Three aging elementary schools in Elgin (Illinois) District U-46 have begun their final year of operation.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Lowrie, Washington and Hanover Countryside elementary schools—ranging from 71 to 138 years old—will be shut down at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Lowrie opened in 1887; Washington in 1893; and Hanover Countryside in 1954.
After voters approved a $179 million bond proposal in 2023, U-46 has been working on plans to replace or renovate many of its older schools
Also this week, the district welcomed a new middle school as part of its facility upgrades. Hawk Hollow Middle School in Bartlett had a previous life as an elementary before closing in 2022-23. The Daily Herald reports that after $53 million in additions and renovations, the school welcomed seventh grade students for the first day of school. Next year, sixth- and eighth-grade students will join them.
The expanded Hawk Hollow now has capacity for 750 students. Added features include dedicated science labs, flexible classrooms, staff planning areas, a cafetorium with a full-service kitchen, dual gyms, performing arts spaces, and rooms for culinary arts, band, choir and music.
