Article is about Decatur and Bloomington. Two cities that have pretty strong "blanket" public districts that are thought to be the better choice over the "inner-city" public districts. Mt. Zion and Maroa-Forsyth are simply safety net districts for those who choose to work in Decatur but don't want to "live" in Decatur. Same goes for Metamora and Washington near Peoria. Glenwood, Rochester, Williamsville, Plains around Springfield. U-High is a convenient district within the BloNo market as an alternative to those two public systems.
In my opinion, those districts are as powerful in "recruiting" the same way most non-boundaried schools "recruit." Sure, a private school can send you a letter telling you how great their school is. But many find choosing to live in safety net communities to be equally appealing in today's economy.
There are different types of recruiting to be sure...
The recruiting that everyone gets upset with the when the individual athlete gets recruited to the private school for purely athletic purposes...strangely enough you never hear about this kind of recruiting for band, or choir, or scholastic bowl...
Public districts, without school choice like CPS, recruit but differently. They recruit the family to move in to the district so the kid(s) can go to school there. If Dad gets transferred to Kankakee to work, it is more likely that he will not move to the City of Kankakee if he is bringing the family. He will move to Bradley, Bourbonnais, Manteno, or Herscher because the school districts are better. 50 years ago, maybe Dad moves to Kankakee and sends the kids to McNamara. But not as much anymore. Your "safety net" point is right on with the public districts for a family moving into the area. The safety net schools are probably more important in Decatur, Peoria and Kankakee than they are for Bloomington-Normal....
Your recruiting in the ICE area for example more depends on what the children are into...Band? Maybe Herscher, which has a long history with an impressive band & orchestra program. Show choir / chorus? Maybe Manteno, which has built a powerhouse program. Pole vault? Reed Custer, with the indoor track and great success with vaulters. Wrestling? Wilmington or Coal City, maybe RC. I think I've made my point...parents choose school districts for what they overall can provide what their kids need, but they start in the safety zone.