Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, new classes in the CTE, social studies, and PE departments will be available to high school students in District 203.
The addition of new courses also comes with the removal of some current courses, mainly in the social studies department. Still, the district has plans to continue improving the options available to students in the coming future.
Chair of the social studies department Joanna Berg states, “I think we’re providing more opportunities for perspective in our curriculum… and learn[ing] more about diverse communities and diverse perspectives.”
The course changes within social studies are part of a three-year plan to better the available options of classes for students, and these decisions are being proposed by a committee made up of teachers from Naperville North and Naperville Central. The committee took a collection of data from students about social studies classes and analyzed it to identify which subjects interested students most, then compared the responses to the current courses offered to see what needed to be added.
The committee noticed a strong focus on Eurocentric history and a lack of education on other cultures. The new courses touch on these subjects along with tying into possible future career interests. The added courses open to students next year will include Criminal Justice, Modern American History Through Media, and Taking Action: Issues and Solutions. In the next few years, the committee will continue to review the current curriculum and polish it off, with other classes teaching about subjects such as environment and sustainability.
“I think we’re providing students with more opportunities to take ownership and leadership in their experience.” Berg said
The courses that will no longer be offered next school year include World Cultures, Legal Issues, Humanities 2, and Peace and Conflict. Even with the replacement of these classes, no topics are presumed to be lost. In the April 7th, 2025 meeting the school boards notes the reasons for these removals are due to loss of student enrollment/interest, relevance to industry trends, and duplicity of content in other courses.
Physical Education classes are also being added. PE 2 Studio Wellness, PE 2 Strength and Performance, and PE 2 Competitive Team Sports are similar to the established upperclassman options but made specifically for sophomores to take. Sophomores will now have a much broader range of activities to pick from. Students will also have the option to take Coaching and Officiating, which give students the resources to achieve an IHSA certification of officiating in a sport of their choice.
The additional courses to the CTE department have already begun with Introduction to Engineer Design and others starting during the 25-26 school year. Next year there will be PLTW Principles of Engineering design, PLTW Civil Engineering and Architecture, and in the 27-28 school year, PLTW Capstone.
“I like the projects and the opportunity for kids to be able to get dual credit as soon as they get out of high school.” DiOrio talks about Introduction to Engineer Design.
