WALLIN OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Plainfield Community School District 202, the fifth largest public school system in Illinois by enrollment, chose ICI Builds, Healy, Bender, & Associates, and Millies Engineering Group to design a massive 81,600 square foot, two-story elementary school. With a budget of 25 million dollars, our team was able to successfully realize a community goal over ten years in the making: a full-day kindergarten option.

In Illinois, there is no requirement for kids to attend kindergarten, but it is a useful option for children who have two working parents. Day care can be a major strain on a family’s budget, and Wallin Elementary, the district’s 18th school, has been able to alleviate enrollment issues at the other 17 schools, allowing the Plainfield community access to full-day and half-day kindergarten.

In 2011, offering full-day kindergarten was a top priority, but there simply was not enough space across the district, which consists of a massive 25,000 students. Knowing approximately 1,500 potential students were interested, accomplishing this built environment will have a snowball effect on other improvements in the future. 

The children have a wide variety of class options including reading, writing, math, science, social studies, oral language, intervention support, and explore extensions, which include play-based activities that support social-emotional learning. The design takes design cues from the other schools built during a heavy growth period in the 1990s and also supports special education. Built in just over a year, Wallin Elementary has already attained a reputation for excellent facilities and outcomes since its grand opening in 2021.