Hinsdale Central High School and Hinsdale South High School are losing students alongside other wealthy suburban high schools, according to newly released state enrollment data.

Patch reported Nov. 5 that Lyons Township High School enrolled 3,582 students last school year, a decades-long low. That number is down more than 10 percent from 2019, when more than 4,000 students attended. The school lost more than 60 students in the most recent year alone.

Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South and York High School are all seeing a similar enrollment decline, according to the Patch report. Specific enrollment figures for the District 86 schools were not included.

The pattern extends beyond high schools. Darien's three elementary districts enrolled 3,066 students last school year, down 21 percent from 3,869 in 2006, Patch reported separately. Burr Ridge's locally based districts saw a 17 percent drop over the same period. Statewide, enrollment fell 12 percent.

Falling birth rates and residents leaving Illinois have been cited as drivers of the decline.

LT's teacher count tells a different story

While Lyons Township's student body shrank, its teaching staff grew. The school employed 270 full-time teacher equivalents last school year, according to Illinois Report Card data cited by Patch. That is nearly the highest since the state began publishing the figure in 2006. Only 2024 was higher, at 273.

The result: one teacher for every 13 students last year, compared with one for every 16 in 2006, when the school had 233 teachers.

D86 already adjusting

District 86 has taken steps that suggest its leaders are watching the same trends.

The district is weighing a revamped course catalog that would cut 13 low-enrollment classes and add career-focused and dual-credit options, according to Patch. The proposal also includes shuttles between Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South so students can reach more offerings. District leaders called it an early draft and invited feedback before a board vote.

At its June 25 meeting, the District 86 board approved superintendent goals for Chip Pettit that include establishing a "league of comparable districts" to set baselines and targets for staffing, salaries, benefits and educational programs, according to board minutes. A parallel goal calls for a league of comparable schools to benchmark Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South individually.

Board members Greenspon and Satchwell were also appointed at that meeting to represent the board in negotiations with the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association.

Broader context

Two decades ago, Lyons Township had 3,826 students. In the early 1960s, the school expected enrollment to keep climbing during the baby boom and even set aside property for a third campus. Enrollment dropped in the late 1970s and stabilized, and the third building was never built.

Center Cass District 66 Superintendent Andrew Wise told Patch that his district's demographer projects an 8 to 11 percent enrollment increase ahead, driven by birth rate data showing kindergarten numbers are expected to rise significantly in 2028.

Whether that rebound will reach high schools remains an open question for District 86 families.

Hinsdale education week ahead

Specific District 86 and District 181 board meeting dates, public comment opportunities and agenda items for the coming week were not available in published records as of this writing. Parents and residents can check the District 86 board portal and the District 181 website for updated schedules.