Education

Contact Information:

• Address: 1710 Cavin Dr., BLDG 8100, Great Lakes, IL 60088
• Cell Phone: 847-489-4231
• Email: slo.navstaglakes@navy.mil
• Website: https://www.navymwrgreatlakes.com/programs/25eff014-f51d-4407-97f2-cdf0d74afc0b

Child and Youth Education Services

As School Liaison Officer for Naval Station Great Lakes, my focus is to provide school information enabling parents to make informed decisions for the best educational fit for their child. I serve as the primary point of contact between parents, the military installation, and the local school community.

Seven Core Areas: 

Illinois is not a choice state, which means you must live within the boundaries of the school district you wish your children to attend. Please be advised that public schools in IL charge registration fees. Please check with your district, as fees vary. Illinois also requires a medical, dental, and eye exam for enrollment.

Another option is for the parents to teach their children at home instead of sending them to a public or private school. Each state has different laws governing home schooling. Many communities have organizations that assist home schooling families with curriculum and opportunities to meet other home schoolers. To home school your child, you can register with the local school district or the Illinois Department of Education. You'll be given a standard curriculum to follow and an assigned teacher who will monitor your child's progress. More information on Home Schooling can be found on the School Outreach/Liaison website.

Adult learning opportunities are available throughout the Great Lakes area. See the Education - Training (College/Technical) article.

For information on local schooling options and transfers, please contact a School Liaison Officer

There are no DOD Schools in the Great Lakes area.

In the communities surrounding Naval Station Great Lakes, you will find a variety of schools and specialty programs to serve you. Additionally, there are private schools and pre-schools, as well kindergarten facilities throughout the region provide parents with abundant educational choices. Please be advised that the state of IL implements registration fees at all grade levels for public schools. These fees are waived only for families that qualify under income parameters for free and reduced lunch. All public schools run a 10 month year, with 2 major breaks.

Most schools in the area offer before and after school programs for the elementary students, as well as free/reduced lunch programs, school sports programs, and special education classes. Please be advised that Illinois is not a “choice” state and requires its residents to attend the public school whose boundaries they live within. Personal contact with an individual school district is the best way to learn about school calendars, facilities, curriculum, graduation requirements, extracurricular activities and other areas.

Registration Requirements

Newcomers and those registering their children for the first time are required by Illinois law to provide proof of immunizations against a number of contagious diseases. Immunization schedules and Illinois health forms may be found online. Children entering kindergarten must be age 5 on or before 1 September of the enrollment year. You are also required to show proof of residency each year. Basic guidelines for registering your child in Illinois can be found online. Contact the appropriate school system for additional information on registration requirements, fees, and specific academic or extracurricular activities.

Grading System

To encourage the highest achievement of every student, each school incorporates the Learning Standards as defined by the IL Department of Education. Standards, which define the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level. Each district's curriculum, student-level assessment, textbooks, instructional materials, and professional development activities are all aligned with the standards. This ensures, among other benefits, that the knowledge students acquire in the classroom is directly related to the statewide assessments they take each year. For more information on your particular district, contact the Lake County Office of Education or visit their website. For more information about educational options for districts surrounding Great lakes Naval Station, you may also visit the School Liaison website.

Graduation Requirements

Illinois recently updated the coursework necessary to meet the state graduation requirements. This information can be viewed online.

Achievement Testing

The Illinois Standards Achievement Test measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. The results give parents, teachers, and schools one measure of student learning and school performance. Each district is required to report the percentage of students that meet or exceed Illinois State learning Standards as determined by testing which is part of the No Child Left Behind regulations. The Illinois State Board of Education has a very informative web site that outlines school, district and state report cards, district summaries, teacher/student ratios, graduation rates, data analysis and progress reporting as well as school profiles. You may also reach them at the Call Center at 217-558-3600 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.

Government Housing

Families who live on base at Great Lakes attend North Chicago Community Unit School District 187 which serves 3,849 students ranging from pre-kindergarten through high school. Approximately 20-25% of the student population is military dependents from Naval Station Great Lakes. The district's pre-Kindergarten school, five K-5 schools, two middle schools and North Chicago Community High School are fully accredited by the State of Illinois, and the North Central Association. Yeager School offers a pre-K program whose enrollment is limited to those students who are considered “at risk” to provide additional supports so the children may be successful in kindergarten. Children must have a diagnosed learning disability as well as complete a screening process in order to be eligible for these programs. The IL State Board of Education has undertaken numerous initiatives to adopt a more rigorous curriculum, improve student culture, and raise student achievement.

Families residing in Forrestal Village with Grades K-5 children, attend Forrestal Elementary School. Middle School is divided between Novak-King 6^th Grade Center and Neal Math & Science Academy for 7^th and 8^th grade. High-schoolers attend North Chicago Community High School, which offers a curriculum in college preparatory courses, industrial arts, vocational subjects and has special or enriched learning services. There is busing of students on the installation, if they live outside a one mile radius, which is a requirement of Illinois Law. District #187 has a uniform dress code requirement.

North Chicago Consolidated School District 187 is located at 2000 Lewis Avenue, North Chicago, IL. Phone number: 847-689-8150. You can access specific information on each grade level school listed from their website.

In Fall 2014, the LEARN North Chicago 6th Campus opened serving 250 students in grades K-2, and 6-7. When built to capacity, the school will encompass grades K-8 with 500 students. Lottery for available spots is conducted in the spring, but families are encouraged to submit an application upon receipt of orders as spots due to slots becoming available due to transitioning families. The school is a tuition-free, public school open to all children living in North Chicago. The school is located at 3131 Sheridan Rd, Great lakes, IL 60088. Phone number: 847-473-3845.

LEARN 10 is a tuition free Public Charter School that opened its doors in 2016. We are in year two and serve almost 200 North Chicago & Great Lakes residents. Just about half of our students are Military Children. We reside inside of the Howard A. Yeager building at 1811 Morrow Ave. North Chicago 60064. Phone number: 847-693-5021. We currently serve Kindergarten through fourth grade and will grow each of the next four years to eventually serve Kindergarten through eighth grade.

To learn more, visit their website. You can access forms to pbe placed on the wait list here as well.

Students through eighth grade who live in government housing at Fort Sheridan attend North Shore School District 112, Highland Park. District offices are located at 1936 Green Bay Road, Highland Park, 60035. Phone number: 224-765-3000. Students in grades 9-12 will attend Highland Park High School, which is part of District 113. There district offices are located at 1040 W. Park Ave., Highland Park, IL, 60035. Phone number: 224-765-1000.

Students in government housing at Glenview go to Glenview Public School District 34, Glenview. Their district offices are located 1401 Greenwood Rd., Glenview, IL, phone number 847-998-5000. Students in grades 9-12 will attend Glenbrook High School District 225, located at 2300 Shermer Rd Northbrook, 60062 phone number 847-272-6400. There is busing for all students on the installation.

For all of the schools that service our families living in government housing, please check the websites for information about school calendars, numbers of schools under each district, before and after school programs, sports programs, and grading system per school district.

Lake County is home to more than 100 private primary and secondary schools, as well as in neighboring Kenosha County, WI. Private schools vary widely, from highly structured to self-directed learning environments, to college prep and curriculum strong in artistic expression. Many private schools are church affiliated; however, they often welcome students of any religious background.

You can obtain a list of registered non-public schools from the Lake County Regional Office of Education, 800 Lancer Lane, Suite E-128, Grayslake, IL, 60030-2656. Phone number: 847-543-7833. For information about scholarships, entrance requirements and waiting lists, parents should direct inquiries to the desired school. You may also visit the School Liaison website for more information.