Anyone Familiar with the Carol Stream School System?

Too many districts, too many variables that sound iffy. Look for information in the Chicago 2007 magazine Chicago public/private school ratings. Find objective facts and ratings as well as comparisons. This will give you a comparative analysis of all schools in areas you are considering.

Knowing you, I think I would rule it out. This is knowing you though, and knowing what you are looking for.

Me

I live in Bartlett but know many people in Carol Stream, and I would just say this: ask if the house you are looking at is in District 93 or U-46. Some parts of Carol Stream are in U-46, and I would avoid those areas. You will be a Carol Streamer going to Carol Stream-area U-46 schools until high school when you will be at Bartlett and your kids won't know anybody. If that won't bother them, then no big deal. But I know kids who have always felt like outsiders for this reason. Good Luck!

I personally don't have first hand experience with the Carol Stream school system, but I have a friend who lives there and has three school aged children and my sister use to live there and had her son in the schools as well. (She has since moved out of the area.) BOTH of them have had many complaints about the schools there and the lack of help they received from the teachers and administrators when it came to dealing with certain issues with their kids. (i.e. Some learning problems and falling behind on lessons because of not understanding work.) That's all the info I know about the area. Good luck with your move!

My niece goes to Cloverdale and they absolutely LOVE it! My sister raves about the teachers, staff programs etc. However be sure you are in the Carol Stream school district. Some of Carol Stream is in a different district. Don;t even take the realtors word for it. Some will lie to get you to buy the house. Actually call the district and give the address to confirm what school you will go to.

C.,

I've lived in CS for 7 years now. I've got first hand experience with the great school system here. My son goes to Western Trails and will be moving on to middle school this fall. I consider the administrators to be kind, caring, communicative and genuinely interested in helping students succeed. I, too, would caution you to make sure that you verify if it's CCSD 93 or U-46 that you'll be assigned to. All I hear about U-46 is horror stories, so do your homework. Feel free to email me any questions. Best of luck!

I have lived in CS for over 10 years. District 93 in CS is one of the best around. I work with the District and they are fantastic. I also work with the Park District which is great as well. My sister is a teacher in D93 and loves her job. Good luck, but I would say having your children go to D93 schools is a great great thing.

Good morning; I live in CS and have two kids in Evergreen school. Evergeen and Benjamin are their own district with in CS. (we are dist 25) It is wonderful. Because we are a small group it is a great school community. The teachers are wonderful. My cousin is around the corner from me so her daughter is in the same dist, and just started HS. We love it.

I used to live in the area. There were three school districts at that time. Wheaton, West Chicago and Carol Stream. You may want to visit the elementary schools to see for yourself ~ and talk to some of the administrators. Go when the children are on lunch break ~ and you can see the interaction between the kids, teachers, etc. I've found the administrators, principal, of most schools to be very cordial to inquiring parents. Best wishes on your move.

greatschools.net is a great website with revies and isat test scores ratings

There are several elementary school districts that serve people who live in Carol Stream – 93, U-46, Benjamin and I even have friends who live in south Carol Stream (south of North Avenue) that go to Glen Ellyn and Wheaton Schools.

I have a 1st grader at Cloverdale in Dist. 93. I am very happy with the education he’s receiving as well as with the administrators and teachers. There are only 18 students in my son’s class which is such a bonus! When your child begins a school, you typically know several families from taking park district or library classes with them. But because there are children from Carol Stream, Hanover Park and Bloomingdale that attend Cloverdale, we didn’t know as many people as I thought we would. My son makes friends easily so it wasn’t a big issue, but you may want to keep this in mind.

District 93 has an open enrollment policy so you can request to attend another school. Another potential issue is the kindergarten program. They have been moving toward and all day program. The majority of children in the District attend a full day program. The district still offers a half day program, but it is housed at only one or two of the schools. This means your child might not attend your “home” school if you select this option. Your other choice for half day is for your child to attend a full day class, but leave when half the day is over. I wouldn’t choose this for my child, but I know someone who has and she said it hasn’t been an issue for her child.

I’ve heard wonderful things about the Benjamin School District and everyone I know has been extremely pleased with it. I have one acquaintance who even took her very intelligent child out of private school because she felt she would be better served at the elementary school in Dist. 25, which is Evergreen. This district feeds into Community High School in West Chicago. I had a friend who sold a house about a year ago in Carol Stream, and several potential buyers brought this up as an issue. This might not affect you if you don’t plan to stay in the same house when your children are in high school.

I’ve heard good things and bad things about U-46. One positive I’ve heard is that if your child has any type of special needs they receive great services. One caution I would give is there is currently a discrimination lawsuit against the district. No idea if it has any merit, but if it is successful, it could cause many issues for years, which occurred in the Rockford School District where my nephews attended. One of the results in Rockford was that you didn’t necessarily attend the school closest to you geographically.

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you C..

Best of luck with your move.