Location
703 South New Street Champaign, IL 61820
Contact
(217) 351-3838
Website
http://www.champaignschools.org/

As of 2010 Champaign Unit 4 School District serves 9,472 students in 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, two traditional high schools, and an alternative high school.

The Mission of Champaign Unit 4 School District is to "partner with the community to guide all students in gaining knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to direct their lives, improve a diverse society, and excel in a changing world by providing dynamic, resource-rich learning environments and experiences in which people and lifelong learning are valued."

The current "Great Schools, Together" program is an ongoing effort to encourage Student Achievement and Well-being, promote Diversity, provide Faculty and Staff Excellence, Engage with Parents and the Community, and to continue as a steward of fiscal responsibility and accountability. To better the school facilities, the district has outlined goals to place interactive white boards in each classroom, along with projectors, and access to document cameras.

Board of Education

Schools

High Schools

• Academic Academy
• Centennial High School
• Central High School

Middle Schools

• Edison Middle School
• Franklin Middle School
• Jefferson Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Barkstall Elementary School
• Bottenfield Elementary School
• Booker T. Washington Elementary School
• Carrie Busey Elementary School
• Dr. Howard Elementary School
• Garden Hills Elementary School
• Kenwood Elementary School
• Robeson Elementary School
• South Side Elementary School
• Stratton Elementary School
• Westview Elementary School

Champaign Early Childhood Center

History

1855    Illinois state law establishes public school systems and divides Champaign into two districts.

1890    Champaign Districts 1 and 2 are combined into Union District 6; Champaign High School on the West side of the city is used for all students.

1892    Central High School is built and by 1898 five more schools are built for the district.

1901    Name is changed to Champaign District 71. Curriculum includes “art, music and domestic science, reading, spelling, English, physiology, hygiene, physical training, observation work, geography, arithmetic, history, public speaking.”  In high school Latin, German, and science are emphasized.

1908    Curriculum is changed to the more traditional language, science, business, and English courses.

1901 – 1935    Eight new school buildings are built to make room for the increasing number of students enrolling in the school district; six new elementary schools, a new high school, and a junior high school are built during this time period.

1948    The state restructures the school district by adding 12 one-room Districts to No. 71 and creating Community District No. 4.

1951 – 1967    To keep up with the post-World War II population boom in the area, the school district builds 10 new schools.

1968    The school district is reorganized to create a more racially balanced enrollment in each of the district’s elementary schools, based on the Equal Education Opportunities Committee.

1971    The population of Champaign begins to decrease and a couple of schools need to be closed due to the lack of enrollment.

1977 – 1978    The district changes the grade levels in each school to match the k-5, 6-8, and 9-12 models that are still used today.

2010    The district restructures the boundaries of the two high schools in order to have a similar number of students at both schools.

2011 – 2012    District Four plans to have three construction projects completed during this time. Garden Hills Elementary School will be converted to a Magnet School with an emphasis on the arts. Booker T. Washington Elementary School will have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) magnet elementary school program.    Carrie Busey Elementary is being moved to the Savoy area and will hold the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program for the district. (http://www.champaignschools.org/News/0910/Champaign%20School%20History%2011-13-09.pdf )

Points of Pride

• Franklin Middle School is one of only five Met Life Breakthrough Schools in the nation.
• Champaign Unit 4 Schools are proud to have 48 National Board Certified Teachers.
• Over the past three years, four students have achieved a score of 36—a perfect score—on the ACT.
• More than 250 students have scored a 30 or higher on the ACT over the past three years.
• More than $4.9 million in scholarships were awarded to the class of 2012 (up from $4.6 million in 2011).
• Five National Merit Semifinalists in the District for 2012-2013.
• Magnet themes at three elementary schools, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at the Booker T. Washington STEM Academy.
• Self-Contained Gifted Classrooms for grades 2-5 in four elementary schools.
• Champaign high schools offer 15 Advanced Placement Courses. Dual credit courses offered with Parkland College give students both high school and college credit.
• Champaign Unit 4 Schools are proud to have two AVID National Demonstration Schools. In 2011, Franklin Middle School joined Jefferson Middle School in this national honor.
• Jefferson Middle School has been designated as an Illinois Horizon School to Watch by the Association of Illinois Middle-Level Schools.
• Four Champaign Schools Teachers & Volunteers were recognized by the ISBE in the 2012-2013 Those Who Excel Program, including one finalist for Teacher of the Year.
• Booker T. Washington STEM Academy has been recognized as the top Pre K-12 entry in the 2012 American School & University Architectural Portfolio, the premier showcase celebrating the best in education design.
• The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation has awarded $216,000 in energy grants for the new Carrie Busey Elementary School in Savoy, which opened Fall 2012.

District Personnel 

(2012 ISBE Illinois District Report Card)

Teacher Information

Average Class Size

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