Background

Illinois School History

From Section 16 school lands to the consolidation vote of 1945, a year-by-year timeline of how Illinois built and then merged its schools.

12 min read

After the Revolutionary War the Confederation Congress was broke. The Articles of Confederation didn’t allow the federal government to tax its citizens. The Land Ordinance of 1785 helped deal with this problem. As the states and Indians gave up their land, government surveyors divided the Illinois into townships. Each township was a square with sides six miles in length. The square would be 36 square miles. The township would then be divided into one-mile square sections. Section 16 was to use for a public school. Section 8, 11, 26, and 29 would be given to veterans of the American Revolution for service during the war. The federal government would sell the rest for not less than $640 per section or $1.00 per acre. Congress hoped to encourage the orderly growth of west of the Appalachians and make money.

Illinois Education Timeline

1818 - 1849

  • 1818 Illinois becomes the 21st state, with a population under 50,000.
  • 1825 The Illinois Legislature passes the Free School Law which calls for common schools in each county. Counties can create school districts and levy taxes to support schools. The law states that 2% of all state income must be used to support education. States can create school districts and levy taxes to support schools.
  • 1829 The Office of School Commissioner is established with each county.
  • 1845 The Illinois Secretary of State is charged with the administration of schools and is designated as “State Superintendent of Public Instruction”.

1850 - 1859

  • 1854 The Superintendent of Public Instruction becomes a separate office and is no longer a responsibility of the Secretary of State. The Office of the Supt. of Public Instruction is established.
  • 1855 Legislation is approved to provide a free public school system.
  • 1856 Springfield establishes a public school system. Within a short time, a separate school is created for black students.
  • 1857 William Powell becomes Illinois’ first elected state superintendent of education.

1860 - 1869

  • 1865 The School Law of 1865 makes the position of state superintendent a four-year term. County School Commissioners become County Superintendents of Schools.

1870 - 1879

  • 1870 A new state constitution states “The General Assembly shall provide a thorough and efficient system of free schools, whereby all the children of this state may receive a good common school education.” The new constitution provides for the creation of local school boards and designates the state superintendent a constitutional officer.
  • 1872 The General Township High School Law enables voters to create and support a township high school.
  • 1874 An attempt to require compulsory school attendance fails in the legislature. A new law forbids segregation in public schools.
  • 1876 In Illinois there are: 973,589 school-aged children between the ages of 6 and 21 (70% attend public schools); 1,563 school districts with 11,083 grade schools, 110 high schools and 20,000 teachers. The average school year is just under seven months long.

1880 - 1889

  • 1882 By this time, most land assets set aside for school use (Section 16 land) had been sold. There are 164 high schools in Illinois.
  • 1883 The Compulsory School Attendance Law passes. It requires all children between 8 and 14 to attend public or private school at least 12 weeks during a year. (This law is not strictly enforced until after World War II.)
  • 1889 The compulsory age for school attendance is lowered to 7. The minimum school year is extended to 16 weeks.

1890 - 1899

  • 1890 The average school year was 7.5 months long. For most students, instruction included reading, arithmetic, science and music. Female teachers earned an average of $44 per month. Male teachers made about $10 more.
  • 1891 The right of suffrage in school elections is granted to women.

1900 - 1909

  • 1900 National statistics for education: average cost per pupil, $17; illiteracy rate, 10.7%; average public school salary, $325.
  • 1905 Illinois legislation provides that any school district can establish a high school. County superintendents begin to receive salaries.
  • 1907 The State Education Commission is created. Francis G. Blair begins to serve as the State Superintendent. He holds the position for 28 years, longer than anyone in Illinois history.
  • 1909 The state appropriation to the Common School Fund for the 09/11 biennium is $2.1 million.

1910 - 1919

  • 1911 A state act provides for the election of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, County Superintendent and boards of education.
  • 1912 In Illinois, 69,512 students attend high school.
  • 1915 The Illinois State Teacher’s Pension Fund passes, which helps attract citizens to the profession.
  • 1917 A special tax authorizes the payment of tuition for grade 8 graduates in non high school districts to attend nearby high school districts.
  • 1919 A school consolidation law goes into effect. Within two years there were 60 consolidations across the state.

