Grayslake Central High School, originally known as Grayslake Community High School, opened for the first time in 1946 at 400 Lake Street, in downtown Grayslake, Illinois. When the school opened, it was fairly small, consisting of one gymnasium, art studios, culinary art studios, classrooms, and a small cafeteria. In the years following, the campus was expanded to include a smaller auxiliary gymnasium, new district offices combined with an Instructional Media Center, a small theater, more classrooms in the late 90s, woodworking and metalworking facilities, choir and band facilities, a new, larger theater, and a field house. Due to a quickly rising student body resulting in the overcrowding of classes and lunch periods, the school district voted on a number of solutions such as the construction of another addition, or building an entirely separate campus. In the end, the latter was chosen and Grayslake North High School opened as a freshman campus for the 2004-2005 school year and continued as such until the 2007-2008 school year when all students living north of Washington Street relocated to the new campus.
Administration
The school's principal is Daniel J. Landry. The district superintendent is Dr. Mikkel Storaasli.
Academics
Accolades
D127 was recognized in 2017 as being the 17th best school district in Illinois by Niche, along with the 18th best high school in Illinois by The Washington Post. The school has received Financial Recognition Status by the Illinois State Board of Education for 13 years, this being the highest financial recognition offered by the Illinois State Board of Education. The school is also recognized as a member of The College Board and offers a multitude of Advanced Placement courses. In 2017, the school had 78 AP Scholar Recognitions, 25 AP Scholars with Honor, 90 Scholars with Distinction, and 15 National AP Scholars.
Description
Grayslake Central's per-pupil expenditures average over $18,000. As of 2017 there were 357 Seniors, 337 Juniors, 345 Sophomores, and 316 Freshmen. Approximately 94% of the Class of 2017 went on to attend post-secondary education. The school's average SAT score is 1112 out of 1600. The average ACT composite score for the school was 23. 37% of students at the school were enrolled in Advanced Placement Courses as of the 2018-2019 school year, this being well above the state average of 19%.
Programs and activities
The school offers 53 teams and clubs students can participate in, many of which have succeeded at various levels. The Math Team's Calculator Team placed 4th in state 2007 and 2nd in state tied with rival Grayslake North in 2008. Also, the school's debate team and Science Olympiad have been growing steadily. The school's Science Olympiad, placed 1st in single A division in state in 2008, its first visit in years to state competition. Its debate team has been a part of a continuous winning streak as of December 2019. The school's music program has been the most successful of any activity at Central, finishing in the top 10 in the IHSA Music Competitions every year since 2001. This includes a second-place finish in 2006, third-place finishes in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2014, and fourth-place finishes in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The school's athletic department participates in the Northern Lake County Conference. The Grayslake Lacrosse Team won the Division B State Championship in 2004. In 2007, the Grayslake Central Lacrosse team was the IHSLA Lacrosse Cup runner-up, taking 2nd in B division. In 2009, the Grayslake Central Baseball team came in 3rd place in the Class 3A IHSA State Tournament. In 2012, the Grayslake Central Baseball team tied the school record with in wins with a 30-10 record, and also won conference, regionals, and sectionals before losing to Nazareth Academy in the Super-Sectional game. The team also had 8 members on the All-Conference team, 3 All-Area, and 1 All-State. In 2013, the Grayslake Central Baseball team came in 3rd place in the Class 3A IHSA State Tournament. In 2015, the Grayslake Central Boys Cross Country team won the 2A IHSA Cross Country meet by scoring 54 points. They won by 67 points and placed 4 all-state runners. This is the first state championship in school history. In the 2016-17 school year, Grayslake Central left the Fox Valley Conference for the Northern Lake County Conference, which currently includes Antioch, Lakes, Grayslake North, Wauconda, Round Lake, Grant, and North Chicago. In 2019, Grayslake Central's Cheer team won its first state championship and the second team state championship in school history.
