Unhealthy To Compare Hinsdale Central, South: New Superintendent

DARIEN, IL – The new superintendent of Hinsdale High School District 86 is advising against direct comparisons between Hinsdale Central and South high schools.

Central's enrollment is nearly twice that of South.

And students from low-income families make up nearly a third of South's student body, while 9 percent at Central.

"I'm not sure it's healthy to keep comparing the two schools to one another," Superintendent Chip Pettit told the school board Thursday.

He noted the differences in the schools' sizes and percentages of students who benefit from free and reduced-price lunches.

Pettit proposed that the district use the concept of a "league of comparable schools." This is where the district would compare each school to demographically similar ones.

Pettit also highlighted the concept on the website of the northwestern Indiana district that he led until recently.

Developing such leagues, he said, will allow District 86 to set realistic targets.

Until a few years ago, Elmhurst School District 205 compared its test results and other measures to districts with similar demographics.

Then it started comparing itself to state and national averages. As a wealthy district, Elmhurst is expected to far surpass such averages.

In Elmhurst, low-income students make up 17 percent of enrollment, compared with nearly half statewide.