Hinsdale Central High School
55th And Grant St, Hinsdale, IL, 60521-4578 - Map Map

School Overview:
Definition of Terms
Hinsdale Central High School
School Level High school
Grades Offered Grades 9 - 12
County Dupage County, IL
Students & Faculty
Total Students 2560 students
% Male / % Female 51%  /  49%
Total Classroom Teachers 170 teachers
Students by Grade
Grade 9 - 664 students
Grade 10 - 635 students
Grade 11 - 637 students
Grade 12 - 624 students
This School
(IL) School Average
Teacher : Student Ratio 1:15 1:16
Students by Ethnicity
This School
(IL) School Average
% American Indian n/a n/a
% Asian 12% 2%
% Hispanic 3% 10%
% Black 2% 19%
% White 82% 66%
% Unknown 1 % 4%
Additional Student Information
This School
(IL) School Average
% Eligible for Free Lunch n/a 22%
% Eligible for Reduced Lunch n/a 4%
% Migrant Students Enrolled n/a n/a
School Performance:
(IL) Statewide Testing Performance
School Statewide Performance View Education Department Test Scores
School District:
School District Name Hinsdale Township High 86 School District
This School's Agency
(IL) District Average
Number of Schools Managed 2 3
Number of Students Managed 4,480 students 984 students
District Total Revenue $69,792,000 $9,428,000
District Expenditure $66,778,000 $9,311,000
District Revenue / Student $15,579 $9,581
District Expenditure / Student $14,906 $9,462
District Graduation Rates 92% 92%
In the News:
  • Amoebas boost turnout at Central events (The Doings Weekly)
    posted on November 25, 2009 at 10:40:57 am
    Inspired by a leadership workshop in California, a new school club is coming to Hinsdale Central High School to raise school spirit and bring students together. The Red Amoeba is simple, like the single-celled organism for which it is named. All students have to do to be a member is show up at an event and have their Red Amoeba cards stamped, which can later be redeemed for prizes and privileges.
  • Clarendon Hills Scout helps landscape Prospect Park (The Doings Clarendon Hills)
    posted on November 25, 2009 at 10:39:47 am
    Clarendon Hills resident Philip Petersen can best be described as a "good Scout." A junior at Hinsdale Central High School, Petersen has been involved with scouting programs since his grade school days and is associated with Troop 51 which meets at Christ Lutheran Church in Clarendon Hills.
  • Education Notes (The Doings La Grange)
    posted on November 25, 2009 at 10:23:12 am
    Registration is open for the Dec. 12 ACT achievement test. This date is a great time for seniors to take the ACT before submitting college applications. Students who wish to take the college admission and placement exam must register by Nov. 20. Students may select up to four universities to receive their score reports. The cost for the ACT test without writing is $53 and with the optional ACT ...
  • Christmas Walks set to welcome the holidays (The Doings Hinsdale)
    posted on November 24, 2009 at 01:37:11 am
    Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills residents can get into the holiday spirit as the two villages' Christmas Walks come to town.
  • Used tennis gear to benefit needy (Hinsdale Suburban Life)
    posted on November 23, 2009 at 09:51:54 pm
    The Hinsdale Central High School girl’s tennis team will collect used tennis racquets and warm-ups to donate to the West Suburban Tennis Patrons, Inc. at two Hinsdale drop-off locations.
View all past news stories
School Notes:
  • Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as "Central" and formerly Hinsdale Township High School or HTHS) is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Founded in 1879, the school is well known for its large spending per student, academic excellence, and athletic programs. It is part of Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86, which also includes Hinsdale South High School. The school is 17 miles west of Chicago and serves a suburban residential area of approximately 35,000 people. The Central campus draws its students from the communities of Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, and portions of Burr Ridge, Willowbrook and Westmont.
  • The full, technical name of the school (that appears on transcripts and other official documents) is Hinsdale Township High School Central and is often abbreviated Hinsdale TWP HS Central.
  • History
  • Hinsdale High School was established in 1879 when community members began to see the need for education beyond eighth grade for their children. The first students, Alice Warren, Minnie Hinds, Grace Redfield, and Florence Webster graduated in 1883. In this period, there were five teachers, including the principal, teaching about 120 students in grades 1 - 12. All twelve grades shared the ca. 1866 schoolhouse at Garfield and Third Streets, built by William Robbins to serve the community he was developing.
  • In 1894 the school building burned, and was replaced by a new building on the same site. In 1911 the school district was reorganized, and the school became officially known as Hinsdale Township High School. In 1916 a new school building was completed nearby.
  • By the 1930s, a site for a new school to serve the growing community was purchased south of town at the corner of 55th & Grant Streets. Though a new football field was dedicated here in 1932, Depression and World War II constraints postponed construction until 1948. The current high school building was dedicated in 1950.
  • By the 1960s, two additional school sites were purchased. Hinsdale South High School opened in 1965 a the corner of Clarendon Hills Road and 75th Street in Darien. It was then that the word "Central" was added to the name of the school. The other property at the corner of Midwest Road and 31st Street in Oak Brook, for a potential Hinsdale North High School, was later determined to be not needed, and was sold. This property now forms part of the Trinity Lakes Subdivision.
  • In 2004, the school underwent additional construction to alleviate crowded hallways and rebuild deteriorating parts of the building. The reconstruction included a new 5 million dollar library, extended cafeteria, and connected hallways greatly opening up the campus and improving the flow of traffic.
  • During the years 2000-2004 two female students were sexually assaulted by the men's basketball coach and science teacher Robert Mueller. He is now serving 32 years in prison for eight counts of criminal sexual assault. The two girls testified to having consensual sex with Mueller.
