Board Policy Manual
Chapter 1: General Information About the School District
1.100: Name of District
The name of the school district is Urbana School District Number 116, County of Champaign, State of Illinois.
Rev. 11/03
1.200: Short History of School Facilities of the School District
The earliest evidence of formal schooling in the vicinity of Urbana is a record of the existence of a school house in 1832. The Urbana Male and Female Seminary was erected in the early 1850's under the auspices of the Methodist Church. In 1857 the building was purchased by the City of Urbana for $5,000. It was used as a free school for all grades (1-12) until 1872. Mr. T.R. Leal was its first principal and served until he was elevated to the office of County Superintendent. The Seminary burned in 1872 and the first Leal School was erected in 1873. The "second Ward" and "Fourth Ward" schools were opened in 1872.
A one-room, one-teacher school known as District Number 4 was added to the Urbana system about 1890. During 1896 John Thornburn presented a site for a new high school which was erected before the close of the year and became known as the Thornburn High School.
At the turn of the century, the Urbana school system included four elementary schools and one high school under the Superintendency of J.W. Hays. Early in the century substantial additions and improvements were made to the Urbana school buildings. The Second Ward School was remodeled in 1902 and became Lincoln School. In 1903 Leal School was rebuilt. East Urbana, which had been served by the Fourth Ward School, and District Number 4 were the next areas to receive attention. The Fourth Ward School was replaced by Webber School; constructed in 1905. Number 4 was eliminated in the following year.
In 1908, as a result of a petition from the citizens of the northwest section of the City, the J.W. Hays School was erected. Three years later petitions were circulated for the construction of a new high school building; it was eventually built upon its present site in 1914. At the time of its construction the E-shaped design was regarded as somewhat revolutionary, and when four years later the gymnasium and swimming pool were added, it took its place as one of the outstanding high school buildings in the country.
Further building continued with the construction of Washington School located by Crystal Lake Park in the northeast in 1923 and the enlargement of Thornburn School in 1926.
In 1936, Leal School was rebuilt with federal aid (a WPA project), and in 1944, with a fresh program of rehabilitation and modernization underway, Webber School was remodeled. In 1946, the Perkins School was annexed to the Urbana school system.
During the years following World War II, the Urbana School District began to experience an increase in school population as a result of expanded home building within and outside the city limits. During the next twenty years the following buildings were constructed: Flossie Wiley Elementary School (1950); Urbana Junior High School (1952); Yankee Ridge Elementary School (1958); Thomas Paine Elementary School (1963); and Prairie Elementary School (1965). Also during this time several independent school districts were annexed to Urbana School District 116. These included Steward District No. 120 in Somers, Silver District No. 115, Locust Grove District No. 122, Allen District No. 124, and Mariott District No. 11. In addition, several other sections of land were added to bring the district to its present size of 42.38 square miles.
During the years of repaid student growth, several additions were made to existing buildings to meet the need for more space. In 1971 the most recent construction was completed with the opening of the Brookens Junior High School.
Between 1972 and 1983, the student population declined steadily. As a consequence of this decline, several buildings were closed and/or sold. Since 1984 the student population seems to have leveled off.
In November, 1985, a referendum was approved for a $14.5 million renovation and expansion of Urbana High School. When completed in August, 1989, ninth grade students moved to the high school to form a four-year high school, and Urbana Junior High became Urbana Middle School to serve grades 7-8.
School district voters approved a $23 million referendum in 1998 to expand and renovate Leal Elementary School, expand and renovate Urbana Middle School, and to construct the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center. The Aquatic Center was constructed through an intergovernmental agreement with the Urbana Park District. (The school district would construct the facility and the park district would oversee its administration once completed.) Students from Leal, and then 6th grade students, were housed at the "East Campus," which was once the Osco-Jewel Store at 1010 South Philo Road during the construction to the respective schools. All construction was completed by the Fall of 2003. (Leal reopened in August 2001, the Aquatic Center opened in January 2003, and the Urbana Middle School reopened to all three grade levels in August 2003.)
Rev. 11/03
Summary of Building Construction and Closures