East Aurora Public School District 131
East Aurora Public School District 131 (also known as Aurora Public Schools: East Side) is a public school district serving kindergarten through high school students in Aurora, Illinois. East Aurora School District 131 is considered the state's first public school district.
According to the 2016 Illinois State Report Card, the district had a total enrollment of 14,659 students.[1] There are 12 elementary schools, three middle schools, one magnet academy (grades three through eight), two early childhood centers and East Aurora High School, all within Aurora city limits. The interim superintendents of East Aurora School District 131 are Dr. Marion Hoyda and Dr. Mark McDonald.[2] The school board president is Annette Johnson.[3]
The district is bounded by the county line between DuPage County and Kane County to the east, the county line between Kendall County and Kane County to the south, the Fox River to the west and the border with the neighboring West Aurora and Batavia School Districts to the north.
History
According to "The Educational History of Illinois", private subscription schools were taught by various teachers on the East Side starting in 1834. The first school in what would later become East Aurora School District 131 opened in 1836 at East Galena and Broadway. The school was subscription based. In 1839, a new school was built near Broadway and Claim Street.
East Aurora became a charter district on April 30, 1847, and was officially recognized by the state in 1851. The district became the first free school system in Illinois under a special act of legislature in 1851, two years before the state's free school laws passed. That same year, a two-story school was built with Merwin Tabor as principal. The first grade schools were built four years later.
The first class from East Aurora High School graduated in 1867. In 1878, East Aurora High School formed the first high school orchestra in the country. The first kindergarten opened in 1890 and, in 1903, the district started a school for deaf children.
There are several East Aurora School District 131 schools that no longer exist, including: New York Street School (1851-1864), Center School (1866-1957), First Indian Creek School (1870-1899), Indian Creek School (1899-1957), D.W. Young School (1875-1956), First Oak Park School (1887-1923) and Marion Avenue School (1889-1929).
District information
According to the 2016 Illinois State report cards, there are 14,659 students enrolled in East Aurora School District 131. Of those students, 86.6 percent are Hispanic, 7.7 percent are black, 3.2 percent are white, .6 percent are Asian, .4 percent are American Indian and 1.4 percent are categorized as one or more races.[4]
According to the 2016 Illinois state report cards, 62.7 percent of East Aurora School District 131 students are considered low income and 34.3 percent have limited English proficiency. .[5] One-third of East Aurora 131 students receive bilingual services.
The student-to-staff ratio at the elementary school level is 19 to 1 and at the high school it is 22 to 1, according to the 2016 report cards. The average East Aurora School District 131 teacher has more than 11 years experience. More than 55 percent of teachers have a Master's Degree or higher, according to the 2016 report card.[6]
Elementary schools
School's name | School's namesake | Mascot | Colors | Principal | Year opened |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allen Elementary | Olney C. Allen, former Kane County judge and school board member | Panthers | Royal and white | Nitza Carillo | 1951 |
Bardwell Elementary | Conrad Bardwell, superintendent 1896-1928 | Bears | Forest Green and white | Dr. Twila Garza | 1929 |
Beaupre Elementary | W.S. Beaupre, banker and school board member from 1882-1927 | Pumas | Royal and gold | Caridad Garcia | 1916 |
Benavides STEAM Academy | Anne Garcia Benavides, former East Aurora principal, administrator | Bengals | Orange and blue | Lisa Simoncelli-Bulak | 2014 |
Brady Elementary | Lorenzo D. Brady, Illinois legislator, mayor and East school trustee | Bobcats | Blue and white | Lauren Holland | 1923 |
Dieterich Elementary | George N. Dieterich, former school board president | Bobcats | Royal and white | Paula Ek | 1922 |
Gates Elementary | John W. Gates, former superintendent | Tigers | Red and black | Stephanie Brennan | 1956 |
Hermes Elementary | Nicholas A. Hermes, school board member | Panthers | Red and white | Scott Dart | 1956 |
Johnson Elementary | Clifford I. Johnson, pharmacist and school board member | Jaguars | Kelly and gold | Ines Sem | 1956 |
Krug Elementary | Rose E. Krug, East Aurora nurse, World War I veteran | Cougars | Royal and white | Noah Little | 1965 |
Oak Park Elementary | School was originally surrounded by oak trees | Tigers | Purple and white | Annette McMahon | 1924 |
O'Donnell Elementary | Mable O'Donnell, East reading supervisor and nationally published author | Bobcats | Royal and gold | Matthew Willigman | 1965 |
Rollins Elementary | Edna Rollins, director of finance and administrative services | Cougars | Red and gold | Glenda Rosado | 1990 |
Middle Schools
School's name | School's namesake | Mascot | Colors | Principal | Year opened |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowherd Middle School | Henry Cowherd, Aurora resident and East High class of 1945 | Cougars | Royal and orange | Philip Henry | 1992 |
Simmons Middle School | Clifton F. Simmons, former school board president and East High quarterback | Panthers | Black and white | Mechelle Patterson | 1961 |
Waldo Middle School | K.D. Waldo, former superintendent of East Aurora 131 | Wildcats | Red and white | Jon Simpson | 1912 |
High schools
School's name | Mascot | Colors | Principal | Year opened |
---|---|---|---|---|
East Aurora High School | Tomcats | Red and black | Marina Kosak | 1957 (current building) |
East Aurora Extension Campus | Tomcats | Red and black | Taveras Crump | 2014 |
Magnet Academy
School's name | School's namesake | Mascot | Principal | Year opened |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy | Fred Rodgers, longtime community activist | Puma | Dr. David Ballard | 2013 (current building) |
Early Childhood Centers
School's name | School's namesake | Principal |
---|---|---|
Early Childhood Center | N/A | Kathleen Kogut |
Child Service Center | N/A | N/A |
Special Education
School's name | School's namesake | Mascot | Principal | Year opened |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hope D. Wall School (run in cooperation with West Aurora Public School District 129) | Hope D. Wall, special education teacher | Rockets | Dr. Terry Collette | 1969 |