Original Research by School Decision on Oakwood High School
Oakwood High School serves roughly the same number of students in each of its four grade levels, which is typical for a stable rural high school. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic enrollment and very few students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. The school carries no reported free- and reduced-price lunch data and no data on English learners or students receiving special education services; these gaps are typical of very small schools and do not indicate an absence of these populations. State testing results and graduation rates were not available in the data provided, so a parent cannot compare Oakwood's academic performance directly to schools in Vermilion County or beyond through standard metrics.
Oakwood High School sits in Fithian, a very small rural village in Oakwood Township, west of Danville. The village itself is car-dependent, with residents commuting an average distance to work and owning multiple cars per household. There is no downtown or pedestrian district; the school is located on a highway frontage property along U.S. Route 150. The village's business base is minimal, with only a handful of small establishments, and most resident employment lies outside Fithian in the Danville area. The school is effectively the largest civic institution in the village.
Housing in the area is substantially more affordable than state and national benchmarks. Median home values are well below the state average, and monthly mortgage payments and rent are correspondingly lower. The rent-to-income ratio suggests housing is genuinely affordable for local households, a meaningful advantage for families with modest incomes. The community has experienced flat population and employment growth in recent years with no identified new development.
The district, Oakwood CUSD 76, recently sold the long-vacant former junior high school in Newtown to Cunningham Children's Home, which will convert it into a therapeutic day school for students with special needs opening in the 2026-27 school year. This brings a regional special-education resource into the attendance area. More directly affecting current families, the district has repeatedly placed a countywide school facilities sales tax on the ballot to fund infrastructure and reduce property-tax bonds; the measure was rejected by voters in previous elections, meaning families continue to carry facility bond costs through property taxes rather than sales tax. This is an active local funding issue worth understanding if you are considering the area.
The school's website and additional program information were not available in the data provided. A parent looking to understand Oakwood's academics, course offerings, extracurriculars, and specific support services should contact the school directly or visit its website to build out the full picture of what a student experience there would include.
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