Starting with the 2026-2027 school year, some students at Forrestal Elementary School in North Chicago will have the opportunity to spend their kindergarten through eighth-grade years in new, state-of-the-art school buildings.
Currently under construction, the new Forrestal will open in August of 2026. Though the school now educates children in kindergarten through third grade, North Chicago School District 187 Superintendent John Price said around 25% will be able to attend fourth and fifth grade there.
From Forrestal, Price said those who choose the fourth and fifth-grade option will attend Neal Math and Science Academy middle school. Neal’s new $40 million building opened in the fall of 2022. Those eighth graders are now high school sophomores. He notices a difference.
One difference is the continued improvement of the parentage of North Chicago Community High School students on track to graduate. It is now 92%, a statistic on par with neighboring schools like Lake Forest and Stevenson High.
“You see the students sitting up a little straighter in their seats,” Price said. “They have all the latest resources and technology, and it prepares them for the kind of learning that will benefit them and their families.”
Price joined dozens of area officials, community members involved with the project, individuals engaged with the construction of the building, school faculty and staff and others signing a steel beam to commemorate the project Monday at the North Chicago campus.
Students and teachers will be signing the beam during the week. Price said it will be placed inside the new building near the front entrance so people can see it. The signed beam at Neal is part of the permanent infrastructure and not visible there.
State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove. was one of the signers. She also introduced legislation that became law relieving the district of the obligation of holding a referendum before allocating funds for construction. She believes the new building is important.
“It gives students in North Chicago educational equity with the new resources and advanced technology,” Johnson said. “It puts them on a level playing field with neighboring districts which gives all kids the opportunity try to excel.”
North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, who received his elementary and secondary school education in District 187, said the improved facility will benefit both students and teachers. Drinking water comes from bottles because of lead levels in the water rendering fountains dangerous.
“When you give the school these resources, it levels the playing field with children in other districts in the area,” Rockingham said.
Just as the Neal building was funded with a $40 million gift from AbbVie, the costs of the new Forrestal will come from a $57 million grant from the federal Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation and $15 million from state and local money.
U.S. Navy Capt. Steve Yargosz, the commanding officer at Naval Station Great Lakes, signed the beam. He said the state-of-the-art building will benefit both the families of North Chicago and the Navy.
“The North Chicago school district continues to improve from year to year to the point the students are exceeding academic expectations,” he said. “With the support from the school the students get, it will help the men and women at Naval Station Great Lakes with their mission, which is producing sailors.”
Currently educating kindergartners through third graders, Price said 25% of them will be able to go there for fourth and fifth grade. Priority will go to Navy families to reduce the number of times those children will have to change schools due to the frequency of military moves.
Dora King, another signer of the beam, is the chair of the Educational Authority which was appointed to oversee the district when the Illinois State Board of Education removed the elected board 14 years ago. District 187 will return to a board chosen by voters, with three members elected on April 1 and four more in 2027. The two new buildings will help them in their new role.
“When the district returns to an elected board in 2027, Neal and the new Forrestal will help put them on a solid footing,” King said.
Forrestal Principal Cara Kranz also signed the beam. She said the new building will give teachers resources not available in the existing building. The cafeteria is created in a relaxed setting to ease any student anxiety that may exist.
“The building was designed with students in mind,” Kranz said. “It’s a place for restoration where the students will feel secure and comfortable.”
Along with the new cafeteria, Price said there is an indoor recess room where children and teachers can get a break when the weather prevents outdoor playtime. The modern mechanical system will allow internet connections at all times. That is currently a challenge.
“The teachers will have more resources and that’s better for the students,” Price said. ”Teachers will have access to cutting-edge technology which will enable the students to learn better.”