1920 - 1929

  • 1920 In Illinois there are 1.2 million students and 38,000 teachers. The state appropriates $6 million for K-12 public education. Illinois ranks 23rd with 27.5% of state and local funds supporting education. Illinois ranks 38th in the amount of per student state tax support, $1.47.
  • 1925 Forty-three Illinois districts have junior high schools.
  • 1926 In Stark County, the per pupil expenditure is $4,374. In Williamson County, the amount is $728.
  • 1927 The Illinois legislature allows for greater state aid to poorer districts. Each district receives $9 per student. Additional funds, as much as $25 per student, are directed to districts with low evaluations.

1930 - 1939

  • 1931 The state of Illinois begins providing funds on a per student basis to assure equity between rich and poor districts.
  • 1934 The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has a staff of 34.
  • 1936 The Illinois Curriculum Conference meets for the first time.
  • 1938 The General Assembly passes a bill, which appropriates $500,000 for the bussing of students. This action promotes school consolidation. For the first time, Illinois high schools receive direct state aid.

1940 - 1949

  • 1942 With over 12,000 districts, Illinois has more public school districts than any other state. Over 10,000 one-room schools have an average enrollment of 12 students. The population of rural students in Illinois is one-third of the number in 1900.
  • 1945 Illinois citizens vote to reduce the number of school districts from 12,000 to 2,000.

1945 New School Laws

  • H.B. 267 increases State reimbursement for transportation to $20. per student
  • H.B. 684 No state aid for schools having an average daily attendance of less than seven.
  • H.B. No teacher employed on a full time basis can be paid less than $1200 for the school year.
  • 1946 Wilder-Waite School becomes District #301
  • 1946 The U.S. School Lunch Act begins to support school lunch programs.
  • 1947 The Common Unit Law goes into effect and accelerates school consolidations.

1950 - 1959

  • 1950 There are 4,480 school districts in Illinois.
  • 1955 The number of school districts is reduced to 2,242.
  • 1958 Responding in part to scientific advances in the Soviet Union, the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) serves to improve math, science and foreign language instruction.

1960 - 1969

  • 1963 The population of Illinois is over 10 million and there are 1,430 school districts in the state.
  • 1966 The number of school districts is reduced to 1,340. Congress passes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is designed to assure equality in education throughout the country.
  • 1967 Illinois creates a state mandate for bilingual education. It provides resources for schools with more than 20 students for whom English is not their first language.
  • 1969 Wilder-Waite, Dunlap Grade, and Dunlap High become District #323

1970 - 1979

  • 1970 Article X of the new state constitution creates the State Board of Education. A 17 member board replaces the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction.

1980 - 1989

  • 1983 Illinois acknowledges the 100th anniversary of compulsory education.
  • 1984 “Statements of Student Learning Outcomes” are developed, which lead to the Illinois Learning Standards.
  • 1985 The General Assembly passes the Education Reform Act which leads to numerous educational changes. Illinois adopts 34 “State Goals for Learning”.
  • 1986 The first Illinois School Report Cards were distributed to parents and citizens.
  • 1988 The Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) began to assess student achievement.

1990 - 1999

  • 1991 Legislation provides for the creation of the Illinois Academic Watch List.
  • 1995 School districts began to seek waivers and modifications to select Illinois laws or rules.
  • 1996 A new Illinois law provided for the creation of charter schools.
  • 1997 The Illinois Learning Standards are adopted. The assessment for students with limited English proficient, IMAGE, is first administered. Illinois reduces the number of State Board members from 17 to 9.
  • 1999 The IGAP assessment program was replaced by the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT).

2000 - 2004

  • 2000 The number of school districts is reduced to 894.
  • 2001 The first Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) is taken by Illinois 11th grade students.
  • 2002 President George Bush signed into law NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
  • 2004 The compulsory age for school attendance is raised to 17. In Illinois there are: over 2 million public school students and more than 300,000 nonpublic school students; 888 public school districts; 4,271 public schools; over 130,000 people teach in grades K through 12 in Illinois public schools.

