Education and Training

From elementary school to four-year schools, Washington offers quality education and numerous means of employee training.

Washington is known for its excellent public and private schools.  Three public school districts feed into Washington Community High School.  Washington also is home to Saint Patrick School, a parochial grade and junior high school.           

Kindergarten – 8th grade enrollments:
       District 50                       850
       District 51                       750
       District 52                       800
       St. Patrick School          200

Washington Community High School offers numerous classes in technical and workforce training, including programs in conjunction with ICC. 

Standardized test scores are consistently above local and national averages.

WCHS and its Leadership Challenge program won the 2000 Governor’s Hometown Award.    

Washington Community High Enrollment: 1,067
        Graduation rates (2005):
                   Graduating students                  94.8%
                   State average                            87.4%
        ACT Test Scores (2005)
                   Graduating students                  21.6
                   State average                            20.1

Illinois Central College (ICC; enrollment 11,800), a community college serving ten counties in Central Illinois, is just five minutes west on U.S. 24 from the City’s commercial corridor. 

  1. ICC offers more than 75 programs on robotics, numerical control, CAD, graphic arts and design, electronics and many other areas.
ICC has established the Tech Prep Program and Workforce Preparation and Initiative Programs.  These programs match businesses with Washington High School students who want to learn through on-the-job experiences and accumulate credit hours, which can be transferred to ICC.
  1. A full 98% of ICC occupational graduates reported that they were employed in Illinois, including 78% within the ICC district.
ICC tailors numerous standardized and customized training programs to area companies, including Caterpillar and other major manufacturers.
        • The ICC Professional Development Institute offers numerous short-term workshops and seminars on subjects ranging from computers to managerial training.  These too can be customized to meet the specific needs of business and industry, and can be held on campus or at the work site.
        • Bradley University (enrollment 6,200) in Peoria is a major comprehensive institution, with five undergraduate colleges and a graduate school.  Bradley University serves Central Illinois through its cultural and creative productions, a variety of outreach programs and centers that benefit small business and industry, workshops, short courses and certificate programs. 
        • Bradley’s Colleges of Business and Engineering involve both faculty and students in internships and senior projects for local to international business and industry.
        • The Foster College of Business Administration provides the business community a variety of resources – including management talent, graduate and executive programs, and cutting-edge business information
        • Nearby Eureka College (enrollment 500), college home of President Ronald Reagan, is a private four-year liberal arts college only 10 minutes from Washington.