Graduates from Hinsdale Central High School returned to Oak School on May 29, marking a “full circle” moment that has become a cherished community tradition. The visit took place as the final bell of the academic year rang, creating an energetic atmosphere throughout the school.
As the seniors entered Oak School, their height difference with current students was notable, but there was a shared sense of spirit. Many alumni recalled memories of cubbies, playground games, and teachers who first inspired their love of learning. Laughter filled the hallways as they pointed out old lockers and remembered past projects.
The returning students visited former classrooms and reflected on how much they had grown since their elementary years. Many wore college commitment shirts displaying logos of universities and institutions they will attend in the fall, symbolizing both their past at Oak School and their future plans.
Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 includes DuPage and Cook counties and represents several schools: Clarendon Hills Middle School, Elm Elementary School, Hinsdale Middle School, Madison Elementary School, Monroe Elementary School, Oak Elementary School, Prospect Elementary School, The Lane Elementary School, and Walker School. The district enrolled 3,743 students in the 2019-2020 school year as an elementary school district serving grades pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade; it is located in Clarendon Hills and DuPage County, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 spent $31,308 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $117 million. The district has a demographic composition that is approximately 69.8 percent White, 1.1 percent Black, 6.8 percent Hispanic, and 15.4 percent Asian; it employs about 282 teachers with an average salary of $94,227 before pension contributions—90 percent are women—and reported no teachers with more than ten absences per year during this period.
Chronic truancy rates remain low within Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181: four chronically truant students were recorded during the 2020 school year for a rate of just 0.1 percent compared to a statewide average of nearly ten percent, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
