Dupage Policy Journal

School districts across DuPage County held a combined $1.3 billion in long-term outstanding debt as of fiscal year 2024, amounting to 20.2% of the area’s total allowable borrowing capacity, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Under Illinois law, districts may only borrow up to a certain limit based on their Equalized Assessed Value (EAV)—a standardized measure of taxable property used to determine legal debt caps.

Based on the school district's enrollment of 135,214 students, the countywide debt translates to approximately $9,882 per student as of fiscal year 2024.

The county includes 38 school districts, of which Elmhurst School District 205 held the most debt, totaling $197.4 million.

Elmhurst School District 205 ranked ninth statewide among all 851 Illinois districts reporting outstanding debt.

Among the school districts in DuPage County, Elmhurst School District 205 used the highest percentage of its EAV-based debt limit at 5.8%, holding $197.4 million in outstanding debt with 8,285 students enrolled—approximately $23,823 per student. Bensenville School District 2 ranked second, using 4.6% of its borrowing capacity with $38.5 million in long-term debt and an enrollment of 2,022— $19,056 per student.

Countywide, students identifying as white comprised the largest ethnic group in DuPage County schools, accounting for 50.7% of the total enrollment. The second-largest ethnic group was Hispanic, comprising 25.6% of the student body.

The data was obtained by Wirepoints through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Illinois has enacted a law that changes the amount of debt school districts can issue. According to an analysis by Chapman, the new rules permit school districts to borrow more money than previously allowed. At the same time, the law modifies limits on property tax extensions that fund this debt. As a result, if districts take on more debt, local property taxes could increase to cover the additional costs.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s budget for fiscal year 2026 will increase from nearly $10.8 billion to about $11.2 billion. This includes a $307 million boost for K–12 schools, marking the smallest annual increase since 2020.

The agency has paused about $50 million in funding previously allocated through the Evidence-Based Funding formula for the Property Tax Relief Grant while reviewing its impact on local tax relief. Officials say the pause could affect the timing and amount of property tax relief available to taxpayers.

The annual reporting aims to increase transparency and accountability around school debt. Future reports will include 15 years of historical data, allowing residents to track long-term financial trends.

County Rank	State Rank	School District	Outstanding Debt	Percentage of Debt Limit Used	Percentage of EAV Used	Enrollment
1	9	Elmhurst School District 205	$197,370,795	41.7%	5.8%	8,285
2	15	Hinsdale Township High School District 86	$135,072,073	29.9%	2.1%	3,774
3	17	Downers Grove Grade School District 58	$132,978,397	56.2%	3.9%	4,770
4	25	Community High School District 99	$112,198,909	28.9%	2%	4,630
5	50	Glenbard Township High School District 87	$66,285,897	13.5%	0.9%	7,606
6	54	Indian Prairie School District 204	$61,350,655	6.5%	0.9%	25,781
7	57	Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181	$58,065,065	27.4%	1.9%	3,531
8	66	Villa Park School District 45	$50,840,000	54.9%	3.8%	3,139
9	79	DuPage High School District 88	$44,795,000	17.4%	1.2%	3,715
10	86	Community Unit School District 200	$41,334,334	7.7%	1.1%	11,488
11	93	Bensenville School District 2	$38,531,000	67.2%	4.6%	2,022
12	94	Fenton Community High School District 100	$38,310,000	36%	2.5%	1,371
13	112	Marquardt School District 15	$32,294,657	59.4%	4.1%	2,280
14	119	Maercker School District 60	$31,048,045	59.7%	4.1%	1,387
15	131	Itasca School District 10	$29,725,000	65.1%	4.5%	984
16	140	Community High School District 94	$26,930,000	25.1%	1.7%	2,012
17	144	Glen Ellyn Community Consolidated School District 89	$25,243,937	37.6%	2.6%	2,222
18	158	West Chicago Elementary School District 33	$23,070,000	31.2%	2.1%	3,237
19	167	Glen Ellyn School District 41	$21,102,000	18.4%	1.3%	3,455
20	203	Cass School District 63	$16,565,374	60.9%	4.2%	777
21	224	Queen Bee School District 16	$14,920,000	43.3%	3%	1,668
22	226	Lombard School District 44	$14,753,973	14.5%	1%	2,979
23	228	Butler School District 53	$14,590,000	21.3%	1.5%	468
24	233	Gower School District 62	$14,350,000	24.1%	1.7%	929
25	247	Keeneyville School District 20	$13,271,356	35.1%	2.4%	1,309
26	283	Center Cass School District 66	$11,390,000	26%	1.8%	1,122
27	284	Westmont Community Unit School District 201	$11,385,000	26.8%	1.9%	1,300
28	307	Roselle School District 12	$9,906,077	42.4%	2.9%	675
29	330	Lake Park Community High School District 108	$8,579,347	4.7%	0.3%	2,526
30	333	Lisle Community Unit School District 202	$8,455,000	8.6%	1.2%	1,486
31	339	Community Consolidated School District 93	$8,250,906	7.4%	0.5%	3,264
32	443	Darien School District 61	$4,788,401	11.7%	0.8%	1,253
33	461	Winfield School District 34	$4,281,483	33.4%	2.3%	316
34	468	Medinah School District 11	$4,179,272	14.6%	1%	697
35	472	Naperville Community Unit School District 203	$4,100,000	0.5%	0.1%	15,935
36	551	Benjamin School District 25	$2,465,000	12.1%	0.8%	632
37	587	Wood Dale School District 7	$1,726,095	3.5%	0.2%	888
38	588	Bloomingdale School District 13	$1,715,000	3.7%	0.3%	1,301