Mundelein High School Faces Overcrowding Crisis
When the morning bell rings each day at Mundelein High School, more than 2,200 students squeeze through the hallways—designed for just 1,500. This chaotic start to each day has become the daily reality of a school bursting at the seams.
“The school, which was built in the 1950s, isn’t equipped to handle the increase in our student population and the evolution of the learning environment,” said Kevin Myers, Superintendent of Mundelein School District 120. “These issues often result in spaces that are less engaging for our students.”
Classrooms designed to accommodate 20 students now routinely hold more than 30. With more students packed into each classroom, the personalized attention teachers need to foster effective learning is harder to achieve.
According to the Illinois State Report Card, MHS enrollment has increased by 251 students since 2018, enough to fill nine classrooms. With numerous housing developments being built within the district, enrollment growth is expected to continue.
Research from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (also known as the Nation’s Report Card), covered by the National School Boards Association, has shown that overcrowding can reduce students’ ability to pay attention in class and even increase disruptive behaviors.
Kevin Quinn, District 120’s Director of Facilities and Management, said that when the high school was built, classrooms were generally 680 square feet (about twice the area of a parking space) with 20 student desks and a teacher positioned at the front. “Teaching methods have changed. Learning is more interactive and requires larger, dynamic spaces for collaboration and experiments,” he said.
Impact on Common Areas
- Overcrowding affects more than just the classrooms. The school’s shared areas are also outdated and underperforming.
- The Career and Technical Education (CTE) space is too small to house manufacturing and building trades training equipment. MHS’s CTE programming falls behind what other Lake County high schools are offering.
- Music classrooms and band spaces can accommodate 80 students, but enrollment in these programs is more than three times that number.
- Hundreds of students must sit on the gymnasium floor during assemblies or pep rallies due to lack of space.
- During four lunch periods, the cafeteria has a total capacity of 1,800—leaving 20 percent of students to eat lunch off campus. As a result, these students miss out on opportunities for peer bonding and accessing school resources, such as appointments with counselors.
- The auditorium lacks the capacity to properly host theater productions, music performances, speakers and community meetings.
“Parents expect their children to be educated in a modern learning environment,” Myers said. “Businesses, colleges, universities and trade schools expect that. If we don’t provide it, we fall behind, and we fail our kids.”
Funding the Path Forward
The upcoming November 5 election gives Mundelein residents an opportunity to address these challenges through a proposed $149.5 million referendum.
“If approved, the referendum would fund expansions to create new, larger classrooms, updated common areas and dedicated spaces for specialized programs,” Myers said. “These changes would reduce overcrowding and foster a more modern, collaborative learning environment.”
Responding to input from Mundelein residents, District leadership reshaped the original 2023 scope, reducing the project by $25 million. The District also is committed to allocating $50 million in non-referendum capital funds to the project.
The 2024 bond request equates to approximately $34.50 a month ($414/year) for a house valued at $300,000. The estimated tax impact is roughly 40 percent less than that of the 2023 referendum. Voters are encouraged to use the calculator at d120.org/d120-financing to determine their estimated tax impact.
Find information about the referendum, specific projects, benefits, tax impact, ballot language and voting at d120.org/2024-proposal or by emailing mhsbuildingplan@d120.org.
Mundelein School Board places building referendum on November ballot
The District 120 Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously authorized placing a $149.5 million capital improvements referendum on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot.
A successful referendum would fund a Mundelein High School facilities plan designed to replace aging infrastructure, upgrade instructional spaces, enhance career and technical education spaces, make health, safety and security improvements, and address overcrowding issues.
The school, which opened in 1961, was designed to house 1,500 students. Current enrollment exceeds 2,200 and is expected to grow, especially with the 740-acres Ivanhoe Farms housing development looming in Mundelein’s future.
“We’re faced with some aging facility issues that simply won’t go away on their own. And this comes at a time when education needs are changing and enrollment is growing,” said Dr. Kevin Myers, Superintendent for Mundelein School Districts 120 and 75.
The project would replace much of the building’s original infrastructure which has reached the end of its useful life, improve the efficiency of mechanical systems and minimize costly repairs. The plan includes updates to fire safety systems and other health and safety issues including air quality, accessibility and overcrowding.
More classrooms would be added, health and wellness rooms would be centralized and more space would be allocated to Career & Technical Education programming in order to add skilled trades training in machining and building trades.
The school’s original kitchen and cafeteria will be upgraded to alleviate crowding, health and safety issues. The project will include additional classroom and storage space for the music program and a new multi-purpose fieldhouse for physical education and health and wellness classes, assemblies, performances, tournaments and community events.
“We continue to be recognized for excellence in academics and programming. The only thing holding us back from continuing on this path is our own facilities,” Myers said. “By addressing the school’s most pressing facility and site needs, we can position MHS for a strong future.”
While the project to renovate and expand Mundelein High School will cost $199.5 million, District 120 will allocate $50 million of non-referendum dollars toward the project. If the referendum passes, these funds would be used in conjunction with the $149.5 million of voter-approved referendum dollars.
The District is currently working with its bond counsel evaluating the loan parameters. More details will be provided once the information is available.
The proposal is $25.5 million less than the $175 million referendum voters rejected in April 2023. Since then, the District re-shaped and fine-tuned the scope, cutting more than 36,000 square feet of new construction from the plan. The School Board made the adjustments after surveying the community and soliciting public input at town hall meetings last fall.
If voters approve the referendum in November, construction would begin in the spring of 2025 and last about three years. The District, architect, and construction management team will work together to develop a phasing plan that is least disruptive to school operations while allowing the work to pace out as efficiently as possible to be cost competitive.
Complete information is available on the MHS Website at www.d120.org/2024-proposal/.