Oak Park and River Forest High School released on Apr. 17 detailed information regarding the final exam schedule for the second semester of the 2025-2026 school year.
The announcement outlines key dates and procedures to help students and families prepare for final exams, which are a required part of the academic calendar. The guidance covers schedules for both seniors and underclassmen, attendance policies, accommodations, meal options, and gradebook access during exam week.
According to the statement, seniors will take their finals during regular class periods on Thursday, May 21 and Friday, May 22. Underclassmen will have their exams from Tuesday through Thursday, May 26-28. The daily bell schedule specifies that three examination periods will be held each day in blocks lasting one hour and forty minutes. There is no advisory period during finals week.
Teachers will notify students about the format of each exam ahead of time. For those with Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or Section 504 plans, case managers will provide details about testing accommodations directly to affected students. Attendance is mandatory for all scheduled classes—including study halls and physical education—during exam days. Students who miss an exam must coordinate with teachers to reschedule after the official date; early exams are not permitted except in cases involving long-term projects assigned before finals.
Meal service adjustments include breakfast availability from 7:15 a.m. to 7:50 a.m., grab-and-go lunches during lunch periods in the South Cafeteria, as well as open campus lunch privileges across all grades during exams. Snacks can be purchased between classes; cafeteria hours differ by day but end earlier than usual due to testing schedules.
Oak Park and River Forest High School serves grades nine through twelve with an enrollment of 3,393 students in the 2019-2020 school year according to Illinois Report Card. In that same year, grade ten had the highest proportion of students at 26.2 percent; ninth graders made up 25.6 percent; eleventh graders accounted for 25.4 percent; while twelfth graders comprised about a quarter at 25.3 percent as reported by Illinois Report Card. The school’s student body was composed of approximately fifty-seven percent white students, eighteen percent black students, thirteen percent Hispanic students, and nearly four percent Asian students according to Illinois Report Card.
Gradebook access via Skyward will be temporarily unavailable from Tuesday morning until Friday evening following finals.
