Indian Prairie School District 204

Indian Prairie School District 204 was formed in August 1972 when the residents of Wheatland Elementary District 40, Indian Plains Elementary District 182, and Granger Elementary District 90 voted 359 to 44 to merge into a single, unit district. The district educated its kindergarten-eighth graders in its four original schools: Wheatland, Indian Plains, the original Granger, and Longwood. High school students attended what are now as Naperville Central and North until the completion of Waubonsie Valley High School in 1975. Waubonsie also accommodated students in grades seven and eight until Thayer J. Hill Jr. High opened in 1981.

Since the inception of the Indian Prairie School District, school building principals and administrators have encouraged active participation by parents. Parents formed Home & School Associations to organize volunteers and raise money for extra school programming and amenities. Superintendents met regularly with the Home & School Association Presidents to get feedback and listen to their concerns. An early favorite meeting place was the IHOP restaurant at Rt. 59 and 75^th Street.

In 1987, an elementary student was seriously injured at a Home & School event. Superintendent Thomas Scullen, in consultation with parent leaders, decided to discontinue Home & School Associations in favor of the National Parent Teacher Association. PTA affiliation would require bonding and insurance. All existing elementary and middle school units converted to PTAs, except Waubonsie. The high school kept its Home & School Association until Neuqua Valley High School opened in 1997. Waubonsie parents then elected to convert to a PTA.

District 204 PTAs were placed in Illinois PTA District 32 that encompasses most of Dupage County. In 1989, the PTAs formed a PTA Council, now known as the Indian Prairie Parents’ Council (IPPC). Each unit sent its president to meet monthly with the superintendent and other key administrators. The council’s monthly meeting location rotated between the schools until the Crouse Education Center (CEC) administration building opened in 1998. IPPC then was given a consistent meeting site in the upstairs boardroom.

In the 1990's, District 204 was one of the fastest growing in the United States. The district built 14 buildings to accommodate a student population that would triple from less than 7,000 in 1990 to over 21,000 by 2000. Another three buildings were opened from 2001-2002, and an additional elementary school opened in 2007. A third high school and seventh middle school opened in 2009.

As the district’s population exploded in the 1990's, the size of IPPC grew as new schools opened. By 1995, when Gail McKinzie became superintendent, IPPC consisted of the PTA president and a parent representative from each school. Larger meetings meant a diminished opportunity for the superintendent to know each president. Dr. McKinzie, in collaboration with the council leaders, instituted Presidents’ meetings to discuss district issues and unit concerns.

Today, IPPC consists of the PTA president and parent representative from each school, Indian Prairie Special Needs PTA, Indian Prairie Project Arrow PTA, and STEPS (Supportive Training Experiences Post Secondary) PTSA, for a total of 34 local units. Indian Plains alternative high school does not have a separate local unit; parents join their student's home high school PTA. IPPC is led by an at-large elected executive committee consisting of a president, two vice presidents, treasurer and secretary. IPPC and local units subscribe to the National PTA mission. Members work on behalf of children and youth in matters pertaining to their education, health and welfare.

IPPC Past Presidents

District 204 Superintendents

PreK/Elem Schools City Year Opened

Middle School City Year Opened

(*original Granger opened 1921 at Rt 59 & Ogden)