North Chicago School District 187 announced on Apr. 27 a schedule of key dates and activities for May 2026, including academic testing, student events, and graduation ceremonies.
The announcement provides families with important information about upcoming district-wide events, school closures, athletics competitions, and end-of-year reminders. The schedule is intended to help students and parents prepare for the final month of the school year.
According to the district’s release, major dates include Purple Up Day at A.J. Katzenmaier Academy on May 1; NWEA MAP State Testing at Alexander School on May 7; a virtual nutrition workshop for parents on May 13; Memorial Day closure on May 25; a joint board meeting on May 26; and the last day of school with early dismissal times on May 29. Graduation-related events are also scheduled throughout the month, such as Prom at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire (May 9), Senior Honors Convocation (May 19), Class of 2026 Graduation at Genesee Theatre (May 23), Kindergarten Celebration (May 28), and other senior activities.
Athletic highlights include track meets, varsity volleyball games against Mundelein, soccer matches with Wauconda (including Senior Night), district vocal concerts, “Pack the Gym” basketball nights at A.J. Katzenmaier Academy, expo performances and spring awards concerts. Early dismissal days will occur every Wednesday in May.
The North Chicago School District represents Lake County schools including A.J. Katzenmaier Academy, Evelyn Alexander School, Forrestal Elementary School, Learn Charter campuses in North Chicago as well as Neal Math Science Academy and North Chicago Community High School according to state data. The district serves grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with an enrollment of over three thousand students during the most recent reporting period according to state records.
North Chicago Community Unit School District employs more than two hundred teachers earning an average salary above $52,000 per year before pension contributions; nearly seventy percent are women according to Illinois State Board of Education figures. The student body is predominantly Hispanic or Black according to ISBE statistics. Per-student spending exceeded $25,000 in recent years as reported by ISBE.
Chronic truancy remains a challenge for the district: nearly nine hundred students were classified as chronically truant—missing five percent or more of required school days without valid excuse—during the last measured year according to ISBE data. This rate is higher than both local averages and statewide rates.
