From Foster to Family Focus: More than a century of District 65 decisions in the 5th Ward

A bug’s eye view drawing of the Family Focus building, a tall red-brick school.

Daily file illustration by Meher Yeda

The Foster School opened in the 5th Ward in 1905. It became a magnet school in 1967, and the 5th Ward school lost its neighborhood school. Since then, community activists have pushed to bring a neighborhood school back.

Aviva Bechky, Assistant City Editor

Evanston’s 5th Ward hasn’t had its own neighborhood school in more than 50 years. 

But on March 14, after decades of activism, Evanston/Skokie School District 65’s Board of Education voted to approve the construction of a K-8 school in Evanston’s 5th Ward. The Daily took a look back at the history of closures, committees and community activism leading up to this decision.

 

 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @avivabechky

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