  • In 2007, it was the only high school in the country to be nominated as a Character Counts school and was named Character Counts School of the Year
  • Academics
  • The Class of 2008 scored an average composite score of 25.5 on the ACT examination, and graduated 97.6% of the class.
  • Technology in the classroom
  • In recent years the administration has moved towards integrating technology into the daily life of the school. A so-called "Tablet Initiative" attempted to have every freshman from the class of 2009 purchase a tablet PC for use in classes. However, this initiative was met with poor enthusiasm, fewer than 10 notebooks were sold.
  • Grade notification, attendance, discipline records, schedules,and registration information are now available online. Hinsdale Central has integrated their server with Microsoft's SharePoint Services solution as opposed to their original use of Blackboard in the 2003-2004 school year. Students and faculty members are also given a school email, running Microsoft Exchange Servers.
  • The school currently provides all teachers with Tablet PCs, and the school is fully equipped with wireless internet technologies. Tablet PC carts and desktop PC workstations are also available to students. Also, students at Hinsdale Central are allowed the option of bringing a laptop computer, tablet PC, or personal digital assistant for note taking and word processing in class.
  • Hinsdale Central has a fully equipped and operating radio room which powers its own radio station, WHSD 88.5 FM. This station is also operated by Hinsdale Central's sister school, Hinsdale South High School.
  • Social Security leak
  • In the 2004-2005 school year, two students gained unauthorized access to the school's server and obtained the Social Security numbers of the student body and faculty.
  • Student life
  • Athletics
  • Hinsdale Central competes in the West Suburban Conference and is a member school in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most sports and competitive activities in the state. Its teams are stylized as the Red Devils.
  • The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in: basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
  • Hinsdale Central has finished in the top four of the following IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets:
  • In the 2006-07 season, the girls lacrosse team won the state championship. In 2007-08 the girls lacrosse team finished 3rd in state.
  • The boys gymnastics team's 33 top ten finishes and nine state titles is the state record.
  • The boys tennis team's 57 top ten finishes and 19 state championships is the state record. The girls tennis team's 33 top ten finishes is the second highest total in state history, though their 11 state titles is the state record.
  • The boys swimming & diving team's 44 top ten finishes and 17 state titles is the second highest totals in state history. The girls swimming & diving team, similarly, is second in state history with 27 top ten finishes and 7 state championships.
  • The boys hockey team made it to the frozen four in 2009.
  • Activities
  • The school offers more than fifty clubs, including community service organizations, academic competition teams, foreign language groups, and special interest clubs. Many clubs have won local and state awards and competitions.
  • The following IHSA sponsored competitive activities have finished in the top 4 of their respective state tournament:
  • Chess: State Champions (1972–73)
  • Individual Events: 3rd place (2007–08)
  • Scholastic Bowl: 2nd place (1997–98, 2001–02); State Champions (1991–92)
  • Notable alumni
  • Kirk Dillard (class of 1973) is an Illinois State Senator (1994–present).
  • Leslie Hindman is a nationally renown auctioneer and founder of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
  • Dennis Keller founded the Keller Graduate School of Management, now a part of the DeVry Institute.
  • John Kinsella was an Olympic swimmer, winning a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics and a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
  • Ben Murphy is an actor best known for his work in television.
  • John Murphy was a swimmer at the 1972 Olympics.
  • Joseph Nechvatal (class of 1969) is a visual artist.
  • Robert Nieman (class of 1966) was a three–time Olympic Modern pentathlon athlete.
  • Cathy Richardson (class of 1986) is an actress, singer, songwriter.
  • Marty Riessen (class of 1960) was a professional tennis player. He was a five–time member of the United States Davis Cup team.
  • Bill Veeck (attended Hinsdale Central, but transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy) was a Major League Baseball team executive and owner. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
  • Citations
  • Baaken, Timothy. HINSDALE. Hinsdale, Ill.: Hinsdale Doings, 1976.
  • Dugan, Hugh. VILLAGE ON THE COUNTY LINE. Privately Printed, 1949.
  • Sterling, Tom, and Mary Sterling. HINSDALE AND THE WORLD. Hinsdale, Ill.: Sterling Books, 19
  • External links
  • Official Website
  • School Profile & Reviews on GreatSchools.net
  • Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
  • Add/edit information about this school (e.g., awards, news stories, notable alumni, fun facts)
 
School Zip Code:
About This Zip Code (60521)
School Zip (60521)
(IL) State Average
Population (Approximate) 37,496 people 12,207,380 people
% (age 25+) w/College Degree 61% 24%
Population Average Age 40 years old 33 years old
Average Household size 2.8 persons 2.6 persons
Median Household Income $91,727 $46,557
Avg. # of Rooms in Household 7.1 rooms 5.4 rooms
Median Age of Housing Structure 38 years old 49 years old
View Current Housing Listings View current housing listings in this area
Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (60521)


Zillow Median Value of Housing Unit
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Zillow Median Value of Housing Unit
% Owning / % Renting 83% / 17% 62% / 38%
School Map:
1. Ph Transition House - n/a - 2.3 mi. away - view location
2. Hinsdale South High School - 1920 students - 2.6 mi. away - view location
3. Westmont High School - 575 students - 2.7 mi. away - view location
4. Lyons Township High School North Campus - 3826 students - 3.1 mi. away - view location
5. Grace Lutheran Preschool - n/a - 3.6 mi. away - view location
View all schools in: Hinsdale, Dupage County, Zip 60521 
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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects 2006 statistics (most recent year available).

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