West Aurora Public School District 129

West Aurora Public School District 129 is a unit school district in southeastern Kane County, Illinois. The present "West Side" school district covers the city of Aurora, Illinois with an eastern boundary of the Fox River, a southern boundary of the Kane County and Kendall County line, a western boundary of Aurora's city limits, and a northern boundary of the village limits of North Aurora, Illinois. Students from Aurora, North Aurora, Montgomery, Illinois and Sugar Grove, Illinois attend West Aurora schools.

District 129 has a tradition in Aurora going back to the 1860s. The West Side High School and East Side High School have played an annual football game against each other since 1893. Four of the current elementary buildings are reported to be four of the oldest still in use in Aurora and in Kane County. Mary Todd school was constructed as Oak Street school, on the ruins of a prior building, and was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s. Its interior still features WPA murals and sculpture. Joseph Freeman Elementary School was dedicated in 1928. Abraham Lincoln Elementary (decommissioned in 2009), was originally the Lake Street School, and Nancy Hill Elementary, originally the Illinois Avenue School, are over a century old.

Two other school buildings exist on the historic sites of original school buildings. The Montgomery Elementary School was built in 1891. The present Nicholson Elementary, itself built in the 1950s and 1960s, replaced the Montgomery Elementary building on the same site. The original Galena Street School was built in 1895. It was renamed Greenman Elementary in 1915, and was replaced by a new building, constructed on an adjacent lot, in 2004.

West Side District 129 absorbed the former North Aurora School District #51 in the early 1960s, constructing Schneider Elementary in that village's east side in 1963, and Goodwin Elementary (as a replacement for the former North Aurora School, which stood at the corner of State Street and Lincolnway in North Aurora until it was demolished in 2015), in 1968.

The West Side District is the only one of the three major districts serving Aurora to own and operate its own fleet of School Buses: Indian Prairie School District has a contract agreement with Laidlaw and East Side District 131 does not operate any school buses).

Elementary schools
School's name School's namesake Location Mascot Colors Principal Year opened
Early Learning Academy Aurora Laurie Klamhous 2019
Fearn Elementary Harold G. Fearn, former Superintendent of Schools North Aurora Falcons Red & Black Dave Russell 2001
Freeman Elementary Captain Joseph Hewett Freeman, former Superintendent of Schools, former Illinois State Superintendent of Schools Aurora Mustangs Maroon & Gold Crystal Dvorak 1928
Goodwin Elementary Lucia Goodwin, former teacher North Aurora Eagles Royal & Gold Bob Halverson 1968
Greenman Elementary (originally Galena Street School) A. V. Greenman, former superintendent Aurora Lions Kelly & White Cliff Englishharden 1895, original building — 2004, current building
Hall Elementary Frank Haven Hall, former superintendent Aurora Huskies Royal & White Cherie Esposito 1960
Hill Elementary (originally Pennsylvania Avenue School) Nancy Hill, former teacher and principal Aurora Hawks Royal & Gold Michael S. Smith 1888
Lincoln Elementary (originally Lake Street School) Abraham Lincoln Aurora Lynx Red & Grey N/A 1892 - 2009
McCleery Elementary Wayne McCleery, former superintendent Aurora Mustangs Red & Black Dan Ulrich 1957
Nicholson Elementary (originally Montgomery Elementary School) Grace Nicholson, former teacher Montgomery Eagles Red & White Melena Gaspadarek 1891, original building — 1953/1962, current building
Schneider Elementary J. P. Schneider, early settler for whom Schneider's Mill/Schneider's Crossing was named before it was renamed North Aurora North Aurora Bulldogs Red & White Olivia Smith 1963
Smith Elementary Gertrude Scott Smith, former teacher Aurora Super Star Royal & Gold Pete Clabough 1963
Todd Early Childhood Center (originally Oak Street School) Mary Todd, former teacher Aurora Spelling Bees N/A N/A 1934-2019

Middle schools
School's name School's namesake Location Mascot Colors Principal Year opened
Herget Middle School Robert Herget, former teacher, Principal and Associate Superintendent North Aurora Huskie Royal & White Cindy Larry 2005
Jefferson Middle School Thomas Jefferson Aurora J-Hawks (stands for Junior Blackhawks, after the West High Blackhawks) Royal & White Shawn Munos 1956
Jewel Middle School Gary D. Jewel, former teacher and superintendent North Aurora Jaguar Red & white Michael S. Smith 1998
Washington Middle School George Washington Aurora Generals Navy & Red Tom Davidson 1964

High school
School's name Location Mascot Colors Principal Year opened
West Aurora High School Aurora Blackhawks Red & Blue Dr. Charles Hiscock[1] 1867, original high school — 1905, second location (still standing) — 1953, current location

Special Education
School's name School's namesake Location Mascot Principal Year opened
Hope D. Wall School (run in cooperation with East Side District 131) Hope D. Wall, special education teacher Aurora Rockets Terry Collette 1969

References
  1. West High School Profile; accessed 2 August 2013 Archived February 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
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