Focused on a Strong Future

Focused on a Strong Future

District 120 ASPIRES to provide an engaging learning environment, attract and retain exceptional teachers and staff, and deliver a quality education to every one of our students. Unfortunately, the outdated layout and condition of our aging high school makes these goals a challenge to achieve.

To bring our high school up to modern standards and create a safer and healthier learning environment—positioning MHS for a strong future—District 120 seeks to address the school’s most pressing facility and site needs.

In summary, here is why changes are needed now:

• Mundelein High School is more than 60 years old and was designed to last 50-75 years. The school faces many major facility and site challenges, including health and safety issues, aging infrastructure, overcrowding, and more.
• MHS is operating well beyond its capacity. The building was designed to house 1,500 students, but current enrollment is 2,200.
• Common areas are overcrowded. The school’s hallways, cafeteria, and food servery are all original to the building and too small to meet current needs. At lunchtime, long lines create a backlog of students into the hallways, which are already packed with students moving between classes.
• Costly and disruptive emergency repairs are increasing. Much of the high school’s original infrastructure, which is still in use, has reached the end of its useful life. In the last year alone, two water main breaks forced the school to close.
• More space is needed for Career & Technical Education (CTE) programming. MHS’s CTE programming falls short of what other Lake County high school districts offer. The current space is too small to house the equipment needed for skilled trades training and other CTE classes. Unique opportunities exist if additional space can be created.
• Space is limited for growing health and wellness offerings. Like most high schools, MHS has expanded its health and wellness offerings, including additional mental health and counseling services. Unfortunately, these services are scattered throughout the high school and often in classrooms that are needed for other programming. This further exacerbates overcrowded classrooms and makes accessing health and wellness services more difficult.
• The lack of a multi-purpose center (fieldhouse) impacts programming throughout the school. MHS is the only high school district in Lake County without a multi-purpose center (fieldhouse). This type of facility provides space for physical education, health and wellness programming, athletics, assemblies, competitions, events, performances, practices, and more.
• The 62-year-old competition gym presents many challenges. The gym is not large enough to seat the entire student body, has ADA accessibility issues, and is not air-conditioned.
• The auditorium is small and outdated. The high school’s auditorium stage is not big enough to hold the entire band or choir or to accommodate certain theater performances. The rigging system is also outmoded and a small scene shop doubles as a storage room, creating unsafe conditions backstage.
• Band and music classrooms are woefully undersized. Having a capacity for just 80 students, but with an enrollment of more than three times that number, the current band room is considerably undersized. There is also limited classroom space, practice areas, and equipment storage.