Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Illinois Junior High Plans Expansion into Full Middle School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/01/23

A junior high school in Illinois recently announced that construction has begun to expand its facility into a full-service, modern middle school, according to a news release. Plum Grove Junior High School in Palatine, Ill., currently serves about 800 students in seventh and eighth grade. Local voters approved a $93-million referendum last November that will allow the Community Consolidated School District 15 (CCSD 15) to begin work on an expansion to house the district’s sixth graders. Completion is scheduled in time for the beginning of the 2024–25 academic year.

Additions to the school are set to include two new academic wings of three classrooms each. Each wing will contain a learning commons area, a central collaboration space, science labs, and active-learning classrooms. Other updates to the campus will include new paving, a track, and outdoor play areas, the news release reports.

“We’re extremely excited to begin implementing our Moving 15 Forward plan in order to address District 15’s highest priority educational and school facility needs,” said CCSD 15 Superintendent Dr. Laurie Heinz. “By upgrading and transitioning Plum Grove into a modern middle school, we will be able to better address the unique needs of our adolescent learners and ensure readiness for high school by enhancing their educational experience and extending the time in which they spend with other adolescent learners.”

The district is partnering on the project with Wold Architects and Engineers. The renovated Plum Grove Middle School will make use of the house concept to create teams of teachers who share students during the school day.

“We are honored to be a part of this project and are grateful for our ongoing partnership with Community Consolidated School District 15,” said Wold Architects and Engineers associate architect and principal-in-charge, Mike Eichhorn, AIA. “As a local firm, we pride ourselves on supporting the communities in which we live and work and look forward to the positive impact Plum Grove Middle School will have on students for generations to come.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Chicago District Completes Construction on New Elementary School

    North Chicago School District 187 in North Chicago, Ill., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forrestal Elementary School, according to a news release. The new school marks a major investment in military-connected students and families at Naval Station Great Lakes.