U-46 announced at its latest Elgin board meeting that new K-8 boundaries will take effect in 2026-27, explaining which middle school students will shift buildings, why the district is redrawing its map and how families will be notified through assignment letters sent to every household.
The district confirmed that kindergarten through eighth grade boundaries are now finalized, according to the boundary transition update presented at the meeting. Families have begun receiving letters explaining their student’s school assignment for next year. Letters are being sent to every household with a child in grades K-8, even if the assignment does not change. High school students in grades nine through 11 will remain at their current schools and have been notified by email.
The district has not yet released a school-by-school breakdown of which elementary zones are shifting, and families are being directed to the School Locator tool to see the most accurate assignment information.
The district also opened a residency exception process for families who want to request to stay at their current school or, for incoming sixth and ninth graders, ask to attend the school they would have attended under the old boundaries. Each request will receive an individual response. District leaders said the goal is to give families enough time to prepare and ask questions before the new boundaries take effect.
Middle school administrators and counselors are visiting fifth and sixth graders to review elective options, explain what middle school will look like under the new model and help students prepare for course selection. Parent information nights have been held at each middle school, and staff will continue working with elementary students over the coming weeks.
School closures and program shifts under the new map
The boundary realignment includes several school closures and program changes, according to documents published on CitizenPortal, a community data repository, on Nov. 10, 2025. Lowrie Elementary School and Washington Elementary School in west Elgin will close. The Illinois Park Center for Early Learning will be converted into a full K-5 elementary school beginning next school year. These changes are part of the district’s long-range plan to consolidate older buildings and balance enrollment.
While the closures are confirmed, the district has not outlined which neighborhoods or elementary groups will feed into the newly configured schools, noting that full zone-level details will be shared later.
Two current middle schools, Abbott and Ellis, will remain open for the transition year before closing. Students currently attending Abbott will be reassigned to Kimball or Kenyon Woods under the new boundaries. Students in the Ellis boundary will move to Legacy Middle School or to other middle schools, depending on their address. Families can review the new map using the district’s School Locator tool.
These are the only middle school reassignments explicitly detailed so far; broader zone-to-school pathways have not yet been publicly broken out beyond what appears in the locator system.
Legacy Middle School prepares for future students
U-46’s new middle school in Elgin officially holds the name Legacy Middle School, following the board’s vote included in the meeting transcript. Legacy will be the first new middle school built in Elgin since 1959 and will serve roughly 1,100 students.
Legacy will not open next fall, according to a report published by the Elgin Area Chamber. Abbott and Ellis will stay open for one more year, and students assigned to Legacy will temporarily attend those schools. District leaders said they want the future Legacy community to begin working together before moving into the new building. Families will receive updates as the opening year gets closer.
Construction continues at Kimball and Kenyon Woods
The district also reviewed the status of several construction projects. At Kimball Middle School, crews have been renovating science and art classrooms, upgrading infrastructure and building new stairwells. Administrators said the most disruptive construction took place last spring and summer, and the school remains on schedule to fully reopen next school year. Related zoning requests have received support from the City of Elgin’s planning and zoning commission, with a City Council vote expected soon.
Kenyon Woods Middle School is undergoing a large addition that will expand student space. The exterior is nearly enclosed, permanent heating is running and crews are installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as ceilings, restrooms and paint. Flooring and casework work will begin soon. The district expects the addition to be ready for students next fall.
Major renovation underway at Century Oaks Elementary
Century Oaks Elementary School is beginning a major renovation and addition to address long-standing design and infrastructure challenges. Its open-concept layout means some classrooms share walls or open space. In some cases, students walk through one classroom to reach another. District leaders said the renovation is needed to improve safety and learning conditions.
Construction fencing is up, temporary parking is being built and families will soon see drop-off and pick-up operations shift to the south lot with bilingual signage and extra staff on site. The north side of the property will hold the new building addition, geothermal wells and the stormwater detention area. Mobile classrooms will allow students to remain on campus throughout construction. A groundbreaking event is planned.
To free up space during the renovation, Century Oaks will not host pre-K or special services programs next year. District leaders said much of the construction zone will eventually be restored as green space with new trees.
All information in this story is sourced from the U-46 board meetings U-46 Board Meeting – Nov 3, 2025 and U-46 Board Meeting – Nov 17, 2025, with the exception of sections that cite external sources for verification.