New 2008 State School Laws affecting Illinois Schools

Bill Title Index

  • Adult Entertainment Facility: Public Act 95-0047 (HB 0286)
  • Adult Entertainment-Facility: Public Act 95-0214 (HB 1608)
  • Advanced Placement Fees: Public Act 95-0491 (SB 0841)
  • AEDs-Immunity: Public Act 95-0447 (SB 0404)
  • Affordable Housing Reimbursements: Public Act 95-0330 (SB 0220)
  • Agricultural Teacher Training: Public Act 95-0153 (HB 1922)
  • Agriculture Plates: Public Act 95-0094 (HB 1024)
  • Alcohol Consumption Instruction: Public Act 95-0168 (HB 3327)
  • Alcopop Ads Near Schools: Public Act 95-0618 (SB 1625)
  • Alternative Teacher Certificate Changes: Public Act 95-0270 (SB 0306)
  • Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2008: Public Act 95-0348 (HB 3866)
  • Appropriations-Supplemental: Public Act 95-0144 (SB 0241)
  • Background Check-Private School: Public Act 95-0351 (SB 0143)
  • Biometric Information: Public Act 95-0232 (SB 1702)
  • Bond Authority: Rochester, Prairie Grove, Prairie Hill: Public Act 95-0594 (HB 1969)
  • Bullying Policy: Public Act 95-0349 (HB 0018)
  • Canvass of Elections: Public Act 95-0141 (HB 1872)
  • Cell Phones-Prohibition: Public Act 95-0338 (SB 0140)
  • Certification-School Service Personnel: Public Act 95-0592 (HB 1647)
  • Chicago Teacher Evaluation: Public Act 95-0510 (SB 1474)
  • Child Abuse Reporting: Public Act 95-0461 (SB 1428)
  • Children with Disabilities: Public Act 95-0014 (HB 0817)
  • Civic Education Advancement: Public Act 95-0225 (HB 2787)
  • Civil Rights Act-Gender: Public Act 95-0541 (SB 1467)
  • Criminal History Information: Public Act 95-0599 (HB 3512)
  • Deactivation of School Facility: Public Act 95-0110 (HB 1651)
  • Diabetes Initiative Act: Public Act 95-0419 (SB 0654)
  • Driver Education Distractions: Public Act 95-0339 (SB 1557)
  • Driver Education-Enhanced Training: Public Act 95-0310 (SB 0172)
  • Driving Privileges-Denial: Public Act 95-0337 (HB 1080)
  • Driving Records-Minors: Public Act 95-0201 (HB 0518)
  • Eavesdropping Exemption for School Buses: Public Act 95-0352 (SB 0665)
  • Educational Partnership Act: Public Act 95-0039 (HB 0223)
  • Educational Support Personnel-Hours Reduced: Public Act 95-0396 (SB 1560)
  • Educational Support Personnel-Consolidation: Public Act 95-0148 (HB 1847)
  • Election-Poll Watchers: Public Act 95-0267 (SB 0299)
  • Elections-Change Primary Date: Public Act 95-0006 (HB 0426)
  • Employment Safety: Public Act 95-0623 (HB 1911)
  • Ensuring Success in School: Public Act 95-0558 (HB 1330)
  • Fire Sprinkler Inspection: Public Act 95-0305 (SB 0495)
  • Foreign Corporation Judgments: Public Act 95-0515 (SB 1576)
  • Gang Resistance Education: Public Act 95-0198 (HB 0438)
  • Grants-CPR/AED Training: Public Act 95-0043 (HB 0258)
  • Grants-Psychology Internships: Public Act 95-0102 (HB 1363)
  • Grants-Renewable Energy: Public Act 95-0046 (HB 0285)
  • Grants-Youthbuild: Public Act 95-0524 (HB 0202)
  • Green Cleaning Schools Act: Public Act 95-0084 (HB 0895)
  • Green Governments Illinois: Public Act 95-0657 (SB 0046)
  • Grow Your Own Teacher: Public Act 95-0476 (SB 0446)
  • Health Centers-Schools: Public Act 95-0488 (SB 0715)
  • High School Equivalency Testing: Public Act 95-0609 (SB 0853)
  • Higher Education-Remedial Coursework: Public Act 95-0272 (SB 0313)
  • HPV Vaccine: Public Act 95-0422 (SB 0937)
  • Human Rights Act: Public Act 95-0668 (SB 0593)
  • IMRF-Military Service: Public Act 95-0483 (HB 0804)
  • IMRF-Military Service: Public Act 95-0486 (SB 0647)
  • Insurance-Breast Exam: Public Act 95-0189 (HB 0147)
