Mchenry Chsd 156, IL - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mchenry Chsd 156

McHenry Community High School District 156 serves a mid-sized high school population across two physical campuses in McHenry County, Illinois. The district operates a freshman campus (grade 9) and an upper campus (grades 10-12), a structural change implemented in the 2021-22 school year when the district consolidated its former separate East and West high schools into this two-campus model.

The district's student body reflects the county's demographic composition. The enrollment is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population representing roughly a quarter of the student body. Asian, Black, and multiracial students together make up a small share. The specific counts for free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and students with individualized education plans were not available in the data provided. Student numbers across the four grades are relatively balanced.

State assessment data for science proficiency in grades 5 and 8 was not available; this gap reflects the district's high school grade band, which falls outside the tested grades at the middle and elementary levels. The district did not report a four-year graduation rate or overall proficiency index in the data received, making it impossible to assess performance against state or county benchmarks using those metrics. A parent seeking detailed achievement data should contact the district directly or consult the Illinois Department of Education's public reporting portal.

What is documented is chronic absenteeism. McHenry CHSD 156 sits in the bottom quartile among McHenry County's districts on this measure, meaning attendance patterns here are weaker than in most comparable districts in the county. This is concrete information a parent may want to look into further with the school, both to understand the underlying causes and to ask what supports or interventions exist to address it.

The district has made deliberate curriculum investments. A substantial new Center for Science, Technology and Industry opened at the upper campus in 2021, housing programs in biomedical science, advanced manufacturing, environmental science with a greenhouse, robotics, computing, engineering, construction, and broadcasting. These pathways broaden options for students interested in career and technical education alongside traditional college prep tracks. Per-pupil spending is in the middle range, lower half among the county's districts, so the district is investing with somewhat constrained resources.

A standing operational change affects daily scheduling: beginning in the 2023-24 school year, every Wednesday became an early-release day to give teachers consistent collaboration time and students extended access to teachers during those shortened days. Families with younger children or those dependent on afternoon childcare should factor this into planning.

The housing market in the district's service area spans multiple zipcode communities. Home values across the district's footprint range from lower to upper middle, with modest annual appreciation. Rental rates are moderate. The market has softened slightly, with active listings down year over year and pending sales declining, though pricing has held roughly stable. Affordability sits slightly above the national benchmark, making the area moderately accessible for families on median incomes, though mortgage and rent burdens remain substantial.

The district operates a single high school entity within the county's 21-district landscape. State testing data, graduation outcomes, and program-specific enrollment figures were not available to support a fuller comparison. A parent evaluating this district would benefit from requesting recent course catalogs, asking about college placement and career pathway outcomes, and visiting both campuses to understand the ninth-grade separation and the facilities the district has built.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

2,231

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 26%

Black 1%

White 69%

Asian 1%

Two+ 2%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

1 schools are officially reported under this district.

McHenry Community High School

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$315,224

Year-over-year change+4.6%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$291K to $494K

vs. state typical1.09x

vs. national typical0.86x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
60050	McHenry	$312K	+5.0%	52.3%
60051		$325K	+4.1%	32.0%
60097	Wonder Lake	$291K	+4.2%	12.1%
60098	Woodstock	$338K	+4.4%	1.6%
60042	Island Lake	$303K	+6.4%	1.1%
60072	Ringwood	$494K	+7.1%	0.9%
60012	Crystal Lake	$485K	+5.7%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,066/mo

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,555 to $2,375/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
60050	McHenry	$1,897	—	52.3%
60051		$2,375	—	32.0%
60098	Woodstock	$1,555	—	1.6%
60042	Island Lake	$1,873	—	1.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,591/mo

Home price / national median income3.8x

Annual rent / national median income29.6%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$476/mo

Market Activity: McHenry County

Median listing price$423,450

Median listing price YoY+0.8%

Median price per sq ft$211

Median price per sq ft YoY+4.5%

Median days on market33.0 days

Median days on market YoY+4.8%

Active listings422

Active listings YoY-12.8%

New listings448

New listings YoY-3.5%

Pending listings612

Pending listings YoY-9.6%

Hotness: median listing price$421,748

Hotness: median listing price YoY+1.7%

Supply score90.8

Supply score YoY+1.2%

Demand score84.4

Demand score YoY-1.7%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$290,210 (+4.9% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.