About U-46

School District U-46 serves families in 11 communities across 90 square miles within Chicago’s northwest suburbs, including Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, South Elgin, Streamwood, and Wayne, and portions of Carol Stream, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Schaumburg, and West Chicago.

The district is located in the Fox River Valley, approximately 45 minutes west of downtown Chicago, and includes communities within Cook, DuPage, and Kane counties. The majority of our towns and cities are easily accessible from major interstates and commuter rail lines.

More than 33,000 students in preschool through grade 12 attend the district's 56 schools and programs. Our vibrant student population lists 95 home languages and more than half of our students are from Hispanic families.

Points of Pride

• U-46 was honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 for its outstanding commitment to music education.

• Sycamore Trails Elementary School was named “Exemplary” on the 2023-24 Illinois Report Card, the highest designation. Forty other U-46 schools were categorized as “Commendable,” the next highest designation.

• South Elgin High School’s Co-Ed Varsity Cheer Team won the state championship in 2020 and 2024.

• Ten high schoolers were named in 2023-24 as All-State Musicians, the highest musical achievement for high schoolers in Illinois. 

• Five Class of 2020 graduates of South Elgin High School’s Beacon Academy of Media and Digital Arts were nominated for a National Student Production Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

• High school students can select from among 27 Advanced Placement courses at our five high schools, and 47 students graduated in 2020 from the Dual Credit program, a partnership with Elgin Community College, with more than 625 college credits earned.

• The District’s DREAM Academy is in its fifth year serving as an alternative program for secondary students focused on social-emotional support and maximizing each student’s individual potential.

• U-46 has earned national accreditations in our Career and Technical Education programs, including automotive, precision manufacturing, and welding.
• Each of the District’s five high schools houses one Magnet Academy.