Dunlap Community Unit School District 323
Encyclopedia
Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 is a public school district
in Peoria County, Illinois
. It is based near Dunlap, Illinois
and has one high school
, two middle school
s, and four elementary school
s. Its territory consists of Radnor Township
, northeastern Kickapoo Township
, the western third of Medina Township
, and parts of Akron, Hallock
, and Richwoods
Townships. , the district had 3,121 students, and a student-teacher ratio
of 19:4 for elementary/middle schools and 20:3 for the high school.
Dunlap is a growing school district.
Its mascot is an eagle, typically represented as an American bald eagle
.
had at least 9 grade school districts; most of these districts, along with a few in nearby townships, merged around 1945–1946. In 1969, District 323 was created by the consolidation of the three remaining districts: Dunlap Township High School
District 158, Dunlap Consolidated Grade School District 302, and Wilder-Waite Consolidated Grade School District 303.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
in Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....
. It is based near Dunlap, Illinois
Dunlap, Illinois
Dunlap, located on Illinois 91, is a small village in Peoria County Illinois, United States. Its population was 926 people as of the 2000 census. Dunlap is part of the Peoria metropolitan area and growth in the city of Peoria is extending towards the village...
and has one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, two middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, and four elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s. Its territory consists of Radnor Township
Radnor Township, Peoria County, Illinois
Radnor Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 2,433 at the 2000 census. Radnor Township first changed its name from Benton Township to Fremont Township, then to Radnor. The exact dates are unknown, but thought to be 1850....
, northeastern Kickapoo Township
Kickapoo Township, Peoria County, Illinois
Kickapoo Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 3,573 at the 2000 census. Kickapoo Township changed its name from Orange Township on an unknown date, but the best guess is 1850.- External links :***...
, the western third of Medina Township
Medina Township, Peoria County, Illinois
Medina Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 6,388 at the 2000 census. Medina Township changed its name from Franklin Township on an unknown date, but most likely in 1850.-External links:* * *...
, and parts of Akron, Hallock
Hallock Township, Peoria County, Illinois
Hallock Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2000 census.- External links :***...
, and Richwoods
Richwoods Township, Peoria County, Illinois
Richwoods Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The geographic designation is Township 9 North, Range 8 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian. The population was 6,539 at the 2000 census. The majority of its area is the village of Peoria Heights, Illinois.Part of Richwoods Township was...
Townships. , the district had 3,121 students, and a student-teacher ratio
Student-teacher ratio
Student-teacher ratio refers to the number of teachers in a school or university with respect to the number of students who attend the institution. For example, a student-teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students for every one teacher...
of 19:4 for elementary/middle schools and 20:3 for the high school.
Dunlap is a growing school district.
Its mascot is an eagle, typically represented as an American bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
.
Schools
- Dunlap High SchoolDunlap High SchoolDunlap High School, or DHS, is a public four-year high school located at 5220 West Legion Hall Road in Dunlap, Illinois, a village in Peoria County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. DHS serves the communities of Dunlap, Alta, Edelstein, Edwards, Peoria , and Princeville...
— High school education in Dunlap started in 1893. The high school got its own building in 1926. It was its own high school district, #158, until District 323 was created. The current high school was built in 1974. - Dunlap Middle School
- Dunlap Valley Middle School
- Dunlap Grade School — across from the Rock Island Trail in AltaAlta, IllinoisAlta is an unincorporated community on the northwest border of Peoria in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. Alta is north-northwest of downtown Peoria. The decommissioned Illinois State Route 174 runs through Alta, and the Rock Island Trail begins in Alta....
- Banner Elementary — not to be confused with the old District 81 school
- Ridgeview Grade School
- Wilder-Waite Grade School — This school was opened in autumn 1948 to replace the schools whose five districts had consolidated into new District 303 in 1946.
