River Forest School District 90

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River Forest Public Schools • District 90: ~ Excellence in Education: A Continuing Tradition ~
District Overview


The District ---

     River Forest Public School District 90 was founded in 1850. It provides education for grades K-8 through a complex of three school buildings on different sites located within the 2.25 square miles of area that it serves. Present in-district enrollment is 1,356 students.

     The River Forest School District is committed to providing the best possible instructional program for its students. To achieve this objective, the community has allocated significant resources to maintain its high quality staff, facilities and programs. The students served by the school district are enrolled at Lincoln School (K-4), Roosevelt Middle School (5-8), and Willard School (K-4). For the school year ending June 30, 2007, the per pupil operating expenditure was $11,158. The average teaching experience of the one hundred twenty one certified full time faculty is eleven years and 80% of the teachers possess a master's degree.

     In addition to the wide array of learning opportunities available in the basic academic program , the schools provide special programs for the academically talented student as well as the student with special needs. The schools utilize the latest technology to enhance student learning. Special services in the areas of speech, social work, learning disabilities and reading are available in each school. Instruction is provided in instrumental and choral music as well as art, word processing, French, Italian and Spanish. A highly successful Summer School Program is also provided by the District.
      Strong community support and extensive parental involvement have assisted the schools in achieving their reputation for educational excellence. The academic success of students is demonstrated by the fact that 90-100% of River Forest students meet or exceed the state goals of learning as assessed by the state tests given to students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Significantly, in most areas, over 50% of our students exceed the state goals of learning.

     Since River Forest students attend Oak Park-River Forest High School, an important priority of the District is to maintain well articulated programs with the High School as well as with the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 whose students attend the same high school.

The Community to top of page

River Forest Public School District 90 is located in the Village of River Forest in west central Cook County, Illinois approximately ten miles west of downtown Chicago. The Village of Oak Park borders the District on its eastern boundary.
Population: 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004 River Forest......... 13,402 12,392 11,669 11,635 11,597 Oak Park............. 62,511 54,887 53,648 52,524

Residential buildings, churches and educational institutions cover most of the community land. River Forest compares very favorably with Chicago and other western suburbs for median family income and home value.

Median Family Income Median Home Value 1980 1990 2000 1980 1990 2000 Village of River Forest...... $41,108 $62,469 $122,155 $111,600 $258,900 $386,600 City of Chicago.............. 21,708 N/A 42,724 47,200 78,700 132,400 Village of Clarendon Hills... 38,476 53,527 103,532 89,300 151,808 307,500 City of Glen Ellyn........... 38,837 51,537 95,332 86,700 161,814 274,800 Village of Hinsdale.......... 50,475 61,579 132,993 110,700 286,412 520,100 City of Naperville........... 39,129 60,690 101,590 98,400 185,550 254,200 Village of Oak Park.......... 30,175 36,635 81,703 68,000 163,415 231,300 Village of Western Springs... 43,260 62,280 108,870 97,300 198,648 323,900 City of Wheaton.............. 35,540 49,986 90,475 81,100 160,179 222,100 Cook County.................. 23,081 N/A N/A 63,000 102,100 N/A Chicago SMSA................. 24,539 N/A N/A 65,800 111,200 N/A State of Illinois............ 22,748 N/A N/A 53,900 80,900 N/A

Incorporated in 1880, the Village of River Forest is a mature, largely single family residential community. Two private institutions of higher learning, Concordia University and Dominican University are located in the community. Triton College, located in nearby River Grove, also serves the community. Oak Park-River Forest High School and two parochial high schools, Fenwick High School and Trinity High School, serve the secondary education needs of the area. Some 25 parks and recreational facilities and 54 churches and synagogues serve the Oak Park-River Forest community.

Elementary Program Initiatives to top of page

Integrated language arts approach
Strong utilization of local assessment plus standardized tests
Emphasis on high expectations which include support for student needs, extra help, enrichment activities and opportunities for grade acceleration as well as subject acceleration Assessment of Reading Comprehension through Writing Integration of basic content areas Integration of direct teaching of thinking skills "Hands-on" science instruction Focus on problem-solving in mathematics Continuous staff development Emphasis on working with families Macintosh multimedia computer curriculum with Internet access Download Curriculum Fundamentals, for a more in-depth look at what the District has to offer at each grade level.

Middle School Program Initiatives to top of page

Integrated language arts approach

Authentic testing with reading/writing assessment
Use of writing process approach
Staff training in: Cooperative Learning, Writing process, & Authentic assessment
Interdisciplinary curriculum units
"Hands-on" science curriculum
Peer mediation
Comprehensive health curriculum
Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE)
Interdisciplinary teams
Macintosh multimedia computer curriculum with Internet access
Homework lab
Special Education Inclusion Initiatives
Comprehensive foreign language program

Download Curriculum Fundamentals, for a more in-depth look at what the District has to offer at each grade level.

Summer School Program to top of page

District 90 provides a highly successful fee-based Summer School Program that typically enrolls more than 600 students entering kindergarten through eighth grades. Course offerings may include: arts and crafts, music, drama, science, math and reading enrichment, computers, and a variety of movement classes (e.g. outdoor sports and yoga). Special Education and Early Childhood classes, as well as reading, SLANT and math support classes are offered. Summer school runs five days a week with three one-hour morning class choices, beginning in mid-June and ending in mid-July. Classes are housed at Roosevelt Middle School (Grades 5-8) and either Lincoln or Willard Elementary Schools (Grades K-4).

Adult Technology Education Classes to top of page

District 90 has offered Technology Classes to Adults in the River Forest Community since the Fall of 1998. A tuition fee is charged and the program is self-supporting. For information about our next series of Adult classes call the District Office at 708-771-8282.

Accomplishments, Awards & Competitive Grants to top of page

"Bright A+" Award- 1999 through 2007 - Illinois school districts whose students' academic performance ranks in the top 5% of all Illinois school districts based on 2006 IL School Report Card Data Source. In 2007, only 62 of 827 districts were honored.

"Bright Red Apple" Award -1994 through 2008- Awards given by SchoolSearch, an Illinois-based firm which works with major companies throughout the world by providing school information to their relocating families. The award is based on excellence in five categories: Academic performance, Pupil/Teacher ratio, expenditure per pupil, educational level of teachers and average teacher salary.

Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting 1992-1996, 1998-2006- As announced by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International, the District has received the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2006. This represents the District's 14th such award. The District has also been chosen to be the model for school districts of similar size and share its high-quality Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) on ASBO International's website as a resource for other school business officials to view and examine. The District's recognition and contribution can be found at http://asbointl.org/index.asp?bid=10379. The District's 2005 CAFR, the 2006 CAFR, the 2007 CAFR and the 2008 Budget can also be downloaded and viewed via Acrobat Reader using the links at the top of this page.

District Staff List to top of page

Bonnette, David	Interim Superintendent
Trahanas, Joanne	Curriculum Director
Cozzi, Anthony	Business Manager
Cunningham, Janet	Secretary
Hernandez, Lupe	Secretary
Hroma, Nicole	Physical Therapist
Kaleta, Edward	School Psychologist
Lim, Sarah	ESL Teacher
Lloyd, Julie	Occupational Therapist EC-8
Martin, Kevin	Director of Technology
Quilter, Claudia	Payroll
Ribaudo, Josephine	Secretary
Ryan-Toye, Martha	Special Education Director
Truitt, Sandra	Accounts Payable/Spec Ed Clerk

Contact any District 90 staff member by email, using the following method:

Last name, first initial @district90.org

For example, Frank Smith's address would be smithf@district90.org