  • Insurance-Breast Ultrasound Screening: Public Act 95-0431 (SB 1365)
  • Interfund Transfers: Public Act 95-0053 (HB 0357)
  • Internet Safety Education: Public Act 95-0509 (SB 1472)
  • Kindergarten Enrollment Attendance: Public Act 95-0417 (SB 0543)
  • Laptop Computer Project: Public Act 95-0387 (SB 0746)
  • Life Skills Programs: Public Act 95-0391 (SB 0850)
  • Mandate Waiver Limit for P.E.: Public Act 95-0223 (HB 1839)
  • Mercury Added Products Ban: Public Act 95-0087 (HB 0943)
  • P-20 Council: Public Act 95-0626 (HB 1648)
  • Pest Management Training: Public Act 95-0058 (HB 0425)
  • Professional Worker Definition: Public Act 95-0363 (SB 0122)
  • Property Tax Assessments: Public Act 95-0644 (HB 0664)
  • PTELL Adjustments: Public Act 95-0404 (HB 0576)
  • Repeals-Provisions of School Code: Public Act 95-0496 (SB 1165)
  • Required High School Courses: Public Act 95-0299 (SB 0424)
  • Safety Education-Teachers: Public Act 95-0371 (SB 0395)
  • Sales Tax for Construction: Public Act 95-0675 (SB 0835)
  • School Bus-Call Numbers: Public Act 95-0176 (HB 3624)
  • School Bus-Illegal Passing: Public Act 95-0105 (HB 1475)
  • School Bus Inspection: Public Act 95-0260 (SB 0166)
  • School Bus Strobe Lamp: Public Act 95-0319 (HB 1238)
  • School Construction Grant-Green Building: Public Act 95-0416 (SB 0505)
  • School Crossings-Reckless Homicide: Public Act 95-0467 (HB 0508)
  • School Crosswalk-Yield: Public Act 95-0302 (SB 0441)
  • School Energy Conservation: Public Act 95-0612 (SB 1183)
  • School Entrance Road-IDOT: Public Act 95-0271 (SB 0308)
  • School Facilities-Community Use: Public Act 95-0308 (SB 0538)
  • School Zone-Reckless Driving: Public Act 95-0587 (SB 0363)
  • Sex Offender-Early Voting: Public Act 95-0440 (HB 0263)
  • Sick Leave-Birth or Adoption: Public Act 95-0151 (HB 1877)
  • Silent Reflection Requirement: Public Act 95-0680 (SB 1463)
  • Social Security Number Task Force: Public Act 95-0482 (HB 0574)
  • Special Education-Autism: Public Act 95-0257 (SB 0079)
  • Special Education-Delegation of Rights: Public Act 95-0372 (SB 0396)
  • Special Education Expenses Report: Public Act 95-0555 (HB 1030)
  • Special Education-Orphanage Reimbursement: Public Act 95-0313 (SB 0398)
  • Special Education-Reimbursement: Public Act 95-0415 (SB 0397)
  • Speech Pathology Extension: Public Act 95-0465 (HB 0121)
  • State Aid-Partial Day: Public Act 95-0152 (HB 1910)
  • Summer School Food Program: Public Act 95-0155 (HB 1964)
  • Task Force on African American Men: Public Act 95-0062 (SB 0776)
  • Tax Credit-Child Care: Public Act 95-0648 (HB 1242)
  • Teacher Homebuyer Assistance: Public Act 95-0449 (SB 1224)
  • Third Party Contracts: Public Act 95-0241 (HB 1347)
  • TIF Extension-Mt Zion: Public Act 95-0662 (SB 0247)
  • TIF Extension-Oak Forest: Public Act 95-0459 (SB 1363)
  • TIF Extension-Villa Grove: Public Act 95-0653 (HB 2036)
  • TIF Extension-Village of Riverdale: Public Act 95-0015 (HB 2307)
  • TIF Extension-West Chicago: Public Act 95-0346 (SB 0561)
  • TIF-Recovered EAV: Public Act 95-0090 (HB 0983)
  • TIF Study: Public Act 95-0227 (HB 3434)
  • Tort Immunity Tax: Public Act 95-0244 (HB 1562)
  • Trustees of Schools-Withdraw: Public Act 95-0004 (SB 0423)
  • Video Taping Penalties: Public Act 95-0265 (SB 0273)
  • Vision Exam Requirement: Public Act 95-0671 (SB 0641)
  • Whistleblower Act: Public Act 95-0128 (HB 0742)
  • Wind Farms-Zoning: Public Act 95-0203 (HB 0620)
  • Wind Turbine Farms: Public Act 95-0390 (SB 0843)
  • Woodlands Assessment: Public Act 95-0633 (SB 0017)
Added in 2026

