Community Unit School District 303 is a high-achieving, pre-K-12 system covering 57.4 square miles in the picturesque Fox River Valley, 40 miles west of Chicago. District 303 serves about 13,800 students (August, 2009) from the City of St. Charles and portions of West Chicago, South Elgin, Wayne, Campton Hills, Wasco, Elburn and unincorporated Kane County.
In July 2011, Family Circle Magazine named St. Charles the Best Town for Families in the United States. Among the reasons why the City of St. Charles was given this honor is the involvement of District 303 in the community and the fact that District 303 works closely with the City of St. Charles, the St. Charles Park District, the St. Charles Public Library and other civic organizations to benefit the residents of the community.
HISTORY
When formal school districts were originally created in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were usually drawn along township boundaries. However, legislation was passed in 1946-47 that encouraged school districts to consolidate.
Community Unit School District 303 was born in 1949 when, through a referendum, voters approved consolidating High School District 150, Elementary District 87 and Little Woods District 79.
People served by the Wasco two-year high school program voted in 1950 to consolidate with District 303 after another change in state law eliminated two-year high schools.
SCHOOLS
The district operates 12 elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools.
DISTRICT ACHIEVEMENT
District 303 schools perform very well on state standardized tests and other local assessments.
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District 303's composite ACT score for 2010 is 23.6 compared to a state average of 20.5 and the national average of 21.0.
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90.1 percent of all District 303 students met or exceeded state learning standards in 2010 (93.3 percent ISAT; 75.9 percent Prairie State Achievement Exam.) Statewide, an average of 76.4 percent of all students met or exceeded state learning standards in 2010 (80.9 percent ISAT; 53.0 percent PSAE.)*
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Approximately 95% of the district's graduates go to college.
Three District 303 schools have been honored by the U.S. Department of Education by being named Blue Ribbon Schools. St. Charles High School (now St. Charles East) was named a Blue Ribbon School in 1996 while Haines Middle School was selected in 2006. St. Charles North High School earned Blue Ribbon designation in 2010 and was the only Illinois high school earning the award that year. The award recognizes excellence in teaching and instruction, student achievement, leadership and parent involvement.
St. Charles East and St. Charles North were among the top 4% of all public high schools nationwide in the 2012 U.S. News rankings of America's Best High Schools. In those rankings among Illinois public schools, St. Charles North was ranked 24th and St. Charles East ranked 35th. St. Charles East and St. Charles North both appeared in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Washington Post rankings of the Top 6% of high schools nationwide and made the 2009 Top 10 in West Suburban Living Magazine's ranking of high schools in the western suburbs. Both St. Charles East and St. Charles North High Schools have been named GRAMMY Signature Schools for their outstanding music programs.
In both the 2009 and 2010 Chicago Sun-Times rankings of all Illinois schools, both St. Charles East and St. Charles North appeared in the Top 50 among high schools. Haines Middle School and Wredling Middle School both appeared in the 2010 Sun-Times Top 100 rankings of all Illinois middle schools. Among Illinois elementary schools, both Bell-Graham and Wild Rose made the 2010 Sun-Times Top 100.
Eight District 303 Schools were named as winners of the Illinois State Board of Education Academic Excellence Award for 2010. The eight schools are: Haines Middle School; Bell-Graham, Ferson Creek, Fox Ridge, Lincoln, Munhall, Norton Creek, and Wasco Elementary Schools.
In 2011, District 303 was recognized by the College Board by being named to the Advanced Placement Achievement List for improving participation and performance on AP exams. District 303 is one of only 27 districts in Illinois and one of 388 nationwide to earn this honor.
CURRICULUM/EDUCATION
District 303's educational program is characterized by a tradition of recognized academic achievement, talented faculty, many highly successful championship level athletic teams and award winning fine arts programs. Guided by the District 303 Vision Statement and Goals, and led by the Department of Learning and Teaching, District 303 staff is actively involved in curriculum renewal and redesign. Many staff members and instructional teams have been recognized at the state and national levels for successful and innovative programs.
All staff members benefit from a variety of continuing education courses offered through the district's own university-caliber professional development program. As of winter 2009, seventy District 303 teachers had achieved National Board certification, the highest level of certification available to educators.
FINANCES
District 303's fiscal year 2009-2010 budget is $168.6 million for revenues, and $168.6 million for expenditures.
STAFF
District 303 employs about 2,000 full and part time employees for 2009-2010.
Staff members are represented by four professional associations -- the St. Charles Education Association (representing certificated staff); the St. Charles Transportation and Maintenance Association; the St. Charles Educational Support Professionals Association; and the Therapy Association of St. Charles.
TEACHER PROFILE
The average teacher salary in 2009-2010 was $64,177 (state average of $61,402), and the average teacher had 11.5 years of experience.* About 71 percent of District 303 teachers hold Master's Degrees or more.
*information from the 2009 Illinois State Report Card
COMMUNITY PROFILE
Community life in the area of District 303 is enhanced by the presence of great schools and 54 park sites with settings for tennis, swimming, walking, running, bicycling, boating, canoeing, picnicking, soccer, baseball, softball, football, and more.
There are four golf courses within the community and more than a dozen more in the adjacent towns. The community is also home to the Q Center (formerly Andersen Worldwide), DuKane Corp., Pheasant Run Resort-Convention Center, Armour-Swift-Eckrich, Coca-Cola Bottling, Omron, Wallace Computer Systems, and the historic Baker Hotel.
Numerous higher education opportunities exist right at District 303's doorstep:
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Aurora University
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DePaul University
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Elgin Community College
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Loyola University
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National-Louis University
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North Central College
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Northern Illinois University
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Northwestern University
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Roosevelt University
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University of Chicago
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University of Illinois at Chicago
District 303's closeness to Chicago affords its residents easy access to all the advantages of living in the metropolitan area. The cultural, sport, shopping and scenic attractions of Chicago are all within an hour of our community.