Can I use Williamson County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Williamson County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Williamson County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Williamson County?

Start with the 25 listed public schools and 7 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Williamson County Schools & Education

Name: Williamson County, Illinois Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Williamson County, Illinois

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

37/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

84.7%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

84.7%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.8%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,479

National avg $13,239

State avg $9,250

School Score

37/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 63/100

State Score Position

#98

of 102 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Williamson County

Measured School Summary

Williamson County faces educational challenges with a school score of 37/100 and a graduation rate of 84.7%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $7,479 per pupil, Williamson County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 41% below the Illinois average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 19% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Williamson 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

25 public schools and 7 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

37/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #98 of 102 Illinois counties with school score data.

Completion

84.7%

4.1 pts below the state average

Funding context

$7,479

$1,771 below the state average

School coverage

7 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Williamson County has 25 public schools across 7 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.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Williamson 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.

Review-carefully county

Williamson County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.

State position

#98

of 102 Illinois counties with school score data. The county score is 26 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 92% 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.

Marion CUSD 2

Elementary to high school visible

3,749 students

Elementary 5Middle 1High 1Other 0

7 listed schools in this county slice.

Herrin CUSD 4

Elementary to high school visible

2,355 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

Carterville CUSD 5

Elementary to high school visible

2,218 students

Elementary 1Middle 2High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

Johnston City CUSD 1

Elementary to high school visible

1,094 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Marion CUSD 2 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 Williamson County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Williamson 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?

Which schools are missing enrollment or ratio fields, and does the district publish a newer local profile than the NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data?

Data Story

Per-Pupil Expenditure in Williamson County Trails State and National Benchmarks

Education data brief for Williamson County, Illinois.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Per-pupil spending

In Williamson County, per-pupil expenditure is $7,479, a figure notably lower than the Illinois state average of $9,250 and the national average of approximately $13,000. This spending level coincides with a composite school score of 37.1, which is below the state average of 63.0 and the national median of 50.0. The county manages 25 public schools with a total enrollment of 9,904 students. Marion CUSD 2 is the largest district, serving 3,749 students across 7 schools, including Marion High School, which has the county's largest enrollment at 1,159. The graduation rate for the county is 84.7%, trailing both the state average of 88.8% and the national average of 87.0%. The school mix is diverse in locale, including 9 schools in city settings and 6 in rural areas. There are no charter schools in the county. 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

in Williamson County

Reported Enrollment

9,904

23 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary11

Middle5

High7

Other2

7 School Districts in Williamson County

Marion CUSD 2

Herrin CUSD 4

4 schools

2,355 students

Carterville CUSD 5

4 schools

2,218 students

Johnston City CUSD 1

4 schools

1,094 students

Crab Orchard CUSD 3

2 schools

488 students

Williamson Co Spec Educ District

2 schools

0 students

Frankln/Johnsn/Massc/Willimsn ROE

4 schools

0 students

25 Public Schools in Williamson County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 25 matching schools

Public schools in Williamson County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Marion High School	Profile	Marion CUSD 2	Marion, 62959City: Small	9–12	High	1,159
Marion Jr High School	Record	Marion CUSD 2	Marion, 62959City: Small	6–8	Middle	726
Tri-C Elementary School	Record	Carterville CUSD 5	Carterville, 62918Suburb: Small	KG–3	Primary	701
Herrin High School	Record	Herrin CUSD 4	Herrin, 62948Suburb: Small	9–12	High	686
Herrin C U S D 4 Elem School	Record	Herrin CUSD 4	Herrin, 62948Rural: Fringe	2–5	Primary	679
Carterville High School	Record	Carterville CUSD 5	Carterville, 62918Suburb: Small	9–12	High	636
Carterville Intermediate Sch	Record	Carterville CUSD 5	Carterville, 62918Suburb: Small	4–6	Middle	518
Herrin Middle School	Record	Herrin CUSD 4	Herrin, 62948Suburb: Small	6–8	Middle	507
Lincoln Elem School	Record	Marion CUSD 2	Marion, 62959City: Small	KG–5	Primary	487
Washington Elem School	Record	Marion CUSD 2	Marion, 62959City: Small	KG–5	Primary	487
North Side Primary Center	Record	Herrin CUSD 4	Herrin, 62948Suburb: Small	PK–1	Primary	483
Jefferson Elem School	Record	Marion CUSD 2	Marion, 62959City: Small	PK–5	Primary	389
Carterville Jr High Sch	Record	Carterville CUSD 5	Carterville, 62918Suburb: Small	7–8	Middle	363
Crab Orchard Elementary School	Record	Crab Orchard CUSD 3	Marion, 62959Rural: Fringe	PK–8	Primary	339
Johnston City High School	Record	Johnston City CUSD 1	Johnston City, 62951Town: Fringe	9–12	High	337
Washington Middle School	Record	Johnston City CUSD 1	Johnston City, 62951Town: Fringe	5–8	Middle	311
Jefferson Elem School	Record	Johnston City CUSD 1	Johnston City, 62951Town: Fringe	PK–2	Primary	307
Adams School	Record	Marion CUSD 2	Creal Springs, 62922Rural: Distant	PK–8	Primary	260
Longfellow Elem School	Record	Marion CUSD 2	Marion, 62959City: Small	KG–5	Primary	241
Crab Orchard High School	Record	Crab Orchard CUSD 3	Marion, 62959Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	149

