Over 50 years ago, several small independent school districts joined together to form a new school district—Woodland Community Consolidated District 50. At that time, there were just over 300 students. Read below for the history of our district from the earliest area schools to the present Woodland School District 50 with over 7,000 students.

Warren Township’s first school was completed in the early 1800s. By 1841, there were seven one room school districts in Warren Township that would later be merged into Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50. Two of these schools are still standing: Stafford School, located on the northeast corner of Stearns School Road and Dilley’s Road, and Gages Lake School, which is currently occupied by Lewis Florists, near Route 45 and Route 120.

With the end of World War II came a demand for more housing. The demand was greatest in Chicago and its immediate suburbs. Yet even in Warren Township builders in Gages Lake, Druce Lake, Wildwood and elsewhere were beginning to change forever the pastoral beauty of the open farmlands and rolling hills.

In 1948 a referendum question was placed before the voters in the seven one room school house districts to create Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50. In a close vote of 168 to 163, the majority favored the consolidation.

In addition to Stafford and Gages Lake School Districts, Saugatuck, Stearns, Druce Lake, Grange Hall and Wilson Schools were the seven schools that consolidated. Millburn School and Gurnee Grade School chose not to consolidate.

By 1953 the transfer of the 300 students from the seven one-room school houses to the new Woodland School (currently the Woodland Primary School) was completed. The school included grades one through eight. (A kindergarten program was not added until approximately 1970.)

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, enrollment escalated. To accommodate the growth, several additions and schools were constructed on the Gages Lake campus.

The district’s student population paused briefly and actually declined during the first five years of the 1980s dropping from 2,317 students in 1978-1979 to 1,899 students in 1984-1985.

Then, the unprecedented housing boom began and the district increased its enrollment each year in the 1990s. The first major expansion of what’s now called the south campus caused the district to rent the former Waukegan East High School to house Woodland’s Junior High students.

The explosive growth led to an effort to make one of the largest elementary districts in the county feel smaller. All buildings were divided into smaller units called “houses.” The idea is to keep students together in smaller units throughout their Woodland educational experience. This practice continues today.

In 1995, the voters passed a referendum to build a new Middle School at the corner of Almond and Washington. This resulted in the reconfiguration of the Woodland Schools on the south campus.

In 1999, as enrollment continued to increase, the community voted to pass a rate increase for the district’s education fund. New teachers were necessary to staff the facilities and the rate increase was needed to ensure that programs and positions were not eliminated. It was the first rate increase for Woodland in over 15 years.

Today, Woodland has over 7,000 students in four schools. Each school is divided into smaller units to make the schools feel smaller. Woodland employs nearly 1,000 people and has become a school district with premier educational facilities, faculty and programs.