Students at Naperville North and Central high schools may be able to take new engineering, social studies and physical education classes in the 2026-27 school year.
The Naperville District 203 School Board is expected to vote April 21 on adding more courses to the high school offerings while eliminating a few with declining enrollment or whose material may be covered in another class. On Monday, the board heard a presentation on the proposed changes.
“I’m always impressed watching the evolution of any of our subjects and seeing how we make such an effort to keep things relevant,” board President Kristine Gericke said.
Some of the new courses will offer college credit, such as the Principles of Engineering and Civil Engineering and Architecture, which are to be offered as part of the Project Lead the Way sequence.
Students can learn engineering, robotics, 3-D modeling and programming in the Principles of Engineering courses, a course description said. Students also can work with 3D architectural design software in the Civil Engineering and Architecture course.
The district is also looking to add a Project Lead the Way Capstone course that expands on the engineering program for the 2027-28 school year.
Jayne Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the district selects new courses based on industry trends, student interest, future careers and post-secondary preparation. The district’s staff evaluates its courses to ensure they are still relevant and have enough rigor or if new ones should be developed to fill a need, she said.
“The primary focus of our visioning work is to create learning experiences that actively engage students in meaningful ways and equip students for both academic success and future careers,” she said.
Three new semester-long social studies courses are under review and will be voted by the board on later this month.
They are Criminal Justice, Modern American History Through Media and Taking Action: Issues and Solutions.
In the Criminal Justice course, students can explore crime, law enforcement, and the court and corrections systems while analyzing the impact of laws and policies on society, a course description said.
Students taking Modern American History Through Media will learn how television, music and art of the 1980s, ’90s and today shaped American society, politics, culture and technology.
The Taking Action class will offer students a chance to analyze and address real-world issues in their communities, according to the course description.
“The wide range of elective course offerings encourages many students to exceed the 2½ credit requirement,” said Steve Jeretina, assistant principal at Naperville Central.
The district also will offer Cultural Anthropology to understand and value diverse cultures, which will replace World Cultures, he said.
About 2,300 high school students were surveyed to gauge their interest, Jeretina said.
New physical education courses are also under consideration.
A Coaching and Officiating class will give students the resources to be IHSA-certified in officiating a sport of their choice, opening up opportunities to work as an official at local athletic events, Jeretina said. It also promotes leadership, responsibility and career readiness in sports management, he said.
Sophomore students will have a chance to pick a physical education course based on their interests and fitness goals in three new semester-long classes.
The Studio Wellness option focuses on group exercise such as yoga, pilates or Zumba and stress management. The Strength and Performance option will feature resistance training, injury prevention and nutrition while the Competitive Team Sports option allows students to participate in a variety of group sports, such as basketball, football, soccer, floor hockey, volleyball, pickleball and others.
Board member Melissa Kelley Black said she appreciated they were giving students healthy lifestyle habits, which is beneficial for both physical and mental health.
In addition to World Cultures, courses removed for low enrollment, limited interest or content duplicated in other classes include Humanities II, Legal Issues, Peace and Conflict and Painting 2. For instance, the Peace and Conflict course had a 50% decline in enrollment over the last four years and not enough interest to be offered at both high schools this year, district officials said.
With board approval, the classes would be dropped in the 2026-27 school year.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