Marion High School

Marion CUSD 2

Marion, 62959 / City: Small

Profile9–12High1,159 students

Marion Jr High School

Marion CUSD 2

Marion, 62959 / City: Small

Record6–8Middle726 students

Tri-C Elementary School

Carterville CUSD 5

Carterville, 62918 / Suburb: Small

RecordKG–3Primary701 students

Herrin High School

Herrin CUSD 4

Herrin, 62948 / Suburb: Small

Record9–12High686 students

Herrin C U S D 4 Elem School

Herrin CUSD 4

Herrin, 62948 / Rural: Fringe

Record2–5Primary679 students

Carterville High School

Carterville CUSD 5

Carterville, 62918 / Suburb: Small

Record9–12High636 students

Carterville Intermediate Sch

Carterville CUSD 5

Carterville, 62918 / Suburb: Small

Record4–6Middle518 students

Herrin Middle School

Herrin CUSD 4

Herrin, 62948 / Suburb: Small

Record6–8Middle507 students

Lincoln Elem School

Marion CUSD 2

Marion, 62959 / City: Small

RecordKG–5Primary487 students

Washington Elem School

Marion CUSD 2

Marion, 62959 / City: Small

RecordKG–5Primary487 students

North Side Primary Center

Herrin CUSD 4

Herrin, 62948 / Suburb: Small

RecordPK–1Primary483 students

Jefferson Elem School

Marion CUSD 2

Marion, 62959 / City: Small

RecordPK–5Primary389 students

Carterville Jr High Sch

Carterville CUSD 5

Carterville, 62918 / Suburb: Small

Record7–8Middle363 students

Crab Orchard Elementary School

Crab Orchard CUSD 3

Marion, 62959 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–8Primary339 students

Johnston City High School

Johnston City CUSD 1

Johnston City, 62951 / Town: Fringe

Record9–12High337 students

Washington Middle School

Johnston City CUSD 1

Johnston City, 62951 / Town: Fringe

Record5–8Middle311 students

Jefferson Elem School

Johnston City CUSD 1

Johnston City, 62951 / Town: Fringe

RecordPK–2Primary307 students

Adams School

Marion CUSD 2

Creal Springs, 62922 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–8Primary260 students

Longfellow Elem School

Marion CUSD 2

Marion, 62959 / City: Small

RecordKG–5Primary241 students

Crab Orchard High School

Crab Orchard CUSD 3

Marion, 62959 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High149 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,479

State avg $9,250

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Williamson County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Illinois counties have the highest graduation rates?

Edwards County (97.0%), Hamilton County (97.0%), and Johnson County (96.3%) currently lead Illinois among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Illinois?

Across Illinois counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $9,250. The highest current county values are Lake County ($12,962), DuPage County ($12,349), and Jo Daviess County ($12,337). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Williamson County?

Williamson County has a school score of 37/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Williamson County?

The high school graduation rate in Williamson County is 84.7%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Williamson County spend per student?

Williamson County spends $7,479 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Wayne County

Illinois

-1 pts

37/100

School score

Macon County

Illinois

-2 pts

36/100

School score

Wabash County

Illinois

+3 pts

41/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.

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