COMMUNITY

Charleston, Illinois, is located about 200 miles south of Chicago, just east of Interstate 57. We are a thriving community, proud of our industry and businesses, our education system, Eastern Illinois University, and our Lincoln heritage.

The Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce is an independent, not-for-profit corporation chartered in 1919, responsible for promoting the economic climate in the greater Charleston area.

A website for Charleston High School alumni designed to be utilized so one can reunite with old classmates and plan class reunions.

The Charleston Joint PTA is a Parent Teacher Association in Charleston, Illinois made up of parents/guardians and staff who collaborate to develop programs and activities for the students of Mark Twain, Carl Sandburg and Jefferson Elementary schools.
Ashmore Elementary School maintains their own PTO. All Ashmore parents and teachers are automatically members of their PTO. For more information, contact Ashmore School at 217-349-3000.

Charleston Music Boosters provides encouragement as well as financial support for the musical programs of Charleston schools.

Coles Together, the primary economic development organization for Coles County, Illinois, serves full-time to meet the site location needs of new commerce and to promote the continued expansion and growth of existing business and industrial facilities.

CORD is a directory of which allows you to search for agencies and programs available in 9 counties. Those counties are Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Jasper, Moultrie and Shelby. Categories with information include food, clothing, counseling/crisis services, shelter, health/medical to name just a few.

Charleston Community Unit School District No. 1 Excellence in Education Foundation is a Non-profit Corporation that is community-based and designed to solicit, receive and disburse funds in support of the Charleston Community Unit School District No. 1 and its students.

Home to more than 10,000 students, Eastern is well known not only for excellence in academics but also for top-notch sports and richness in culture.

The JG-TC serves the Charleston and Mattoon areas with the latest local and national news.

Lake Land College creates and continuously improves an affordable, accessible, and effective learning environment for the lifelong educational needs of the diverse communities it serves. LLC provides university transfer education, technical and career education, workforce development, community and continuing education, intellectual and cultural programs, as well as support services.

Beginning December 1, 2022, Officer Erica Roa will be serving each of our schools as the SRO. If you have questions regarding the SRO program, please see the FAQ or contact Chad Burgett, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, at 1.217.639.1000, Jeff Marlo, Jefferson Elementary School Assistant Principal, at 1.217.639.7000 or Erica Roa, SRO, at 1.217.639.5004.

Before the start of the 2023-2024 school year, our district made the collective decision to hire additional security for our buildings. It was initially planned to only hire two School Security Officers. However, after interviewing the top five applicants, the decision was made to go ahead and hire all five of them because each candidate not only exceeded our expectations as far as experience goes, but they all just seemed like a perfect fit for the job too. Many of you in our community probably already know or recognize at least some of these men from their various prior local law enforcement roles right here in Charleston.

The Trojan Booster Club is a not-for-profit organization served solely by volunteers who have supported Charleston Athletics since 1974. Their purpose is to promote and encourage interscholastic athletics and associated activities of CUSD #1. They raise and distribute funds for boys and girls athletics at both CHS and CMS. These funds go directly to student-athletes in the form of uniforms, warm-ups and miscellaneous equipment.

DISTRICT INFORMATION