Township High School District 211
Encyclopedia
Township High School District 211 is a school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 located in Cook County, Illinois
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

, the largest high school district in Illinois. District 211 serves most of the Palatine and Schaumburg townships, including significant portions of the city of Rolling Meadows
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Rolling Meadows is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 24,607 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rolling Meadows is located at ....

 and the villages of Hoffman Estates
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates is a northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois. The village is located primarily in Cook County with a small section in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 49,495 and estimated to be 52,520 in 2003...

, Inverness
Inverness, Illinois
Inverness is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 6,749 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....

, Palatine
Palatine, Illinois
Palatine is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential suburb of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 65,479, making it the sixth-largest community in Cook County and the 16th-largest in the state of Illinois at that time...

, and Schaumburg
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...

, as well as smaller corners of Arlington Heights
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....

, Elk Grove, Hanover Park
Hanover Park, Illinois
Hanover Park is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The population was 38,278 at the 2000 census...

, Roselle
Roselle, Illinois
Roselle is a city located in DuPage County and a small portion in Cook County Illinois in northeastern Illinois. It was first incorporated in 1922 and can correctly be relegated to a bedroom community — that is, a community that largely consists of residential zoning in both income streams...

, and South Barrington
South Barrington, Illinois
South Barrington is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States south of Barrington, Illinois. The population was 3,760 at the 2000 census. South Barrington is a wealthy suburb of Chicago and home to the famous megachurch Willow Creek Community Church. The village is known throughout the area...

.

20th century

High school education in the Palatine-Schaumburg Township area began in 1875, with the first graduating class in 1877. Palatine High School is one of the four oldest suburban high schools and the first established northwest of Chicago. Charles S. Cutting was the school’s first principal.

The Palatine Township High School District was formed in 1914. Its first classes were held in space rented from the elementary district on the top floor of a school on Wood Street between Hale and Benton.

In 1928, a separate high school building for 300 students was built on a 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) site at 150 East Wood Street. The school opened with 125 students. Schaumburg Township was not part of a high school district, so some Schaumburg students came to Palatine on a tuition basis. Between 1928 and 1950, the enrollment grew from 150 to 391 students and projections indicated dramatic growth ahead. In 1952, an addition to Palatine High School was completed, increasing the building capacity to 700 students.

In 1954, Schaumburg formed Elementary District 54 and joined Palatine Township High School District 211. After 1954, enrollments mushroomed at all levels. A second addition was approved for Palatine High School and a second site of 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) was purchased at Quentin Road and Illinois Avenue.

The second school opened in 1961, and was named “William Fremd High School.” Mr. Fremd had been a member of the high school Board of Education for over 30 years and had served on school boards in the area for a consecutive period of more than 45 years. From 1961 to 1964, the District was organized as a 2-2 system with juniors and seniors at Palatine High School and freshmen and sophomores at Fremd High School. This system was phased out when James B. Conant High School, the District’s third school and the first located in Schaumburg Township, opened in 1964 as a three-year school. Fremd High School converted to a three-year program in 1966.

In 1967, an administration center was built on Roselle Road near Algonquin Road. It houses all District staff, Board of Education meeting room, and a storage area for school supplies. The center was named to honor Gerald A. McElroy who served District 211 for 38 years as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent.

In 1967, building additions increased capacity at Conant High School from 1,700 to 2,600 students and Palatine’s capacity from 1,000 to 1,800 students. In 1969, an addition to Fremd High School expanded its capacity from 1,600 to 2,700 students. District 211’s fourth school, Schaumburg High School, opened in September, 1970. This structure, except for the gymnasium and parking site, was constructed by the Illinois Building Commission, a method of financing made necessary by the District’s lack of sufficient bonding power in the late 1960s. Hoffman Estates High School, built to house an enrollment of 2,500 students, opened in 1973 as a freshman-sophomore school in Schaumburg Township.

On October 19, 1974, district residents approved a $22 million referendum which provided funds for a sixth high school; an addition to Schaumburg High School which increased its capacity to 3,000 students; the addition of auditoriums and pools at Conant, Schaumburg, and Fremd High Schools; a pool at Hoffman Estates High School; and a District warehouse.

