Enrollment Drops A Lot At Hinsdale Central, South Since 2018

HINSDALE, IL – The enrollments at Hindale Central and South high schools have declined significantly over the last seven years.

According to state figures, enrollment fell by 19 percent at South and 13 percent at Central from 2018 to 2025. Lyons Township and York high schools each saw 9 percent decreases.

All four schools are in relatively wealthy towns.

This week, Hinsdale High School District 86 released projections on enrollment in preparation for the school board's staffing decisions later this month.

At South, enrollment is 1,274, which is expected to fall by 5 percent to 1,208 next year.

This year, 2,419 students are enrolled at Central, with 2,400 students expected next year. That's a decrease of less than 1 percent.

If those numbers come to pass, South's enrollment would be almost exactly half of Central's.

In 2018, South's enrollment was 53 percent of Central's. Three decades ago, the schools' numbers were about the same.

Under the district's staffing proposal, Central and South would have 160 and 94 teachers next year, respectively. Each school would see a drop of two teachers.

Because of its smaller size, South has long had a smaller course selection than Central, a disparity that South residents have complained about for years.

South has more teachers per capita. And its spending per student is higher, which officials attribute to economies of scale.

A bigger school can spread the costs of certain functions – such as administration – over a greater population. Hinsdale Central and South have the same administrative positions with similar salaries.

At Thursday's school board meeting, the district will hear about course selection at both campuses.

At South, 25 courses are being canceled because the school either received few or no requests for them. At Central, the number is 13.

That doesn't account for scheduling conflicts. Because fewer sections of a course are offered at South, students are more likely to have conflicts, as the district's data has shown in the past.

For years, some South residents have suggested changing the attendance boundary between the schools to equalize enrollments and thus opportunities.

However, the proposal is seen as politically toxic because Central residents fear their home prices would plunge if the line shifted to put them in the South area.

All seven school board members are against the idea.