Original Research by School Decision on Oakland Education Center
Oakland Education Center is a special education school operated by the Franklin-Jefferson County Special Education District. The school serves middle school students and is located in Mount Vernon, a small county-seat city in southern Illinois at the intersection of Interstates 57 and 64.
Mount Vernon functions as a regional hub for manufacturing, healthcare, and distribution in rural Jefferson County. The city's economy centers on Continental Tire's large manufacturing operation, the Walgreens Distribution Center, and SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital. Downtown has a compact walkable core around "The District" with shops and cultural venues, while the broader city is car-dependent. The city has been experiencing slow population decline but is actively pursuing revitalization through infill development, including a new community greenspace, housing initiatives for seniors and people with disabilities, and industrial expansion. Housing values in the area remain below the state benchmark, with monthly rental rates modest as well.
Oakland Education Center serves a specialized population by design. As a special education school, it operates outside the standard district structure—it is part of a multi-district cooperative serving students with significant identified disabilities or specialized instructional needs. Data on the school's enrollment, demographics, academic performance, and attendance were not available. This is typical for schools serving small, concentrated populations with individualized education plans, where state reporting thresholds and assessment structures differ substantially from general-education schools. A parent or resident considering this school should contact the Franklin-Jefferson County Special Education District or Oakland Education Center directly to learn about the specific disabilities and grade levels served, the curriculum and support services offered, transportation, and how students are identified and placed.
The school's address places it on South 7th Street in Mount Vernon's central area. The Franklin-Jefferson County Special Education District serves multiple districts across the county, so Oakland may draw students from a wider geographic area than Mount Vernon alone.
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