Chicago spent $15,120 per student in 2014, or more than 36 of 38 school districts in Madison and St. Clair counties. And more than half of that money -- $7,560 (51 percent) -- came from state and federal subsidies.
Chicago property taxpayers currently pay for just 49 percent of Chicago’s public school spending.
Roxana District 1 spent $11,940 per student in 2014. Local taxpayers covered 84 percent of the bill, or $10,940.
Central School District 104 in O’Fallon and Pontiac-West Holliday District 105 in Fairview Heights each covered 80 percent of their own public school bill.
East Alton-Wood River District 14 spent $14,327 per student, according to the ISBE; 73 percent came from local taxpayers.
Belleville Township District 201 spent $11,574 per student; local taxpayers paid 69 percent of the total.
Edwardsville District 7 covered 78 percent -- and spent only $9,064 per-pupil. State funding to District 7 amounted to $1,523 per student.
Chicago received $5,141 per-student from the state in 2014.
Emanuel and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) are asking for another $1,250 per student, for a total of nearly $6,500 from the state. They have sought to justify the bailout, decrying the city’s school funding levels as “unfair” and “inequitable.”
Metro East School Districts Ranked by % Locally Funded
| District | Community | % Local Funding | Per Pupil Spending | |
| 1 | Roxana 1 | Roxana | 84.1% | $11,940 |
| 2 | Pontiac-West Holliday 105 | Fairview Heights | 80.1% | $11,243 |
| 3 | Wolf Branch 113 | Swansea | 80.0% | $8,673 |
| 4 | Central 104 | O’Fallon | 80.0% | $9,750 |
| 5 | Edwardsville 7 | Edwardsville | 78.3% | $9,064 |
| 6 | Millstadt 160 | Millstadt | 76.5% | $9,363 |
| 7 | Freeburg 70 | Freeburg | 74.4% | $7,669 |
| 8 | East Alton-Wood River 14 | East Alton | 72.6% | $14,327 |
| 9 | Smithton 130 | Smithton | 69.0% | $8,117 |
| 10 | Belleville Twp. 201 | Belleville | 68.6% | $11,574 |
| 11 | New Athens 60 | New Athens | 68.3% | $9,384 |
| 12 | O’Fallon 90 | O’Fallon | 68.2% | $8,316 |
| 13 | Harmony Emge 175 | Belleville | 66.1% | $10,227 |
| 14 | Lebanon 9 | Lebanon | 65.7% | $10,753 |
| 15 | Highland 5 | Highland | 65.1% | $8,888 |
| 16 | Triad 2 | Troy | 64.1% | $8,698 |
| 17 | Whiteside 115 | Belleville | 63.0% | $7,933 |
| 18 | Grant 110 | Fairview Heights | 62.5% | $10,173 |
| 19 | Shiloh Village 85 | Shiloh | 59.6% | $8,520 |
| 20 | Wood River-Hartford 15 | Wood River | 56.6% | $8,798 |
| 21 | Venice 3 | Venice | 54.8% | $20,503 |
| 22 | Alton 11 | Alton | 54.0% | $10,981 |
| 23 | Collinsville 10 | Collinsville | 53.2% | $9,881 |
| 24 | Signal Hill 181 | Signal Hill | 49.5% | $9,605 |
| 25 | Belle Valley 119 | Belleville | 49.3% | $9,669 |
| 26 | Chicago | Chicago | 49.0% | $15,120 |
| 27 | High Mount 116 | Swansea | 47.7% | $8,955 |
| 28 | Granite City 9 | Granite City | 47.2% | $10,287 |
| 29 | Belleville 118 | Belleville | 45.1% | $10,284 |
| 30 | Marissa 40 | Marissa | 43.5% | $10,036 |
| 31 | Bethalto 8 | Bethalto | 43.5% | $9,943 |
| 32 | East Alton 13 | East Alton | 39.0% | $9,659 |
| 33 | Dupo 196 | Dupo | 38.9% | $8,846 |
| 34 | St. Libory 39 | St. Libory | 38.5% | $7,092 |
| 35 | Mascoutah 19 | Mascoutah | 37.4% | $10,209 |
| 36 | Brooklyn 188 | Brooklyn | 33.6% | $15,270 |
| 37 | Madison 12 | Madison | 26.5% | $13,117 |
| 38 | Cahokia 187 | Cahokia | 19.5% | $14,722 |
| 39 | East St. Louis 189 | East St. Louis | 14.6% | $13,198 |