Hinsdale D86 Disparity Stats In Tatters By Its Own Admission

HINSDALE, IL – By its own admission, Hinsdale High School District 86's statistics on the disparity between South and Central are in tatters.

Because of that, the district recently hired a consultant to sort it out.

But one gauge shows the gap continues.

On Thursday, the district presented its program of studies for next year. The document indicated which courses are housed only at Central or housed only at South.

For next year, 20 courses are only housed at Central, while six are only at South.

Under the plan, Central would exclusively offer orchestra courses, Earth Science Honors, East Asian Studies, Philosophy Honors, Western Civilization, Etymology, AP Spanish Literature & Culture and African American History, among others.

South's exclusive courses include Business Work Experience and Psychology 2.

The lack of African American History at South is ironic. As of last year, South had 232 Black students, nearly four times the number at Central. South's overall enrollment is about half Central's.

Thirty years ago, the enrollments at South and Central were about the same. Over the years, Central became much larger.

As a result, South offers a smaller course selection than Central, which has one of the wealthiest student bodies in the state.

According to the program of studies, students can take courses at each other's schools. But they must figure out transportation and miss parts of other classes.

The latest numbers don't include the courses in the program of studies that the district ends up canceling because of low enrollment. That problem is far worse at South.