Major restructuring: Elgin U-46 considering closure of six elementary schools

In response to outdated buildings and shrinking enrollment, Elgin Area District U-46 could close as many as six elementary schools.

District officials Monday presented school board members with recommendations that include closing Lowrie, McKinley and Washington elementary schools, all located in Elgin, in June 2027. The plan also suggests retiring Century Oaks in Elgin and Glenbrook and Hanover Countryside elementary schools in Streamwood at a later date.

U-46 families were advised of the potential closures in an email after the school board meeting.

“We know this is difficult news for many of our staff, students, families and community members,” Deputy Superintendent of Operations Ann Williams said. “However, we are committed to providing safe, modern learning environments for all of our students.”

School board members did not make a decision but could consider the recommendations for a vote as early as February.

District officials pointed to declining enrollment and the age of the buildings as reasons for recommending the closures. U-46 elementary schools will see a further decline in enrollment once the district moves all sixth graders into middle school buildings. Currently, sixth grade students attend U-46 elementary schools. The district anticipates completing that transition by the end of the 2026-27 school year.

More than two-thirds of the district’s elementary schools were built before 1980, and the newest school opened in 2005. However, the district hasn’t seen student population growth in the last 20 years.

Data presented by the district’s chief of staff, Brian Lindholm, to school board members showed a 20% decline in elementary school enrollment from five years ago. Projections indicate 14 district schools would operate at 50-60% capacity within the next few years without the closures.

“We are at a point where we need to make some difficult decisions,” Lindholm said.

In addition to the proposed closures, the district would investigate transforming the Illinois Park Early Childhood Center into an elementary school to take some students from shuttered schools.

The recommendations also include building a new elementary school in northeast Elgin to replace McKinley Elementary School, which was built in 1887, on a yet-to-be-determined 5- to 10-acre site.

Century Oaks in Elgin, which also is recommended for closure, could potentially be rebuilt on a different part of its 8-acre site, or students may find themselves at a converted Illinois Park school.

Glenbrook Elementary, which sits on about 6 acres in Streamwood, could potentially be rebuilt on a different part of the school property.

Hanover Countryside could remain open during a transition period but then would close, according to the recommendations presented.

Additions and renovations are under consideration for Harriet Gifford and Highland elementary schools in Elgin.

Parkwood Elementary School in Hanover Park would be monitored for possible consolidation at a later date.

The school board anticipates discussing boundaries and potential changes in the coming year. Changes to elementary school boundaries would be communicated to families in the fall of 2024, according to the recommendations.

District officials said it costs an average of $2 million per building to maintain and operate each elementary school — a potential savings of $12 million per year in closing six buildings. That number doesn’t include the cost of teacher salaries, transportation costs and feeding the students at each building. Staff and teachers at the schools that will close will receive job opportunities at the remaining buildings in the district, officials said.