History
By 1945, Radnor TownshipRadnor Township, Peoria County, Illinois
Radnor Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 2,433 at the 2000 census. Radnor Township first changed its name from Benton Township to Fremont Township, then to Radnor. The exact dates are unknown, but thought to be 1850....
had at least 9 grade school districts; most of these districts, along with a few in nearby townships, merged around 1945–1946. In 1969, District 323 was created by the consolidation of the three remaining districts: Dunlap Township High School
Dunlap High School
Dunlap High School, or DHS, is a public four-year high school located at 5220 West Legion Hall Road in Dunlap, Illinois, a village in Peoria County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. DHS serves the communities of Dunlap, Alta, Edelstein, Edwards, Peoria , and Princeville...
District 158, Dunlap Consolidated Grade School District 302, and Wilder-Waite Consolidated Grade School District 303.
Dunlap Grade School District 302
Dunlap District #302 traced is lineage back to several school districts.- Potter School (District #7), was located in Section 35 of Akron Township. The school was built in 1867, west of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, and was named after a family who migrated to the area in 1847 and had several generations of students attend the school. The district merged into Dunlap #302 in 1953.
- Summit (#8), was originally represented by Toehead School, built in 1858; this building was sold off and moved to a nearby farm when the new school, named the Summit, was built on the same property in 1883. This district merged into Dunlap #302 in 1954.
- Rice School (#80) was built in 1855. The district was split in 1953 and given to Dunlap #302 (which later consolidated into #323) and Edelstein #313 (which later consolidated into Princeville #326). The Rice School building still exists as a house on Illinois Route 40Illinois Route 40Illinois Route 40 is a north–south route in central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from Interstate 74 in East Peoria north to Illinois Route 78 at Mt. Carroll, just south of U.S. Route 52 and Illinois Route 64. This is a distance of ....
. - Banner School (#81) was originally District 3, started around 1844. Medina's District 3 merged with Radnor's District 10, and the new school was built in 1872; the county school superintendent called it a "Banner School" and the name stuck. It was the first school in Peoria County to have single desks. This school closed in 1953 and the district split among Dunlap #302, Wilder-Waite #303, and Mossville #306 (which later consolidated into IVC #321Illinois Valley Central Unit District 321Illinois Valley Central Unit District 321 is the school district in the northeast corner of Peoria County, Illinois, including the communities of Chillicothe, Mossville, and Rome, Illinois.-Schools:...
). The school was at the corner of "Dunlap Road" and Illinois 88 (now Illinois 40Illinois Route 40Illinois Route 40 is a north–south route in central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from Interstate 74 in East Peoria north to Illinois Route 78 at Mt. Carroll, just south of U.S. Route 52 and Illinois Route 64. This is a distance of ....
), and the original bricks from this old Banner School are on display at the new Banner School on Allen Road. - Keady (#102), consolidated to form Dunlap #302 in 1945.
- Bell Tree (#103), split from Hazel Dell #108 around 1865, then condolidated again with it and others to form Dunlap #302 in 1945.
- Salem (#104), was established around 1849; it moved to a new school in 1868 on the spare ground of the Methodist Church church yard. The school was rebuilt there in 1913 after a fire. It consolidated to form Dunlap #302 in 1945.
- Dunlap (#105) traced its history back to 1841, in the more populated sections south of what is now the village of Dunlap. Three schools were built. When DunlapDunlap, IllinoisDunlap, located on Illinois 91, is a small village in Peoria County Illinois, United States. Its population was 926 people as of the 2000 census. Dunlap is part of the Peoria metropolitan area and growth in the city of Peoria is extending towards the village...
itself was laid out in 1871, one of the schools moved to just south of the new village; in 1877, it moved into a building in town owned by Alva Dunlap; and 1899, a newer school was erected. #105 consolidated to form Dunlap #302 in 1945. - Hazel Dell (#108) had the first building actually built as a school in Radnor Township, built around 1850. Township sections 17, 18, 19, and 20 were in this district. It consolidated to form Dunlap #302 in 1945.
- Parks (#109) (originally Radnor School District #8) was township sections 3, 4, 9, and 10. The school was built in the southwest quarter of section 3, and was named Dunlap School, after Napoleon Dunlap, who donated the land in 1848. There is no record for the date of the first school building, but the second was built in 1875. This school was renamed to Parks School, from a prominent new family in the area, to avoid confusion after the new village of Dunlap got its own school. Around 1945, District #109 was divided between Dunlap District #105 (soon to consolidate into #302) and Akron Township, Peoria County, Illinois's Summit District #8, which itself merged into Dunlap #302 in 1954.
