On May 8, 1948, voters approved the formation of a school district that is today legally known as Community Unit School District No. 5, McLean and Woodford Counties, Illinois. The district includes 11 congressional townships and serves parts of Bloomington, all of Carlock, Hudson, Normal, and Towanda and rural areas surrounding each of these communities.
McLean County Unit District No. 5 employs approximately 1,650 full and part time staff members to educate more than 13,600 students. The district consists of more than 214 square miles, with 16 elementary, 4 junior high and 2 high school buildings, 1 early learning center, and 1 vocational training site. The district has 156 Illinois Department of Transportation-approved buses in its fleet. Buses travel 1.9 million miles a year delivering more than 10,000 students to 23 schools.
The 2013-2014 operating budget is $149 million
A Citizens Advisory Council assists the Board in researching issues and securing advice from the parents and citizens of the district.
Growth and change have been issues constantly facing the school system. Other constants are the pride in Unit 5, the pursuit of quality public education and "educating each student to achieve personal excellence."
As one of the premier public schools in the Peoria area, Dunlap School District offers a wide range of services to meet the diverse needs of the students, parents, community, and staff.
-K-12 Large Unit District (LUDA Member)
-Approximate Total Enrollment: 4,500
-Serving an estimated 12,500 residents from the communities of: Dunlap, Edelstein, Edwards, Northern Peoria, and Princeville
Just like in the old vaudevillian days, quality of life MUST BE GOOD to play in Peoria. The oldest community in Illinois with a population of 112,936, Peoria is equal distance from Chicago and St. Louis. Here we have an enviable standard of living, exciting venues within a 15-20 minute drive from our homes, safe streets, quality and quantity shopping, our own symphony, our own ballet, Broadway Theater League, museums, art guilds, first-class medical facilities that are a regional draw, the Nation’s oldest community theater and the Nation’s oldest Santa Claus parade.
Our vibrant riverfront showcases a multitude of festivals and celebrations that light up the summer nights much like our extraordinary Fourth of July Skyconcert….a fireworks show that draws well over 100,000 annually. Citizens are flocking to live in the refurbished warehouses and lofts on Water Street that produce the perfect lifestyle for a 24/7 city.
Naturally, we are proud to be the site of the world headquarters of Caterpillar, Inc., but we have many global businesses that allow Peoria to play all over the World through their products and services. Peoria has begun to diversify its economy with infotech industries as well. Thus our business community attracts some of the brightest graduates throughout the nation.
This three-time All American City has the heart that is so well known in the Midwest. While we enjoy a variety of sophisticated entertainment, we are still homey enough to enjoy a tractor pull at the County fair, and many citizens vie for blue ribbons for their original cookie recipe or their prize bull during that competition. Peoria derives its name from the aboriginal inhabitants encountered by the first wave of French explorers.
We are a City that cares, home to many charity agencies and organizations. Peoria is well known for giving more per capita than many cities of its size. We are the Heart in the Heart of the Nation.