Schools and Education
Quality education, at all levels, from elementary school to middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, is available in Aurora.
Six public school districts serve Aurora. Also, there are 19 private schools including a Catholic high school, a girls' Catholic high school, a boys' Catholic military academy, a Christian high school, plus six other Protestant schools that offer instruction from preschool through grade 8.
Aurora is also home to the Illinois Math and Science Academy, one of only three schools in the nation of its kind. It is a three-year, public residential high school, which attracts students from throughout the state. Students at this school score among the highest in the nation for standardized testing.
Institutions of higher education include Waubonsee Community College, which has two campuses in Aurora, and Aurora University a private, independent institution with an enrollment of more than 2,000 students. This fully accredited university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Other nearby colleges and universities are Northern Illinois University, College of Du Page, Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, De Paul University, University of Chicago, Loyola University, University of Illinois - Chicago, Benedictine University and North Central College.
Demographics
The median income for a household in the city is about $54,861 and the median income for a family, $61,113.
Men had a median income of $41,429 versus $30,150 for women.
Approximately 70 percent of Aurorans own their homes with an estimated median housing value of about $185,000.
Over the past 25 years Aurora and its economic base has expanded considerably: Aurora’s population has increased from 84,540 to approximately 175,000 and Aurora’s size has dramatically increased from 15.68 square miles in 1972 to 42 square miles in 2005.