SD U-46 presents districtwide attendance boundary proposal to balance enrollment

District staff presented a proposed attendance-boundary map for School District U-46 at a public meeting, outlining plans to redraw lines across nearly every school in the district to balance enrollment, retire older buildings and align students with newly funded facilities.

The proposal affects all 55 district buildings and nearly 35,000 students, district staff said. The plan, funded by the districts 2023 bond referendum and developed through the Unite U46 process, would close two existing middle schools (Abbott on the west side of Elgin and Ellis on the east side of Elgin), open a new Bartlett middle school at the former Hawk Hollow site, and establish a new middle school on Rorson Road near Hilltop Elementary.

Why it matters: District staff said aging buildings, some more than 100 years old, combined with pockets of overcrowding and declining enrollment, limit the districts ability to provide consistent programs and facilities. The bond referendum approved in 2023 provides funding for upgrades and new construction intended to give students access to more modern, accessible and flexible learning environments, staff said.

How the plan was developed: A district staff member said the boundary scenarios were created using software from…