To Learn

Education is a cornerstone of Carbondale at all levels. Each educational institution, from prekindergarten to the university level, offers programs and opportunities to challenge, inspire, and equip students for success. A variety of school systems, both public and private, work to educate students.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Elementary, and Jr. High school students are served by Carbondale Elementary District 95, Giant City School District 130, Unity Point Consolidated School District 140 and the DeSoto Community Consolidated School District 86. Carbondale Elementary District 95 serves students within most of the city limits. The Giant City and Unity Point districts serve students residing south of the Southern Illinois University campus. Nearby DeSoto, to the north of Carbondale, is served by Desoto School.

Students from all four districts attend Carbondale Community High School District No. 165. Each district is administered by its own superintendent and board of education.

CARBONDALE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT 95

With more than 125 teachers and 30 support staff, Carbondale Elementary District 95 educates more than 1,300 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The district is very proud of the rich cultural diversity of both its student and staff populations, which reflect that of the community as a whole. Many of the staff hold degrees at the master’s or doctoral level, and numerous teachers and specialists have been recognized on the state and national levels as outstanding educators.

Facilities, curriculum, and programs are regularly evaluated to assure students are getting the best education possible. Students have regular access to computer laboratories and other technology, to make sure that they are ready to compete in today’s world. Education in the Carbondale Elementary School District is not all about books. Students have the opportunity to explore music, drama, career education, athletics, and foreign languages. Many students participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including science and history fairs, fine arts, sports, environmental efforts, and more.

The district has been honored with national awards for both students and teachers including recognition in history, science, math, and reading and distinguished performance in standardized testing.

Carbondale Elementary School District 95

GIANT CITY SCHOOL

Giant City School is located a few miles south of Carbondale off the Giant City Blacktop. Giant City School serves approximately 200 students in a rural, family-style setting. Our highly qualified staff is dedicated to helping all students become well-rounded citizens. This quality elementary school provides a variety of opportunities for students and families from age two through the 8th grade. Giant City offers students an engaging environment that challenges their academic, creative, and intra-personal intelligence. Giant City’s high academic achievement for all students reflects our commitment to creating partnerships with our students and families. Each student benefits from the daily curriculum in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, physical education, and technology.

In 2018, Giant City School was awarded as a National Blue Ribbon of Excellence School by the US Department of Education and the Illinois State Board of Education. Giant City School was honored to be named among the top ½ of 1% of all schools in the nation! The Giant City Board of Education demonstrates a continued pursuit of excellence by supporting the district vision: “Inspiring Our Students.” Innovative technological upgrades are evident in every classroom, while Maker Spaces renovations are complete in the Media Center. Creative spaces such as these will let children experiment and invent and create. The Board of Education has worked consistently to maintain a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities for students in the arts, and athletics.

Amy Fox, The City of Carbondale

The district offers an on-site daycare that works cooperatively with the Southern Region Early Childhood Program to provide wrap-around services. The district also offers after-school care for school-age students, as well as student care for our community at large, during the summer months. Giant City benefits from several positive communities and parent-led organization partnerships such as Southern Illinois Healthcare, the SIU School of Medicine, the Jackson County Health Department, our own Giant City School Progress Association, and Booster Club. These collaborations extend and enrich the environment provided for our students and families. Giant City feels a strong sense of commitment to our educational mission and is thankful to be a part of such a fantastic community in the Southern Illinois area.

DESOTO COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT #86

The DeSoto Community Consolidated School District #86, better known as DeSoto Grade School (DGS), is a feeder school district to CCHS District 165. The size of DGS makes it an attractive school for many families. There are less than 20 students per class on average. This ideal student to teacher ratio allows students to get excellent hands-on, individualized instruction from 20 certified staff members. The nearly 200 students in grades K-8 have direct access to Chromebooks in a 1:1 environment. In addition to their core classes, DGS students also have opportunities to receive instruction on drones, 3-D printing, gardening, iPad apps,

John A. Logan College graduation.

fine arts, and more. The school’s athletic teams, band, chorus, and Beta club all compete at high levels and represent the district well in their extra-curricular efforts.

Teaching students to be problemsolvers and critical thinkers, on their way to becoming productive citizens, is the goal of DeSoto Grade School. This is all accomplished in a caring, loving educational environment daily.

UNITY POINT

Unity Point offers nearly 700 students pre-k through eighth grade with opportunities to access challenging and current curricula in language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, art, music, and technology. The district fosters student independent learning lead by dedicated staff with access to resources in both print and technology. Each classroom teacher delivers their instruction through a differentiated approach to learning that best meets students and their individual educational needs. In our current school improvement process, we have set our goals of continuous improvement in both student achievement and whole-child progress. We strongly believe ALL students can learn, and therefore focus on both academic achievement and responsive teaching as the means to ensure the success of our students.