Wilder-Waite District 303
Wilder-Waite District 303 was created in 1946 by the consolidation of several school districts. The school itself opened in autumn 1948.- Orange Prairie (#53) was originally Kickapoo TownshipKickapoo Township, Peoria County, IllinoisKickapoo Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 3,573 at the 2000 census. Kickapoo Township changed its name from Orange Township on an unknown date, but the best guess is 1850.- External links :***...
District 1; the first school was a log building built in 1840; it was replaced with a brick building in 1876. It was on Illinois Route 91Illinois Route 91Illinois Route 91 is a rural state road in central Illinois. It runs from the northwest edge of Peoria at U.S. Highway 150 to U.S. Highway 34 south of Kewanee. Illinois 91 is long.- Route description :...
near U.S. Route 150U.S. Route 150U.S. Route 150 is a 571 mile long northwest-southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky .-Illinois:In the state of Illinois, U.S. 150 runs from the Quad City International Airport at U.S...
. Orange Prairie School was one of the District 303 schools that remained open while Wilder-Waite was being built. It has since been demolished. - An Orange Grange School or Grange Hall was across from Orange Prairie School. It was also one of the District 303 schools that remained open while Wilder-Waite was being built.
- Alta School (#84), originally District 6, was originally built around 1858. The new school was built in the summer of 1877 in the then-new town of AltaAlta, IllinoisAlta is an unincorporated community on the northwest border of Peoria in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. Alta is north-northwest of downtown Peoria. The decommissioned Illinois State Route 174 runs through Alta, and the Rock Island Trail begins in Alta....
. The school burnt down in 1945; the students completed the year in the Alta Masonic hall, and then went to other schools when the district consolidated into #303 at the end of the year. - Glendale School (#106), AltaAlta, IllinoisAlta is an unincorporated community on the northwest border of Peoria in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. Alta is north-northwest of downtown Peoria. The decommissioned Illinois State Route 174 runs through Alta, and the Rock Island Trail begins in Alta....
, had a history back to 1849. It was one of the District 303 schools that remained open while Wilder-Waite was being built. - Tucker School (#107), EdwardsEdwards, IllinoisEdwards is an unincorporated community in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. Edwards is located on Illinois Route 8 northwest of downtown Peoria. Edwards has a post office with ZIP code 61528....
, was established in 1855, but with education traceable back to 1840; there was a District 9 that merged into it in 1858. - Dewey School (#110), township section 34, had a history back to 1856 and was known as District 9 until 1903. Its first school, built in 1856, was known as the British Institute. Dewey School was built in 1898, and named after General George DeweyGeorge DeweyGeorge Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...
from the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American WarThe Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. - Richwoods School (#116) was in the northwest corner of Richwoods TownshipRichwoods Township, Peoria County, IllinoisRichwoods Township is located in Peoria County, Illinois. The geographic designation is Township 9 North, Range 8 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian. The population was 6,539 at the 2000 census. The majority of its area is the village of Peoria Heights, Illinois.Part of Richwoods Township was...
. Its first building was a log school; the second was built in 1860 on the south side of the road, east of the original school; when it burnt down 1906, a third school was built. The final school was at the corner of what is now University Street and Pioneer Parkway (former Illinois Route 174Illinois Route 174Illinois Route 174 was a state highway in Illinois from 1924 to 1983. The route connected Illinois Route 40 and Illinois Route 91 through the community of Alta...
). The school was dormant for six years starting in 1912 due to lack of students, but re-opened in spring 1918 and continued from then until 1946. The district consolidated into Wilder-Waite #303 in 1946. The school building itself was moved down University Street, where it was used as a house for a few years until it burnt down. The district's former territory was gradually transferred into Peoria District 150 over the years as the city of PeoriaPeoria, IllinoisPeoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
grew.