St. Charles Community Unit School District 303

Compass Academy

Compass Academy is a District 303 high school program serving grades 9–12, which opened in the fall of 2021 at the Haines Center on South 9th Street in St. Charles.^[3] Any District 303 student entering grades 9 through 12 is eligible to enroll, and the school has no entrance criteria.^[4] The National Center for Education Statistics classifies it as a non-charter public "other/alternative" school with a 9–12 grade span.^[5] The Academy is small by design; the school gives its enrollment capacity as 125 students.^[6] Students at the school are known as the Gators.^[7]

The Academy uses a competency-based model in which students advance by demonstrating mastery of competencies rather than by accumulating seat time, combined with project-based and interdisciplinary coursework and a flexible schedule that accommodates remote, blended, and evening courses as well as classes at Elgin Community College and the Fox Valley Career Center.^[8] The district states that the curriculum addresses the same Illinois Learning Standards as the comprehensive high schools.^[8] Students are assigned a home school — either St. Charles East High School or St. Charles North High School — but can elect to take some or all of their courses at Compass. They also remain eligible to participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities at their home high school.

Davis-Richmond merger (2010)

In 2010, the school district decided to combine Davis, an overcrowded elementary school, and Richmond, a failing school that was only at 50% capacity, to create Davis Primary (grades K-2) and Richmond Intermediate (grades 3-5). The schools are close together so transportation was easy. The school days at Richmond were made 40 minutes longer. Spanish and French language courses were offered and every student was given their own tablet. Both schools have since returned to a standard K–5 elementary configuration.^{[citation needed]}

Thompson Middle School Modernization (2017)

In 2016, the D303 School Board approved a major modernization plan for Thompson Middle School, with construction beginning in the summer of 2017. The renovation added air conditioning, 31 new classrooms, 11 new science labs, a new auxiliary gym, an expanded cafeteria, and a new track and field area, along with a newly constructed bus drop-off and pick-up area designed to improve traffic flow on Indiana and 7th Streets. Upon completion, Thompson grew to approximately 196,000 square feet, nearly double its previous 110,000-square-foot size.^[9] The roughly $39 million Thompson renovation was part of a larger $47 million middle school overhaul for D303, which also included additions to Wredling Middle School and the consolidation of the district's three middle schools down to two — resulting in the closure of Haines Middle School.^{[citation needed]} The renovated Thompson Middle School was unveiled to the community at an open house on August 20, 2019.^[10]

Haines Center

In 2015, District 303 closed Haines Middle School on South 9th Street in St. Charles following the modernization of the nearby Thompson Middle School and the consolidation of the district's middle schools from three to two.^{[citation needed]}

Compass Academy opened in the building in the fall of 2021.^[3] Beginning with the 2024–25 school year, the district's early childhood programming relocated to the Haines Center from Fox Ridge, following $8.6 million in renovations that included two new playgrounds, updated classrooms, and new framing, insulation and windows. Board members had approved more than $7 million in construction contracts for the building in January 2024, including asbestos and lead-based paint abatement.^[11] The Haines Center now houses both the Early Childhood Center and Compass Academy.

Fox Ridge

In 2018, Fox Ridge Elementary was shut down and converted into an Early Childhood Center. In October 2023, The D303 School Board decided to change Fox Ridge Early Childhood Center into an Elementary School, The Early Childhood Center will be moved to the former Hanes Middle.^{[citation needed]}

Lincoln Elementary School Closure (2024)

Built in 1928, Lincoln Elementary closed primarily due to a combination of factors. D303 officials decided to repurpose Lincoln Elementary as part of a broader plan to handle overcrowding in other parts of the district and decrease class sizes.^{[citation needed]} The district considered using Lincoln for administrative office space, with little to no student programming remaining at the building. ^[12]

Lincoln was the smallest elementary school in the district, operating as a "two-section" building for many years, meaning there were only two class sections per grade level. Its small size made it less efficient to operate compared to larger buildings in the district.^{[citation needed]}

The changes were tied to a larger reshuffling that also involved Fox Ridge Early Childhood Center being converted back into an elementary school, with early childhood programming being relocated to the Haines Center — all designed to address "hot spot" areas in the district where student enrollment growth was expected in the coming years.

The closure was controversial, with community members launching a petition to save the school, arguing that Lincoln's downtown St. Charles location was important to the surrounding neighborhood and local businesses, and that D303 had already spent $1.9 million upgrading the building since 2000.^{[citation needed]}

Its last school year was 2023–2024, after which Lincoln School began housing the District's Transition Program and other services.

Richmond Elementary Renovation (2026)

In 2026, D303 approved a $6.35 million renovation and addition at Richmond Elementary School, located at 300 S. 12th Street in St. Charles. The upgrades were designed to expand and modernize the school to better accommodate the district's growing enrollment, with construction beginning in late February following a ceremonial groundbreaking on February 19, 2026. The project includes two new classrooms, additional auxiliary spaces, interior renovations, replacement of the gym flooring, and partial roof replacement, as well as improvements to sidewalks and exterior pavement. Principal Lisa Simoncelli-Bulak noted that the addition provides greater flexibility to respond to enrollment changes without disrupting instructional quality. All construction is projected to be completed by August 2026, in time for the start of the 2026–2027 school year.^{[citation needed]}