Education

Whether public, private or parochial, you’ll find what you’re looking for right here in central Illinois. In partnership with parents and the community, our teachers build relationships with students, nurturing their talents and preparing them for success in the global workforce.

The quality of our schools is a source of pride to area residents, with high levels of parental and public involvement. The Tri-County Area has 124 public elementary schools, 26 public high schools and 24 private and parochial schools, plus a myriad of preschool programs.

Looking for higher education? Bradley University and Illinois Central College lead an impressive pack of area institutions, while schools for medicine and nursing abound.

From preschool to post-graduate, the schools in central Illinois offer a quality education every step of the way.

ELEMENTARY & HIGH SCHOOLS

The State of Illinois recently honored 48 Tri-County Area schools for notable academic achievement. Five schools received the prestigious Academic Excellence Award, honoring sustained high performance, 22 were designated Illinois Spotlight Schools—high-performing schools which beat the “achievement gap”—and 21 others received the Academic Improvement Award, showing substantial gains over three years.

Peoria Public School District 150, the region’s largest district, was recognized as a SchoolMatch “What Parents Want” award-winning school system, an honor bestowed on only 15 percent of the nation’s school systems. District 150 routinely produces all-state musicians and academic scholars and provides an array of extracurricular activities, including many state-ranked sports teams, a National Hispanic Recognition Scholars Program and an IHSA all-state academic team.

Three District 150 schools have become Full Service Community Schools, integrating health, family support, youth development and other community services to support student learning. District 150 also partners with the Edison Project at four area schools. The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors an Adopt-A-School program to utilize the expertise of the business community to enrich the education of its students. Other partnerships include Caterpillar, Bradley University, Workforce Development, ICC and PERFECT, which have all helped develop career and technical programs within the District.

In 2007, five instructors from Beijing came to Peoria to teach the Mandarin Chinese language and culture to District 150 students over the next two years. Richwoods High School offers the acclaimed International Baccalaureate program, a two-year, pre-university course of studies based on international standards—and one of the most rigorous in the nation. One hundred percent of the students at Peoria’s Washington Gifted scored above average on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test, making the school the highest-scoring in the state.

Roosevelt Magnet School offers students in fifth through eighth grades the opportunity to excel in art, music, drama and dance through a comprehensive curriculum. The Preparatory School for the Arts at Peoria High School allows students to continue their studies in the fine arts in grades nine through 12.

Peoria Academy is an independent, nonprofit institution serving children from pre-k through eighth grade. Their small class sizes and state-of-the-art facility encourage the intellectual, creative, social and physical growth of its students.

One of the fastest growing districts in the state, Dunlap School District 323 is also one of the highest scoring. Dunlap Middle School, Dunlap Grade School and Wilder-Waite Elementary School are ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, out of all elementary schools in the Tri-County Area. Recognizing the country’s need for more Arabic speakers, Dunlap High School students will be able to take classes in the language beginning in the fall of 2009. The classes will also count toward college credit at Illinois Central College.

There are many outstanding districts across the region, including those in East Peoria, Pekin, Metamora, Washington and Morton, along with a wide variety of parochial schools for all faiths and denominations.

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1897, Bradley University is an independent institution enrolling approximately 5,300 undergraduate and 800 graduate students on a beautiful 85-acre campus. More than 100 baccalaureate programs are offered through Bradley’s five colleges, and the University offers more than 30 graduate programs, including a doctorate in physical therapy and an Executive MBA. Bradley is home to an International Trade Center, the NAFTA Opportunity Center, the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship and the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service.

Bradley is consistently rated a regional Top 10 university by U.S. News and World Report. The school ranked first in Illinois and No. 6 overall among 108 Midwest universities providing a full range of undergraduate and master’s programs in “America’s Best Colleges 2008” and continues to be considered a “great school at a great price,” with a second-place ranking in that category. Among Bradley’s nationally recognized faculty is Illinois Poet Laureate Dr. Kevin Stein, who is the Caterpillar Professor of English at the university.

ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE

Illinois Central College, the area’s community college, offers more than 2,100 courses each semester and serves more than 13,000 students each year. The college has three locations: the East Peoria campus located at 1 College Drive; the downtown campus on Adams Street; and the north campus located at 5407 North University.

More than 185 programs of study are available. These include transfer programs, which provide students with the coursework for the first two years of a baccalaureate degree, and occupational and technical degrees and certificates, which prepare students in such areas as criminal justice, health care, automotive technology, culinary arts, therapeutic massage and information technology.

The college also provides a wide array of professional development and continuing education courses through its Professional Development Institute and a number of cultural programs through the Performing Arts Center.

EUREKA COLLEGE

Eureka College is a private liberal arts and sciences college founded in 1855 in the beautiful, historic community of Eureka. With an enrollment of approximately 700, the college focuses on small class sizes, a professor in every classroom and a commitment to excellence in learning, service and leadership.

For its efforts, the college is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among “America’s Best Colleges.” In 2007, it ranked first in the magazine’s “Great Schools at Great Prices” category for comprehensive bachelor’s degree colleges in the Midwest. You may have heard of its most famous graduate, Ronald Reagan (Class of ’32), who went on to become our country’s 40th President. The Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College houses more than 3,000 items from Reagan’s life and career.

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

Just down the road in Normal, Illinois State University, the state’s first public university, celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007. With six colleges and 34 academic departments, ISU offers more than 160 programs of study, while its graduate school coordinates 47 master’s, specialist and doctoral programs. More than 20,000 students—including 3,000 graduate students—attend each year. ISU is well known for its education curriculum; it is, in fact, the second-largest producer of teacher education graduates in the nation!

DIRKSEN CONGRESSIONAL CENTER

Named for Everett McKinley Dirksen, who served in Congress from 1933 to 1969, the Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin is a unique educational and cultural resource. The Center seeks to improve civic engagement by promoting a better understanding of Congress and its leaders through archival, research and educational programs. It maintains historical collections and provides grants and awards to advance its mission. PP