Each year, 5,000 students from Freeport and the nearby communities of Cedarville and Ridott attend District 145. First-to-fourth-grade students attend Blackhawk, Center, Empire, Lincoln-Douglas and Taylor Park elementary schools. Carl Sandburg Middle School serves the fifth and sixth grades before they head on to Freeport Junior High School for the seventh and eighth grades and four years at Freeport High School.

The district's newest school serves the area's youngest students. The Jones-Farrar Early Learning Center opened in 1995 and was designed with young learners in mind. All of the district's kindergarten students attend Jones-Farrar in either full- or half-day classes. The center also houses Northwest Illinois Special Education Preschool, the at-risk preschool program Pre-kindergarten Active Steps to Success (PASS) and the YMCA Day Care.

Each day in FSD 145, the 864 faculty, staff and administration members work hard to educate the whole child. Building on a foundation of reading, math, language arts and other academic basics enhanced by consistent use of technology, FSD 145 is preparing students for the 21st century. The curriculum covers science, social studies and other academics, but also addresses the social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs of the children. Special needs are met through programs such as Title I, Special Education, Speech and Gifted Education programs. Test scores are above state and national averages. The district is proud of its award-winning sports, music and activities programs.

Technology is one of the greatest strengths of the FSD 145 schools. Every classroom has computers, which are all attached to the Internet and an internal Intranet. District communications are enhanced by the use of e-mail. Many computer laboratories, for both specific and general uses, are also found throughout the district. There is a long-range technology plan which will provide focus and allow the district to continue to remain ahead of most schools.

When FSD 145 students leave the grade schools, they come together at Carl Sandburg Middle School. Carl Sandburg is a beautiful, newly remodeled modern facility with swimming pool and other specialty areas. Students enter an environment structured for adolescents which prepares them for the academic and social challenges of junior high and high school. Students are grouped into traditional or multi-grade teams, remaining with the same group of students throughout their two years at Carl Sandburg. In addition to their academic studies, students attend PRIME TIME, a daily advisory period, where the focus is on personal development: self-esteem, multi-cultural diversity, conflict resolution, goal setting and problem solving.