Fayette County Schools & Education
Fayette County, Illinois
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
54/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
86.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
86.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.8%
Per-Pupil Spending
$9,252
National avg $13,239
State avg $9,250
School Score
54/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 63/100
State Score Position
#77
of 102 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Fayette County
Measured School Summary
Fayette County performs at an average level with a school score of 54/100 and a solid graduation rate of 86.0%.
Funding Context
Fayette County spends $9,252 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 14% below the Illinois average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 2.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 0% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Fayette County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
15 public schools and 6 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
54/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #77 of 102 Illinois counties with school score data.
Completion
86.0%
2.8 pts below the state average
Funding context
$9,252
roughly matches the state average
School coverage
15
6 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Fayette County has 15 public schools across 6 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Fayette County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Mixed school landscape
Fayette County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.
State position
#77
of 102 Illinois counties with school score data. The county score is 9 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Vandalia CUSD 203
Elementary to high school visible
1,461 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Brownstown CUSD 201
Elementary to high school visible
414 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Ramsey CUSD 204
Elementary and high visible
411 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
St Elmo CUSD 202
Elementary to high school visible
404 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE is the largest listed district slice, with 7 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Fayette County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Fayette County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Fayette County Graduation Rate Trails State and National Benchmarks
Education data brief for Fayette County, Illinois.
Fayette County registers a graduation rate of 86.0%, which is lower than the Illinois state average of 88.8% and the national average of 87.0%. The county’s 15 public schools serve a total of 2,896 students with an average school size of 241 students. The largest school in the county is Vandalia Elementary School, which enrolls 542 students in the PK–3 grade range and belongs to the Vandalia CUSD 203 district. Educational facilities are primarily situated in rural areas, with 9 schools in rural locales and 6 in towns. Per-pupil expenditure in the county is $9,252, matching the state average of $9,250 but falling nearly $4,000 below the national average of $13,000. The composite school score of 54.1 is below the state average of 63.0 but remains higher than the national median of 50.0. No charter schools are currently operating within the county's six school districts. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
15
in Fayette County
Reported Enrollment
2,896
15 schools reporting
School Districts
6
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
6 School Districts in Fayette County
Vandalia CUSD 203
South Central CUD 401
Brownstown CUSD 201
Ramsey CUSD 204
St Elmo CUSD 202
Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE
15 Public Schools in Fayette County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 15 of 15 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandalia Elementary School | Record | Vandalia CUSD 203 | Vandalia, 62471Town: Remote | PK–3 | Primary | 542 |
| Vandalia Junior High School | Record | Vandalia CUSD 203 | Vandalia, 62471Town: Remote | 4–8 | Middle | 511 |
| Vandalia Community High School | Record | Vandalia CUSD 203 | Vandalia, 62471Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 408 |
| Brownstown Elem School | Record | Brownstown CUSD 201 | Brownstown, 62418Rural: Distant | PK–6 | Primary | 256 |
| St Elmo Elem School | Record | St Elmo CUSD 202 | Saint Elmo, 62458Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 217 |
| Ramsey High School | Record | Ramsey CUSD 204 | Ramsey, 62080Rural: Distant | 6–12 | High | 206 |
| South Central High School | Record | South Central CUD 401 | Farina, 62838Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 206 |
| Ramsey Elem School | Record | Ramsey CUSD 204 | Ramsey, 62080Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 205 |
| St Elmo Sr High School | Record | St Elmo CUSD 202 | Saint Elmo, 62458Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 131 |
| Brownstown High School | Record | Brownstown CUSD 201 | Brownstown, 62418Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 100 |
| Brownstown Jr High School | Record | Brownstown CUSD 201 | Brownstown, 62418Rural: Distant | 7–8 | Middle | 58 |
| St Elmo Jr High School | Record | St Elmo CUSD 202 | Saint Elmo, 62458Rural: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 56 |
| FOCUS Safe Sch Program | Record | Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE | Vandalia, 62471Town: Remote | 6–9 | Alternative | 0 |
| New Approach Alternative H S | Record | Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE | Vandalia, 62471Town: Remote | 9–12 | Alternative | 0 |
| Okaw Area Vocational Center | Record | Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE | Vandalia, 62471Town: Remote | 11–12 | Vocational | 0 |
Vandalia Elementary School
Vandalia CUSD 203
Vandalia, 62471 / Town: Remote
Vandalia Junior High School
Vandalia CUSD 203
Vandalia, 62471 / Town: Remote
Vandalia Community High School
Vandalia CUSD 203
Vandalia, 62471 / Town: Remote
Brownstown Elem School
Brownstown CUSD 201
Brownstown, 62418 / Rural: Distant
South Central High School
South Central CUD 401
Farina, 62838 / Rural: Remote
Brownstown High School
Brownstown CUSD 201
Brownstown, 62418 / Rural: Distant
Brownstown Jr High School
Brownstown CUSD 201
Brownstown, 62418 / Rural: Distant
FOCUS Safe Sch Program
Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE
Vandalia, 62471 / Town: Remote
New Approach Alternative H S
Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE
Vandalia, 62471 / Town: Remote
Okaw Area Vocational Center
Bnd/Chrstn/Effngh/Fytt/Mntgmr ROE
Vandalia, 62471 / Town: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$9,252
State avg $9,250
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Fayette County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Illinois counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in Illinois?
How should I read the school score in Fayette County?
What is the graduation rate in Fayette County?
How much does Fayette County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.