The Elgin Area School District U-46 board voted 5-2 Thursday night to close Hillcrest Elementary School in Elgin and Coleman Elementary in Streamwood at the end of the 2026-27 academic year, accepting a consolidation recommendation that administrators say will save the district $4.1 million annually and address a combined $9.3 million in deferred maintenance at the two aging buildings.
The decision, which drew more than 200 parents and community members to the board meeting at Elgin High School, was the culmination of an 18-month facilities review that identified eleven buildings operating below 60 percent capacity. Enrollment in U-46, the second-largest district in Illinois, has declined by approximately 4,200 students over the past decade as birth rates fell and some families relocated outside the district.