West Cook News

Oak Park and River Forest High School is proposing a later start to the 2026-2027 academic year due to ongoing construction related to Project 2. The Board of Education will review the proposed calendar at its meeting on August 7, with a vote scheduled for August 21.

According to Assistant Superintendent and Principal Lynda J. Parker, "Due to our Project 2 construction schedule, we will need to start the 2026-2027 school year later than usual. Project 2 is on schedule, with the district still slated to take occupancy on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. To provide enough time to occupy the new space and prepare for students, we are proposing that classes begin on Aug. 25, 2026."

This adjustment would mean final exams for the first semester would be held after winter break instead of before it. Parker stated, "Continuing our usual practice of administering final exams the week before Winter Break would shorten the first semester by 14 days. This would compromise the amount of content we could cover in the first semester. To maintain a more even balance for our semester-long classes, the district’s calendar committee is recommending that the first semester conclude on Jan. 21, 2027, with exams taking place Jan. 19-21, 2027."

Parker emphasized that this change is temporary: "We want to stress that this is solely to accommodate the completion and handover of Project 2, and is not a permanent decision on our district calendar after the 2026-2027 school year."

Key dates in the proposed calendar include Huskie Kickoff Day for freshmen on August 24; classes beginning for all students on August 25; winter break from December 21 through January 1; first semester final exams January 19–21; second semester starting January 25; spring break March 29–April 2; and second semester finals June 7–9 if no emergency days are used.

Parker added that steps will be taken so "no new work will be assigned during the winter break," allowing students time to rest.

Oak Park and River Forest High School serves grades nine through twelve in Oak Park and Cook County with an enrollment of over three thousand students as of recent years (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In the most recent data available from Illinois Report Card (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), about one quarter of students were enrolled in each grade level—grades nine through twelve—with tenth grade having slightly more students than other grades.

The school’s student body was reported as being approximately fifty-seven percent white, eighteen percent black, thirteen percent Hispanic, and nearly four percent Asian during the same period (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

The Board invites families and staff members to review further details about these changes ahead of upcoming meetings.