Fenton Community High School District 100 will be conducting community engagement through early 2022 to develop a community-driven plan for the future of our school. This extensive collaboration will ensure our final plan is fair, fiscally responsible, and reflective of the wishes of our community.
Click here to view a list of upcoming dates for our Public Engagement Sessions.
Phase 3 Information
Phase 2 Information
Phase 1 Information
In Fenton Community High School District 100, all our students become successful, passionate learners.
Each and every student has the opportunity to succeed in anything they choose. Our staff is committed to equitable practices that meet every student at their individual level and provide the necessary support for meaningful learning.
As a result, Fenton was the 2019 National AP District of the Year. Our students continuously perform above the state average in AP course participation, college readiness, 9th Grade on Track (97%), and high school graduation rate (93%). Our college readiness rate among low-income and underserved students is 24% higher than the state average, and our low-income graduation rate is 16% higher. Fenton students have won numerous state championships in speech and been consistent participants in state tournaments across many sports and activities.
We achieve this success through rigor, relevance, and relationships. Our staff is passionate about helping students achieve their potential and then set new goals, because we know students grow by overcoming challenges. Fenton teachers and coaches build relationships with our students and help them succeed through trust and perseverance. These triumphs have resulted in our teachers, coaches, and board members earning state-wide recognitions. All this happens in classrooms with the lowest student-to-teacher ratio and second lowest average class size in all of DuPage County.
Our team works tirelessly to create a safe and secure environment for our staff and students. This includes the physical building with improvements like the new foyer that controls all activity with the use of two security-controlled doorways. Also, Fenton provides safe and appropriate internet networks for students to use in this evolving digital world. Safety is also a state of mind, and our entire staff champions Social Emotional Learning to develop self-awareness and confidence in our students.
Fenton has been a source of strength and hope for the community throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic. We provided free food to anyone who was hungry, we acquired in-demand supplies to clean our school, and created safe learning spaces for students and staff to return. Fenton was a leader in distributing the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine to more than 7,000 members of our staff and the community.
Fenton unites our community. From families to staff to community leaders, we all partner together to prepare our children for their futures and collaborate to make our Bensenville and Wood Dale communities a great place to live and work. We have strong parent outreach programs, which includes Parent Teacher Organization, Padres Unidos, Polish Outreach, and Adult Basic Education Program. Our local senior citizens attend Fenton plays and musicals for free.
Fenton is committed to transparent and timely communication. We do this through consistent weekly and monthly newsletters, active websites and social media presence, and annual district reports.
We’ve also taken important steps to make our district more fiscally responsible. We carefully evaluate our staffing needs each school year so as much money as possible goes into classrooms and students. We have had a balanced budget for the last 5 years by controlling spending and thoughtfully planning facility improvements, giving us the lowest bond and interest fund tax rate among high school districts in DuPage County. Fenton’s overall tax rate is significantly lower than the state average.
Even with all this improvement, there’s one significant obstacle we just can’t overcome: the lack of space in our aging school building. We make do with what we have in our 1950s building, but our second-rate facilities are keeping our students from reaching their full potential.
Our infrastructure has been extended well beyond its useful life. Mechanical systems, plumbing, and electrical systems need to be addressed to keep the building safe and healthy. Flooding on school grounds continues to be problematic. Our classrooms and learning areas are small and outdated. Our cafeteria is too small, forcing kids to eat in the hallway. Our security system needs improvements. Fenton’s athletic, music facilities and auditorium are sub-par and old. Air flow is inconsistent with some kids sweating in one room and others freezing in another, and the smell in our science and social studies wing is notorious.
This holds our students and teachers back in academics and extracurriculars. It creates significant safety concerns for everyone in our school. It packs our students into classrooms that were too small even before COVID. Now, with the pandemic, the need for more space and cleaner air is even more urgent so we can keep our school open. And some of our sports teams can’t even host home games or tournaments.
Our kids deserve better.
With improved and safe facilities, our students will perform better. They’ll have the newfound sense of pride that comes with attending a school with 21st century learning environments, just like other students in DuPage County. They’ll reach their full potential through blended learning, STEM, extracurriculars, and sports. They’ll have more opportunities to follow their passion, graduating healthier, more well-rounded, and ready for high-wage careers.
If these are the futures we want for our children, we must act now. Every year, the improvements needed at our school become more expensive. The longer we wait, the less we will be able to do. That’s why we’ve launched a comprehensive community engagement process. Working together and sharing our ideas and passions, we will create a roadmap for the future of Fenton.