Education in Olympia Fields
Excellence in education is a high priority in Olympia Fields. Academic standards are high, and each student is encouraged to develop his or her unique, inherent skills and talents. The teaching and administrative staffs of School Districts #162 and #227, which serve Olympia Fields’ families, encourage involvement from not only parents, but from the community as a whole.
Primary-age school children (grades K-3) attend Arcadia School in Olympia Fields. The school takes a proactive approach to the education of its students in a warm, nurturing and fun learning environment.
Bus service is provided to Illinois and Indiana Schools in Park Forest. Illinois School provides for children in grades K-8, and Indiana School provides for children in grades 4-6. Students in grades seven through eight attend O.W. Huth Middle School in Matteson. A focus on academics, as well as offering a number of extracurricular activities, helps students make the transition from elementary school to high school. There are several outstanding parochial and private schools in neighboring communities offering alternatives to public education, for students in grades K-12. Arcadia, Indiana and Huth are all in Matteson School District #162. A small portion of the Village is served by Flossmoor School District #161 schools: Western Avenue (grades K-5) and Parker Junior High School (grades 7-8). Students who reside in the Wysteria neighborhood are served by Elementary School District #170 and High School District #206.
Public High School students attend Rich Central High School in Rich Township High School District 227. The school is located at 203rd Street and Governors Highway in Olympia Fields. Enrollment is over 1,550 and approximately 50% of Rich Central students achieve honor roll status during one or more quarters of the school year. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Rich Central Olympian graduates continue on to higher education. Students are encouraged to participate in Rich Central's wide variety of extracurricular activities and programs, including special interest and academic clubs, performing and demonstration arts, sports and more. Students in the Graymoor neighborhood attend Homewood-Flossmoor High School in District 223 of Flossmoor, ranked by Newsweek Magazine in the top 2% of High Schools in the nation.
The school’s teaching staff and administration strive to mesh their educational expertise with student-centered learning to afford every student an opportunity to maximize their intellectual, social and critical thinking skills, and encourage them to become lifelong learners. There is a strong working relationship among the school districts, the Village and the Enhancement Organization.
Higher Learning
The 137-acre Prairie State College in Chicago Heights is one of the state’s most respected community colleges and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It offers associate degrees in several areas of study including liberal arts, business and vocational training, and is recognized for its outstanding, accredited Dental Hygiene and Nursing programs. Annual enrollment reaches more than 5,000 full- and part-time students each year. Prairie State utilizes the facilities of south suburban area high schools to offer several off-campus classes as well.
Set among the pleasant, rural-like surroundings of University Park on a 750-acre campus, Governors State University (also NCACS-accredited) stands as an upper- division university, providing both undergraduate studies for junior and senior levels and graduate level courses for those seeking their master’s degree. The university is organized into four colleges: Business and Public Administration, Arts and Sciences, Education, and Health Professions, with each offering majors in a number of areas of study. Governors State also offers courses at several nearby off-campus sites, during evenings and weekends as well as weekdays, for the conveniences of its commuting and part-time students who hold full-time jobs. The on-campus library houses 240,000+ volumes, 2,600 periodicals, 600,000 microforms and 20,000 audiovisual items.
Other nearby colleges and universities include: Joliet Junior College, South Suburban College in South Holland and Oak Forest, Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Lewis University in Romeoville and Hickory Hills, Saint Xavier University at its new Tinley Park campus, DePaul University in Westchester, as well as Chicago’s many institutions of higher education.
 |
 |
|---|---|
 |
|
