Three colleges in Chicago spent more per graduate of all Illinois two-year schools during the 2016 academic year, according to the latest data compiled from U.S. Department of Education and Illinois State Comptroller tracking the performance and spending at 48 Illinois community colleges.
With an annual budget of $69,244,625 and 30 graduates in 2016, Olive Harvey spent $2.3 million per graduate. Malcolm X spent $1.1 million per graduate and Wilbur Wright spent $931,298 per graduate.
Community colleges, also called junior colleges, technical colleges or city colleges, are primarily two-year public institutions. They grant certificates, diplomas and associate’s degrees.
Illinois schools enrolled 304,173 students in 2016, and 17,242 graduated. Taxpayers spent $2.926 billion to operate these schools – or $169,718 per graduate.
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Illinois community college spending
| School | City | Enrollment | Annual graduates | Annual Budget | Spending per graduate |
| Olive Harvey | Chicago | 2,979 | 30 | $69,244,625 | $2,324,425 |
| Malcolm X | Chicago | 6,183 | 62 | $67,623,666 | $1,093,703 |
| Wilbur Wright | Chicago | 10,155 | 102 | $94,573,272 | $931,298 |
| Prairie State College | Chicago Heights | 4,484 | 67 | $54,100,884 | $804,355 |
| Joliet Junior College | Joliet | 15,383 | 308 | $204,990,988 | $666,291 |
| Harry Truman | Chicago | 8,998 | 135 | $77,012,101 | $570,587 |
| Oakton Community College | Des Plaines | 9,443 | 236 | $122,626,354 | $519,438 |
| Morton College | Cicero | 4,397 | 110 | $47,511,296 | $432,216 |
| Heartland Community College | Normal | 5,282 | 158 | $62,300,256 | $393,161 |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | 26,901 | 942 | $303,194,043 | $322,021 |
| Rock Valley College | Rockford | 7,699 | 346 | $110,465,549 | $318,845 |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | 14,768 | 517 | $160,568,282 | $310,649 |
| Harold Wash. | Chicago | 8,486 | 212 | $65,097,850 | $306,848 |
| Kennedy-King | Chicago | 3,472 | 260 | $75,357,058 | $289,390 |
| South Suburban College | South Holland | 3,703 | 74 | $19,242,032 | $259,817 |
| Illinois Valley Community College | Oglesby | 3,206 | 144 | $37,405,462 | $259,274 |
| Harper College | Palatine | 14,142 | 707 | $178,053,210 | $251,808 |
| Kankakee Community College | Kankakee | 3,078 | 185 | $43,881,169 | $237,607 |
| Richard J. Daley | Chicago | 7,407 | 333 | $74,768,190 | $224,317 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills | 15,021 | 676 | $137,110,312 | $202,842 |
| Southwestern Illinois College | Belleville | 9,515 | 571 | $103,596,576 | $181,462 |
| John A. Logan College | Carterville | 4,424 | 310 | $54,479,492 | $175,922 |
| Lincoln Land Community College | Springfield | 5,744 | 431 | $73,445,971 | $170,487 |
| Richland Community College | Decatur | 2,839 | 227 | $34,477,308 | $151,802 |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin | 9,918 | 793 | $118,340,291 | $149,148 |
| Waubonsee Community College | Sugar Grove | 10,081 | 655 | $69,025,735 | $105,340 |
| Danville Area Community College | Danville | 2,666 | 267 | $27,934,614 | $104,781 |
| Kishwaukee College | Malta | 3,775 | 208 | $21,354,760 | $102,853 |
| Illinois Central College | East Peoria | 9,290 | 604 | $58,460,436 | $96,813 |
| Shawnee Community College | Ullin | 1,824 | 137 | $13,053,051 | $95,417 |
| Highland Community College | Freeport | 1,857 | 149 | $13,894,858 | $93,530 |
| Rend Lake College | Ina | 2,489 | 473 | $42,549,851 | $89,975 |
| Black Hawk College | Moline | 5,613 | 393 | $34,898,907 | $88,822 |
| Southeastern Illinois College | Harrisburg | 1,820 | 246 | $20,865,715 | $84,924 |
| Triton College | River Grove | 11,386 | 285 | $24,049,000 | $84,486 |
| Parkland College | Champaign | 7,569 | 378 | $28,380,134 | $74,990 |
| Kaskaskia College | Centralia | 3,665 | 550 | $38,857,931 | $70,683 |
| John Wood Community College | Quincy | 1,968 | 226 | $15,535,726 | $68,645 |
| Spoon River College | Canton | 1,560 | 289 | $18,768,999 | $65,035 |
| McHenry County College | Crystal Lake | 6,371 | 478 | $27,966,936 | $58,530 |
| Lake Land College | Mattoon | 5,107 | 638 | $34,674,000 | $54,316 |
| Lewis & Clark Community College | Godfrey | 7,272 | 800 | $33,420,083 | $41,779 |
| Sauk Valley Community College | Dixon | 1,892 | 246 | $7,530,480 | $30,617 |
| Carl Sandburg College | Galesburg | 1,927 | 164 | $2,072,245 | $12,651 |
| Olney Central College | Olney | 1,198 | 216 | $900,000 | $4,174 |
| Lincoln Trail College | Robinson | 934 | 229 | $900,000 | $3,933 |
| Frontier Community College | Fairfield | 1,952 | 595 | $900,000 | $1,512 |
| Wabash Valley College | Mount Carmel | 4,330 | 1,083 | $900,000 | $831 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education; Illinois State Comptroller
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