On 10/30/2019 The Daily Herald published an article about the per-pupil cost of schools, the following is a summary of some key facts from it:
“While the average per-pupil cost at a typical suburban preschool is $15,250 and median cost is $13,814, the top five suburban early childhood schools are spending roughly $30,000 or more.”
| Type (suburban) | Average per-pupil expense | Median per-pupil cost |
| Pre-schools | $15,250 | $13,814 |
| Elementary Schools | 14,545 | $13,986 |
| Middle schools | $14,377 | $13,991 |
| High Schools | $14,612 | $13,905 |
Top per-pupil pre-K
- Ann Reid in Naperville D203, $36,633
- Jefferson in Wheaton D200, $34,969
- Prairie Children Preschool in Aurora, $34,274
- Queen Bee in Glendale Heights, $33,751
- Rondout Elementary in Lake Forest, $31,491
- Geneva 304 Early Learning Program, $30,875.
Full DH article: https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191030/for-the-first-time-school-report-cards-show-spending-per-student-heres-why-it-varies
Note: Typically preschoolers attend ½-day four-days/week, Kindergarten is ½-day five days/week, grades 1-12 are full-day 5 days/week.
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Based on the 1990 Wheaton-Warrenville, CUSD 200 school report card and an inflation calculator the per-pupil operating cost (district-wide data) was
$3,317 in 1986… adjusted for inflation, in 2019 should be $7,770.71
$4,438 in 1990… adjusted for inflation, in 2019 should be $8,718.41
This spending (both 1990 operating cost and 2019 per-pupil) does not include cost of construction or debt services.