In 1976, the Board of Education decided that the building housing Palatine High School was unsuitable for future use as a four-year high school. Insufficient land to expand the building for future growth and the cost of needed repairs necessitated that decision. The building was closed in June, 1977.

The sixth high school, located near the intersection of Rohlwing and Cunningham Roads, opened in September, 1977, and was named Palatine High School. The newest building accommodated 2,500 students.

In 1983, physical education additions were completed at Fremd and Conant High Schools, and in 1997, a physical education addition was completed at Palatine High School.

In 1996, Redbook magazine recognized Schaumburg High School as “One of America’s Best Schools.” The District 211 Transportation Department was named among “Great Fleets Across America” by School Bus Fleet in 1999.

21st century

Construction was completed in 2002 on an addition at Fremd High School, turning the valuable space in the school’s courtyard into new science laboratories named in honor of Gerald D. Chapman, who served District 211 for 36 years as a teacher, assistant principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. The old science labs were then converted to new English classrooms. The school also had the east exterior of the building remodeled.

A clock tower and covered walkways were constructed at Conant High School in 2002, as part of an exterior facelift for the school. Construction on an addition at Palatine High School was completed in 2003, adding 24 classrooms to the northeast corner of the building to handle enrollment growth.

On April 5, 2005, District residents approved a referendum resulting in a 40¢ increase in the Education Fund; 25¢ in the spring of 2005 and an additional 15¢ in the fall of 2005. Passage of this referendum avoided approximately $18 million in program cuts, while assuring the District would remain on sound financial ground for many years to come.

In 2007, additions to Conant and Fremd High Schools were completed, adding new music facilities at both schools. The administration offices at Fremd High School were remodeled. At Hoffman Estates High School, the auxiliary gymnasiums were expanded. Construction included the addition of a locker room, team room, and an elevator.

In 2008, a science addition was completed at Conant High School. Academic additions that included relocation of administration offices were completed at Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates High Schools. An expanded Board of Education meeting room, named in honor of former Board member Anne Koller who served the District for 23 years, was completed at the Administration Center. Renovations also were completed to make the building more accessible, including installation of an elevator and a ground floor entry.

District 211 also has two therapeutic special education schools. District 211 Academy-North, located in Palatine, and District 211 Academy-South, located in Streamwood Streamwood, Illinois. Both of these facilities serve approximately 40 special needs students each. Academy-South was originally founded during the 1975 school year and known as LEAP, Lifeskills Educational Alternatives Program, until changing its name to Academy-South in 2008. Academy-North was founded in 2005.

Demonstrating districtwide quality, all five District 211 schools were named among the top in the nation in the United States Department of Education’s National Secondary School Recognition Program. Hoffman Estates High School was recognized in 1985, William Fremd High School received the award in 1987, Palatine and Schaumburg High Schools were honored in 1993, James B. Conant High School was recognized in 1996, and Palatine High School received its second Blue Ribbon award in 2000. That same year, Palatine High School was named a “New American High School” by the United States Department of Education, as one of only 10 schools nationwide to receive that distinction. Palatine, Fremd, and Schaumburg High Schools were named among the “Top 99” high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report in 1999, and Palatine High School was nationally recognized by the United States Department of Education for its exemplary anti-drug program in 1991.

High School District 211 was named among the elite school districts in Illinois by Expansion Management magazine, a publication for corporate re-location, in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and again in 2007.

High schools

  • James B. Conant High School
    James B. Conant High School
    James B. Conant High School is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...


  • Hoffman Estates High School
    Hoffman Estates High School
    Hoffman Estates High School, or HEHS, is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes James B...


  • Schaumburg High School
    Schaumburg High School
    Schaumburg High School, or SHS is a public four-year high school located in Schaumburg, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.-History:Schaumburg High School opened on September 17th 1970...


  • Fremd High School

  • Palatine High School
    Palatine High School
    Palatine High School, or PHS, is a public four-year high school in Township High School District 211. Located at 1111 N. Rohlwing Rd in Palatine, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago...


Feeder school districts

  • Schaumburg Community Consolidated School District 54
    Community Consolidated School District 54
    Schaumburg Community Consolidated School District 54 operates 21 elementary schools, five junior high schools and one combined K-8 school based in Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois, USA, a suburb of Chicago. It serves Schaumburg and portions of Hoffman Estates, Hanover Park, Elk Grove Village and...

  • Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15
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