Central High School Report: Suspensions in Central Community Unit School District 301 totaled 78 just in 2023-24 school year
In total, there were 79 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 78 were suspensions representing a rate of approximately 5.4 incidents per 100 of the school's enrolled students. There was an additional case of students being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.
The school reported that most in-school suspensions were given for incidents involving tobacco, with 11 recorded cases. There were also four incidents involving violence without physical injury. Additionally, 37 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.
There were 56 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 22 incidents involved female students.
All 78 suspensions issued in the Central High School schools involved high school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving drugs, with 16 cases reported.
In terms of ethnicity, white students, which made up 60% of the Central High School student body, were suspended the most in the school, with 53 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by Hispanic students, who made up 21.1% of the student body, and received 14 suspensions.
Central High School is located in the Central Community Unit School District 301, and has a main office in Burlington.
Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.
In 2024, Illinois registered a teacher retention rate of almost 90%. Yet, around 91% of superintendents reported having a 'serious' problem teacher shortage problem. In total, almost 4,100 teaching positions remained vacant by the end of the year.
“They’re putting a substitute in there, that’s somebody with a four-year degree that’s not in teaching. They’re using a retired teacher…or worse than that, they’re canceling the class, putting the kids in other classrooms, putting them in study hall, but those are strategies we have to use if there’s no qualified teacher,” said Beth Crider, regional superintendent of Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48.
| Type of Incident | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | - | - |
| Violence with injury | - | 3 |
| Violence without injury | 4 | 4 |
| Drug offenses | 1 | 16 |
| Firearm | - | - |
| Other dangerous weapons | 1 | - |
| Tobacco | 11 | 1 |
| Other reason | 37 | - |
| Total | 54 | 24 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | 11 | - |
| 1-2 days | 24 | 3 |
| 2-3 days | 4 | 1 |
| 3-4 days | 12 | 2 |
| 4-10 days | 3 | 13 |
| More than 10 days | - | 5 |