Naperville Community Unit School District 203 is one of the largest and highest performing districts in Illinois.
Roughly 60,000 students come from Naperville, Lisle and Bolingbrook to attend one of the district’s 22 schools.
Naperville students benefit from the majority of their teacher’s having advanced degrees as well as a 92% teacher retention rate. The district’s high student attendance rate outperforms the state average.
Here’s a breakdown on everything parents should know about District 203.
1. Overview of Naperville Community Unit District 203
- Phone number: 630-420-6300
- Number of schools: 22
- Number of students: 15,935
- Pupil to teacher ratio: 17:1
- Operational expenditure per Student: $19,257
- Quick links: School calendar, enrollment information
- Claim to fame: Naperville’s large size and good reputation for student outcomes makes it a popular choice for families. Extensive STEAM offerings, sports options and extracurriculars give it an edge. Students have a 96% graduation rate and 64% of teachers have an advanced degree.
2. A new teachers contract in the works
Rising tensions between the teachers union and the district nearly resulted in a strike in the first month of school.
Teachers have been without a contract since June, but disagreements over pay have stalled an agreement. The union threatened a strike, but district leaders worked with union representatives to craft a tentative deal, reports CBS News Chicago.
“We are so incredibly grateful to our students, families and the entire community for all their support during this difficult time,” Naperville Unit Education Association President Ross Berkley said in a statement. “We could not have done this without you.”
“We are proud to say we’ve reached a tentative agreement that values our students and our educators,” Berkley added.
An upcoming vote will determine whether the contract is official.
3. Pushback on shifting school start times
A change to school start and end times was originally planned to begin this year, but after community pushback, the changes will start next school year instead.
The plan was to extend the elementary school day by 15 minutes. For middle schoolers, the school day would shift the start and end times back. Days would begin at 8:50 a.m. and end at 3:40 p.m. For high schoolers, the change would both shorten the school day and shift the start time to 8:20 a.m., reported Naperville Community Television.
Now, the district will spend time this school year communicating with families and staff before the changes go into effect for 2026-27.
4. Recommendation for new literacy curriculum
Part of this year’s budget includes a recommendation for a new literacy curriculum for grades K-12 to replace what the district described as “outdated” learning materials.
The district proposed a more than $3 million investment into updating the curriculum over the course of three years. The current curriculum is more than 10 years old–it was last refreshed in 2013.
The district says there have been significant advancements in literacy research, technology and instructional practices which would be reflected in the new curriculum.
5. Kennedy Junior High School updates on hold
The $7 million proposed updates to Kennedy Junior High School will be pushed back one year.
While the renovations were slated to begin this school year, the school board decided to adjust the timeline to better accommodate construction plans. Madison Junior High School’s renovations will happen this year instead.
Next year, Kennedy will expand its internal classrooms and get rid of outdoor pods, renovate its courtyard for use as a STEM space and more. See the full list of planned construction projects here.
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