How the count came down

The timeline stops in 2004 with 888 public school districts. The count has kept falling slowly since. As of July 1, 2025, Illinois had 851 public school districts: 367 elementary districts, 96 high school districts and 387 unit districts, plus one district run by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and two cooperative high schools. Set that beside the more than 12,000 districts of 1942, most of them a single country school, and the scale of the change after the war is plain.

Illinois was late, not early. Across the country, consolidation cut the number of one-room schools quickly in the 1920s and 1930s, once motor buses could carry farm children to town, and most had been replaced by larger schools by World War II except in the most rural places. In Illinois the decisive years came after 1945, with the district reduction vote and the Common Unit Law of 1947, and the timeline shows the count falling from 4,480 in 1950 to 1,340 by 1966.

Peoria County shows the pattern. Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 was created in 1969 from three districts: Dunlap Township High School District 158, Dunlap Consolidated Grade School District 302 and Wilder-Waite Consolidated Grade School District 303. Wilder-Waite itself had been formed in 1946 out of several small country districts, and its new school opened in the fall of 1948 to replace their buildings. The timeline above gives Wilder-Waite's number as #301, while the district's Wikipedia history uses 303; county records would settle it.

The State Board of Education created by the 1970 constitution took over the powers of the elected state superintendent on January 12, 1975, and today has nine members appointed by the Governor. Some one-room schools never closed at all. As of 2005, almost 400 one-room schools still operated somewhere in the United States, and more than 200 old schoolhouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Common questions

How many school districts did Illinois have before consolidation?

In 1942 Illinois had over 12,000 school districts, more than any other state, and over 10,000 one-room schools with an average enrollment of 12 students. The number fell to 4,480 by 1950, 2,242 by 1955 and 1,340 by 1966. As of July 1, 2025, there were 851 public school districts.

When did one-room schools close in Illinois?

Most closed in the decade after World War II. Illinois voters agreed in 1945 to cut the number of districts from about 12,000 to 2,000, and the Common Unit Law of 1947 sped up consolidation. A 1945 law also ended state aid to schools with an average daily attendance of fewer than seven pupils.

What was Section 16 land used for in Illinois?

Under the Land Ordinance of 1785, each six-mile-square township was divided into 36 one-mile sections, and Section 16 was set aside to support a public school. By 1882 most of that Section 16 land in Illinois had been sold, and schools relied on local taxes and state funds instead.

When did school attendance become compulsory in Illinois?

The Compulsory School Attendance Law passed in 1883. It required children between 8 and 14 to attend public or private school at least 12 weeks a year, though it was not strictly enforced until after World War II. The age was lowered to 7 in 1889 and the upper age raised to 17 in 2004.

What did a rural Illinois teacher earn in the 1890s?

According to the timeline, female teachers in Illinois earned an average of $44 per month in 1890, and male teachers made about $10 more. The average school year was 7.5 months long, and instruction for most students covered reading, arithmetic, science and music. Pay improved slowly, and a 1945 law set a floor of $1,200 for a full-time school year.