thousands.

Name

Board of Education of City of Chicago

Legal name

Board of Education of City of Chicago

Website

https://cpsboe.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1840

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Chicago Board of Education is the Illinois-state-mandated governing body for Chicago Public Schools, providing fiscal, policy, and operational oversight for over 325,000 students across 635 K-12 schools under a $9+ billion annual budget funded primarily by property taxes and government appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education Governance

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Administration of Education Programs (923110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Elected School Boards & Governance Councils (EDADABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Policy, Governance & Board Administration (EDAJAHAG), Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA), Charter School Authorizers & Oversight Boards (EDADABAB), District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

Keywords

• Public education governance
• K-12 school oversight
• Education policy administration
• School district budgeting
• Public school board

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Levy: Property tax levy represents 48% of revenue sources for the District. The Board approves the District's recommendation to raise the property tax levy to the legal limit annually. Tax levy amount for FY2026 represents a $188 million increase over the prior year.
2. State and Federal Clean Energy Incentives: The District leverages available state and federal clean energy incentives including renewable energy credits and direct pay tax credits for clean energy projects. Energy savings are reinvested back into school facilities through a new Healthy Green Schools Fund.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Board of Education of City of Chicago is the public governing body responsible for the governance, organizational, and financial oversight of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), one of the largest school districts in the United States. Founded in 1840, the Board establishes education policy, approves the district budget (over $9 billion), hires and evaluates the Superintendent/CEO, approves school actions and charter contracts, and oversees operations across 635 schools serving more than 325,000 students. The Board also administers special education services through the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), approves clean energy and building modernization initiatives, and conducts public meetings, committee meetings, and community engagement.

Product overview

The Chicago Board of Education is a government governing body responsible for the governance, organizational, and financial oversight of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), one of the largest school districts in the United States. Founded in 1840, the Board does not offer commercial products or services but rather provides public governance functions including policy establishment, budget approval, superintendent hiring, and school oversight across 635 schools serving over 325,000 students. The Board's offerings include public board meetings, committee meetings (such as the Special Education Advisory Committee), policy development, and community engagement mechanisms like public comment and office hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Board and Committee Meetings
• Healthy Green Schools Pilot Program
• Special Education Services via the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)
• K-12 Public Education Programs (Preschool through High School)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 325,000 students served across 635 schools with rising graduation rates
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Golden State Entertainment (Division of Golden State Warriors)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Golden State Entertainment, a division of the Golden State Warriors, leveraging culture and arts for positive community impact. Dr. Che 'Rhymefest' Smith serves as a strategic partner in this initiative.
• Art of Culture (Nonprofit)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Dr. Che 'Rhymefest' Smith, the nonprofit champions the healing power of art and nature through initiatives in the U.S., Tanzania and Senegal.
• Abolition InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization focused on combating modern slavery; Dr. Che 'Rhymefest' Smith serves as an advocate through global justice work.
• Journey for Justice AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of grassroots organizations in over 30 cities organizing for community-driven school improvement. Jitu Brown serves as National Director.
• Grow Your Own TeachersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScholarship organization that supports racially diverse individuals who have a desire to become teachers in their own communities. Ebony DeBerry is a board member and recruiter.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools: Florida's largest school district governed by an elected school board. Comparable as a large-urban district governance body with similar charter oversight, bond issuance, and superintendent-selection responsibilities.
• Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education: Elected board governing Atlanta Public Schools. Comparable mid-sized urban district governance structure operating in a similarly diverse, lower-income urban environment.
• Houston Independent School District Board of Education: Elected board governing Texas's largest district. Comparable in scale, elected governance model, and multi-billion-dollar property-tax-funded operating budget structure.
• New York City Department of Education: Governs the largest US public school system (~1M students) with a citywide chancellor-led structure. Directly comparable to CPS as the peer large-urban district governing body managing budget approval, chancellor hiring, and policy oversight for K-12 instruction.
• San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education: Elected board governing SFUSD. Comparable urban district governance with similar policy, budget, and charter-oversight responsibilities at smaller scale than CPS.
• Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education: Elected school board governing LAUSD, the second-largest US district. Directly comparable governance structure (elected board, district-managed schools, charter oversight) operating at comparable scale to Chicago Public Schools.
• Boston Public Schools Committee: Governing body for Boston Public Schools, an appointed hybrid committee model. Comparable mid-sized urban district governance with similar appointee/elected structure and city-funded operating model.
• Detroit Public Schools Community District Board: Governing board for Detroit Public Schools Community District. Comparable mid-sized urban district recovering from historic fiscal distress with similar mayor/board hybrid oversight.
• Broward County Public Schools Board: Elected school board governing Florida's second-largest district. Comparable large-district elected governance model with similar property-tax funding structure and charter oversight responsibilities.
• School District of Philadelphia Board of Education: Governing board for the School District of Philadelphia. Directly comparable large-urban, predominantly low-income district with similar fiscal pressures, mayoral/board hybrid oversight, and chronic pension liabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChiPubSchools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ChiPubSchools
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagopublicschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/board-of-education-of-city-of-chicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/chipubschools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Board of Education of City of Chicago