COOK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 154

What COOK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 154 does

Cook County School District 154 (operating as Wolcott School Dist 154) is a single-building, K-8 public school district headquartered at 200 N. Wolcott Street in Thornton, Illinois. The district is a government state entity governed by a locally elected Board of Education and regulated by the Illinois State Board of Education, serving kindergarten through eighth-grade students residing within its legislated enrollment boundaries. Funding is derived from local property taxes, Illinois state aid, and federal grants, with no tuition charged to district residents.

The district's operational footprint extends beyond core academics to include special education, English Language support, speech and occupational therapy, social work, a McKinney-Vento homeless education liaison, school counseling, health and wellness services, athletics through the Cal Ridge Conference, band and choir (Treble Makers), an after-school program, and a Summer Feeding Illinois food service. The technology stack is conventional public-sector ed-tech: the district website runs on the SOCS (Simplified Online Communication System) platform launched August 2012; SchoolInsight provides the online gradebook; Okta provides staff SSO; nutrislice hosts school menus; and curriculum is delivered through Pearson SuccessNet, Big Ideas Math, and Superkids (Rowland Reading). Community engagement is driven by the Thornton Community PTA through Spirit Wear sales, Penny Wars, and seasonal events.

The go-to-market motion is direct enrollment of district residents via online registration (Linktree) and in-person kindergarten screenings, with no commercial sales motion. Outreach occurs through the district website, email newsletter, Facebook (PTA page), and PTA communications. Leadership consists of Superintendent/Principal Dr. Thomas Hurlburt, Principal Ed Skeoch, Business Manager/CSBO Danielle Byrd, and Director of Student Services Megan Drangsholt, supported by a small administrative and teaching staff. As a publicly funded entity, the district has no venture or private equity ownership, no disclosed financial statements on its public website, and operates under the Collective Bargaining Agreement 22-27.

Name

COOK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 154

Legal name

Wolcott School Dist 154

Website

https://d154.org

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cook County School District 154 (Wolcott School Dist 154) is a single-building K-8 public school district in Thornton, Illinois, funded by property taxes and state aid, serving resident families with academics, special education, athletics, music, after-school care, and McKinney-Vento homeless support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADABAA

Public School Districts (K–12)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/School Districts, Local Education Authorities & Boards

SECONDARYEDAJAAAE

Public K–12 Combined Schools

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Public K–12 Schools & Districts

Keywords

• K-8 public education
• School district operations
• Student academic services
• Elementary education programs
• Community public schooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Thornton

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. Public Education Funding: District receives funding from local property taxes, state aid from Illinois, and federal grants to operate K-8 public education services
2. P-EBT Administration: Administers Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program providing food benefits to eligible students ($6.82 per eligible day)
3. PTA Fundraising: Parent-Teacher Association conducts fundraisers including Spirit Wear sales, Penny Wars, Crushmania, soup fundraisers, and pancake breakfast events to support school programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cook County School District 154 delivers publicly funded K-8 education to resident children, encompassing core academic instruction, athletics, fine arts, and student support services across its school buildings. The district is a government service provider whose primary output is classroom-based education delivered free of charge to eligible families within its attendance area.

Product overview

Wolcott School Dist 154 is a K-8 public school district operating a single school in Thornton, Illinois. The district provides educational services through its main website (www.d154.org) built on the SOCS (Simplified Online Communication System) platform. The product portfolio includes core academic instruction (K-8), athletics (Cal Ridge Conference), music programs (Treble Makers band and choir), after-school enrichment, and parent community engagement via PTA. Supporting services include school meals (via nutrislice/Just a Dash Catering), student health services, McKinney-Vento homeless education support, and library/media services. Parent/student access to grades is provided through SchoolInsight online gradebook. The district also offers online registration through Linktree and staff authentication via Okta.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-8 Academic Instruction

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)coreOthersDistrict participates in P-EBT (Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer) program administered by IDHS, providing food benefits to eligible students who receive free or reduced-price school meals.
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)coreOthersISBE works with districts on P-EBT implementation and school meal program oversight. District is listed as P-EBT eligible school on ISBE website.
• Cal Ridge ConferencecoreOthersAthletic conference membership providing competitive sports opportunities for middle school students. Wolcott School participates in conference athletics programs.
• Just A Dash CateringminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFood service vendor providing school meal menus through nutrislice platform. Catering services for school lunch and breakfast programs.
• American Heart AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool participates in Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser supporting AHA mission. Students raise funds through online fundraising pages and family participation in heart health activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163: Nearby south suburban K-8 public district operating with similar governance, funding, and wraparound-services model.
• Flossmoor School District 161: Nearby Illinois K-8 public district with similar enrollment size, property-tax funding base, and athletics/extracurricular programming. Operates multiple schools under a single district office.
• Lansing School District 158: K-8 public district in the Lansing/southern Cook County area with similar community-anchor positioning and athletic conference participation.
• Prairie Hills Elementary School District 144: Neighboring south suburban K-8 district with comparable enrollment size and reliance on Illinois state aid and local property taxes.
• Homewood School District 153: Adjacent K-8 public school district in the southern Cook County / Chicago south suburbs region. Comparable in scale, governance structure, and student-services model to Wolcott SD 154.
• Country Club Hills School District 160: K-8 public district serving a neighboring south suburban community. Comparable small-district profile, state aid dependence, and full student services offering.
• Calumet City School District 155: Adjacent K-8 public school district in the Cook County south suburbs with similar funding mix and small-district operational profile.
• Brookwood School District 167: Adjacent K-8 district serving Glenwood and surrounding communities in the south Cook County region. Comparable small-district structure and student-services orientation.

Others

• Foundation for Educational Services (SOCS): Vendor that provides the district's SOCS website platform. Indirect technology enabler for the district's parent-facing communication and content delivery.
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE): State-level regulator and funding partner for District 154 (e.g., P-EBT administration, school meal oversight). Shapes policy and funding environment for the district's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Thorntoncommunitypta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cook-county-school-district-154

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 COOK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 154