Education

Education has always been a priority among Batavia residents. The city's first school was created a short seven months after the first families settled in.

Today, the city is served by Batavia School District 101, covering close to 20 square miles and encompassing the city and areas to the south, east, and west. With a high school, middle school, and six elementary schools, the district has a total enrollment of around 6,000 students. More than 80 percent of high school graduates continue their education at a college or university.

Batavia students consistently score higher than national norms in basic skills testing, and most score above the national average in all areas tested: vocabulary, reading, language, and math.

Batavia elementary schools place heavy emphasis on the basics of language arts and literature, mathematics, science, and social studies, augmenting these with computer literacy programs. In addition, the curriculum offers art, music, foreign language, and physical education.

Batavia High School offers close to 120 courses aimed at meeting the diverse needs of 1,700 plus students. For college-bound students there are an expanding number of honors and advanced placement offerings, as well as the opportunity to study Spanish, French or Latin. Students can also participate in a variety of instrumental ensembles and choral groups that make up Batavia's renowned music program.

Technology plays an important part in the Batavia High School experience. Students and teachers have access to the latest technology tools and learn to use them effectively in their studies in virtually every academic discipline.

Besides preparing students for college, Batavia High School provides career training, providing study in more than 20 different career fields. Classes are conducted both in the school and at nearby Fox Valley Career Center.

Aiding the school system in Batavia is the Foundation for Educational Excellence, an organization created in 1985. The Foundation funds educational projects, activities, and new equipment and materials.

Additional information about the Batavia Public Schools can be found on their website www.BPS101.net.

Nearby Community College

The Sugar Grove campus of Waubonsee Community College opened in 1967 to serve Batavia and about 200 other communities in Kane County and portions of four neighboring counties. More than 10,000 students attend classes at the college, 80 percent on a part-time basis. The average student age is 31 years. The oldest student is 86.

A dozen attractive buildings fill its campus. Contained in these are 112 classrooms, 45 labs, seven conference rooms, state-of-the-art learning resource center, two telecommunications classrooms, two student lounges, a cafeteria, bookstore, a child care center, an observatory, a 375-seat auditorium, gymnasium, and a fitness center.

The college awards two-year associate degrees in 24 majors. Recipients then transfer to a four-year college or university to complete the remaining two years of work toward a degree. It also offers applied science degrees in 26 different occupations and specialized certificate programs in 55 career areas.

Waubonsee College offers several evening courses at Batavia High School that carry college credits. It also offers a series of seminars at the high school conducted by staff members of the college's Corporate Development and Training Center. The Holmstad, Batavia's retirement community, is the site of a variety of courses of special interest to seniors.

Batavia students can readily commute to several institutions of higher learning. Aurora University, in nearby Aurora, offers both a liberal arts education and career oriented programs. Other nearby colleges include Elgin Community College and Judson College in Elgin, North Central College in Naperville, and Wheaton College in Wheaton. The campus of Northern Illinois University, at DeKalb, is about 30 minutes away. Batavia students also have access to the nationally famous campuses in Chicago: DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Chicago.