CARBONDALE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 165

The success of Carbondale Community High School students and alumni has earned the school recognition and respect as one of Illinois’ top institutions year

John A. Logan College

after year. The most recent graduating class included 34 Illinois State Scholars, 1 National Merit Commended honorees and 2 National Merit Finalists. Graduating seniors earned over $3,000,000 in scholarships to attend 40 universities, as well as pursuing opportunities in the US Army, US Navy, and US Air Force.

CCHS offers ten Advanced Placement (AP) and sixteen dual credit courses. The music program has been a Top 3 State Finalist for nine years in a row (winning the State Championship in 2014.)

The Scholar Bowl and Physics teams are nationally ranked, and CCHS students have been state finalists in Speech and History Fair, Science Fair, Science/Engineering Team, and Skills USA. CCHS has produced National Scholastic Art winners four years in a row, and CCHS students have been named to the IHSA All-State Academic Team in three of the last five years.

PRIVATE EDUCATION

For families desiring a private or parochial education for their students, several options are available.

BREHM PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Since 1982, Brehm Preparatory School has been empowering students with learning disabilities and differences to recognize and optimize their potential throughout their lives.

Brehm’s caring, highly qualified faculty and staff welcome students in grades 6 through 12 into a dynamic new learning environment brimming with optimism. Working quickly to break down barriers, build trust, and rebuild self-confidence, they embrace students in a nurturing environment where each child feels accepted and supported.

This holistic experience produces students with the tools, skills, and confidence to become effective selfadvocates and independent learners able to succeed in school, find fulfilling careers, and lead balanced multifaceted lives.

CARBONDALE NEW SCHOOL

Carbondale New School is a privately owned and operated school offering quality, progressive education for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. For more than 30 years, Carbondale New School has offered small class sizes which allow children to learn at their own pace. A strong sense of community among faculty, students and parents is a hallmark of the school, which maximizes students’ intellectual, social, and emotional growth.

TRINITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Trinity Christian School provides a high standard of academic excellence from a biblical worldview for grades K3 through high school. Trinity’s goal is to provide support to Christian families and their churches in educating students for lifelong learning by emphasizing a classical perspective in education, integrated with the truth of scripture.

HIGHER EDUCATION JOHN A. LOGAN COLLEGE

John A. Logan College is an openadmission, comprehensive community college designed to provide high-quality, affordable educational opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds. Located just minutes east of Carbondale, JALC offers a variety of degree programs in both traditional baccalaureate transfer and occupational programs. John A. Logan College is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) for its dual credit program and designated as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE2Y) to promote higher education for a growing number of students interested in information assurance and cybersecurity. A particular focus on retraining and continuing education make JALC a leader in adult education.

The college serves most of Jackson and Williamson counties as well as parts of three other area counties. Nearly 4,000 students enroll at John A. Logan College each year.

John A. Logan College traditionally has one of the lowest tuition rates in Illinois and offers approximately 66 degrees and certifications. Articulation agreements with several universities make transferring credits easy, and scholarship programs, as well as other forms of financial aid, ensure that quality education is affordable.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

More than 220,000 alumni throughout the United States and 126 countries around the globe can’t be wrong. Over more than 150 years, Southern Illinois University has grown from a small teachers’ college to one of the nation’s top comprehensive public research universities. Today SIU is home to nearly 15,000 students from around the world with the goal of quality education at an affordable cost. The University offers a myriad of degree programs leading to associate’s, bachelor’s, masters, doctoral and specialist degrees from eight colleges, a law school, and a medical school.

Academic programs include programs in agriculture, art, aviation, business, computer science, education, engineering, forestry, history, journalism, mortuary science, music, radio-television, recreation, science and more — more than 200 majors in all. Extensive student work and research opportunities, study abroad programs, internships and an extern program, which places undergraduates with alumni for one-week mini-internships, give students real-world experience in their chosen fields.

Students at SIU excel, both in their chosen fields and also in intercollegiate competitions. From moon-buggy

design and cardboard boats to national championship aviation teams and debate squads, the University and its students are recognized for academic excellence.

One of the missions of the University is a commitment to the region. Cooperative efforts between SIU and the community benefit both students and residents. The University serves as a training ground for

business leaders; faculty members often consult and advise local business owners and civic leaders and graduates offer a steady pool of talented and trained workers. The economic impact of SIU cannot be downplayed, nor can the role the institution plays in the community as a center for performing arts, culture, and recreation.