Original Research by School Decision on Evanston Dists 65/202 Jnt Agr
Evanston District 65 (formally Evanston Districts 65/202 Joint Agreement) serves Evanston and surrounding areas in Cook County. The district is navigating a period of major structural change driven by declining enrollment and a persistent budget shortfall. State testing data, graduation rates, enrollment figures, and demographic information were not available for this district, so the following account rests on publicly reported operational changes and the financial context shaping them.
The district is in the midst of a multi-year cost-reduction plan that includes school closures and boundary redraws. Kingsley Elementary closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, the district's only entirely bilingual school and its most racially and economically diverse building, has also closed. A new Foster School is opening in Evanston's Fifth Ward for the 2026-27 school year, which will restore a neighborhood school to the historically Black Fifth Ward and end decades of busing students from that area across the district. This shift will substantially reshape attendance boundaries and school assignments for families in affected neighborhoods.
The Two-Way Immersion Spanish/English programs from both Bessie Rhodes and Willard Elementary are being consolidated into strands at the new Foster School. The Willard immersion program itself has closed. After these consolidations, the district will have seven two-way immersion strands across its schools. For families interested in bilingual or immersion pathways, the capacity and location of these programs will be materially different going forward.
The district faces a structural budget gap and has already cut spending substantially in earlier phases of its reduction plan. Elementary schools are operating below full capacity. Families considering a move to Evanston or already here should be aware that a property-tax referendum may be on the horizon as the district navigates its financial position. The enrollment decline in the district is among the highest in a peer group of similar Cook County districts.
On the instructional side, the district has overhauled its elementary literacy curriculum starting in 2022-23, adopting science-of-reading approaches including phonics-based instruction and LETRS teacher training for grades K-3. A director of literacy was hired to lead the implementation. This represents a significant pedagogical shift in how early reading is taught across the elementary grades.
Attendance boundaries were redrawn in 2022 as part of the Student Assignment Plan, and families currently weighing where to settle or transfer should clarify which school their home address will feed into, as assignments may change again as Foster School opens and other closures take effect. The district's website and directly contacting the district office remain the best sources for current boundary maps and enrollment timelines.
For families in Evanston seeking a K-8 pathway with bilingual options, the consolidation at Foster and loss of Bessie Rhodes means the diversity of program choices has narrowed. Families prioritizing neighborhood schools should monitor the Fifth Ward assignment changes and Foster School's opening. Anyone moving to the district or already residing here should plan for the possibility of school assignments shifting and verify current boundaries before signing a lease or purchase agreement.
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