Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7
Boosted by its reputation for educational excellence, Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 is the district of choice in the Metro East region.
Located in southwestern Illinois, approximately 15 miles northeast of St. Louis, the community school district serves a population of more than 35,000 and covers 185 square miles. It encompasses two suburban communities, several small towns and a large, unincorporated rural area within its boundaries.
While many of the surrounding communities – particularly in Madison County – have endured a drop off in population in recent years, the district has experienced growth fueled by those relocating to the area from neighboring communities, coupled by transfers into the St. Louis area. Many District 7 residents work in the St. Louis metropolitan area; and a number of those are employed by high-tech companies, such as Boeing or Conoco Phillips, as well as the large number of local medical research institutions.
Compelled by the area’s reputation as a strong community with an equally solid school system, clients are steered to the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area by local real estate agents.
Ninety-five percent of Edwardsville High School graduates attend college. The EHS Class of 2015 had an ACT composite score of 24. Average ACT composite score for the Class of 2017 – 24.4, which includes ACT scores of one 36, five-35s and nearly 20 percent of the Class of 2017 scored at least 30.
Approximately 7,500 students in grades preK-12 are enrolled in District 7, a hike of more than 3,000 since 1984. EHS serves approximately 2,500 students and is fully accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education. Over half of the more than 150 professional staff members possess at least a master’s degree. The school curriculum offers over 160 courses, including applied technology courses, 16 AP courses and more than 30 honors courses. EHS offers dual credit classes through a partnership with Lewis and Clark Community College and Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. Lewis and Clark, based in Godfrey, Illinois, has a campus in Edwardsville as well. Meanwhile, SIUE, situated on 2,660 acres on the western edge of Edwardsville, is the area’s largest employer. The school serves a student population of nearly 14,000.
EHS offers more than 30 honors courses and 16 Advanced Placement courses, including AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science, AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Microeconomics.
An educational foundation, comprised of local business leaders, helps generate funding for projects which directly benefit students. For example, each of the district’s 500 classrooms is equipped with an interactive whiteboard system as part of the Technology in the 21st Century Classroom Initiative. The district also offers parents online access to student data, including attendance, grades, assignments, student schedules and bus information. District 7 provides affordable before and after school child care for working parents at all elementary schools.
The district also offers performing arts, beginning with band and orchestra in fourth grade, expanding to include vocal music at middle school and offers a variety of courses at EHS. Drama is offered at many elementary schools, both middle schools and the high school.
The district’s partnership with the Edwardsville Arts Center provides an art gallery for students and working artists. Located at EHS, the center enhances art education for both the community and District 7 students. Furthermore, EHS offers a wide variety of art, music and theater experiences for students. EHS maintains the highest standards in fine arts, and this is reflected in the awards and recognitions earned by the school’s students and staff.
The theater department has had more students chosen for the Illinois State Theater Festival’s all-school performance than any other Illinois school. Meanwhile, the music department – which includes band, orchestra and vocal music – sent more students to the All-State music festival than any other school.
Like the educational achievements there, EHS athletics reflect excellence in several areas, including 132 appearances in state tournaments, more than 200 conference champion teams; over 100 regional titles; more than 100 sectional titles; 23 individual state champions since 1997 and Southwestern Conference All-Sports trophy winner 16 of the last 17 years. EHS earned its 13th straight Southwestern Conference All-Sports trophy in 2013, with eight first-place finishes.
Athletics offered include: fall season cheerleading, boys and girls cross country, dance team, field hockey, football, boys and girls golf, boys soccer, girls swimming, tennis and volleyball, boys and girls winter basketball and bowling, competitive cheerleading and dance team, club ice hockey boys swimming and wrestling, spring baseball, girls soccer, softball, boys tennis, boys and girls track and boys volleyball.
Extra curricular activities include: Business Professionals of America, Computer Team, Debate Team, English National Honor Society, French Club, French National Honor Society, German Club, German National Honor Society, Literary Magazine, Math Team, Model UN, National Honor Society, Tiger Times Newspaper, Scholastic Bowl, Science Club, Science Olympiad, Spanish Club, Spanish Honor Society, Tri-M Music Society, Worldwide Youth in Science & Engineering, Yearbook, EHS Fine & Performing Arts Drama Club, Marching Band, Color Guard, Stage Band, Thespian Troupe 1534, Bluegrass Club, Cello Club, Winter Guard, Winter Drumline, Acafellaz and Bel Canto.
Additional groups are Chamber Singers, Service & Youth Groups, Edwardsville Peer Influence Club, Class Officers, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Key Club, Leadership Council, Student Advisory Board, Student Council and Rotary Interact, Special Interest Clubs, Anime Club, Art Club, Breakfast Club, Chess Club, EHS Broadcasting, Film Society, Prom, Spectrum, Trap Club and War Games Club.
Lewis and Clark Community CollegeLewis and Clark Community College is a two-year higher education institution dedicated to empowering people throughout its district, which encompasses more than 220,000 people.
The college has campuses in Godfrey and Edwardsville, a river research center in East Alton, a humanities center in Edwardsville, an adult education center in Alton, a training center in Bethalto and community education centers in Jerseyville and Carlinville.
Variety of programming
Lewis and Clark offers numerous transfer options for students, as well as associate of applied science degrees and certificates in:
- Accounting
- Administrative Assistant
- Architectural Technology
- Automotive Technology
- Child Development
- Computer Graphics
- Computer Network Security & Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Dental Assisting
- Dental Hygiene
- Drafting & Design
- Education
- Environmental Science
- Exercise Science
- Fire Science
- Health Information & Medical Coding
- Industrial Technology
- Instrumentation & Control Systems
- Machining
- Management
- Medical Assisting
- Music Production
- New Media Technologies
- Nursing
- Nurse Assistant
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Paralegal
- Paramedicine/EMT
- Process Operations Technology
- Radio Broadcasting
- Restoration Ecology
- Smart Grid Technology
- Truck Driver Training
- Web Design
- Welding Technology
Aside from academic and career programs, Lewis and Clark has something for just about everyone, including College for Kids, a nationally accredited dual credit program for high school students, GED completion and workforce and safety training.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/admissions.
Economic impact
A national and state award-winning standout among Illinois community colleges, Lewis and Clark was founded in 1970 with only about 400 students and currently serves approximately 15,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The college employs more than 600 people and adds $369.4 million in regional income annually, representing 4.7 percent of the area’s gross regional product.
According to a third party study by economic modeling company Emsi, Lewis and Clark students earn $5.70 for every dollar spent on their education at the college, a 19.7 percent annual rate of return. Taxpayers, likewise, gain $3.20 in added state revenue and social savings for every dollar invested, a 9.1 percent rate of return.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/economicimpact.
Historic campuses
The Godfrey campus is known for its beautiful, historic location on the grounds of the former Monticello College, the second oldest all-female college in the nation, founded in 1838. The campus features the Monticello Sculpture Gardens, featuring 14 eye-catching sculptures and multiple fountains, and is a signature garden site for the Missouri Botanical Garden, as well as a botanic garden in its own right.
The college’s historic N.O. Nelson Campus in Edwardsville, formerly an industrial complex in the city’s Leclaire neighborhood, was featured as one of Landmarks Illinois’ “20 Years, 20 Stories” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its Most Endangered Historic Places program in 2015. The campus is now home to more than 1,500 students, numerous community events, and the St. Louis Confluence Fab Lab.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/discover.
Environmental impact
Lewis and Clark is dedicated to environmental sustainability, with a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2058. The college’s efforts include single stream recycling, waste audits, water and energy monitoring, controlling invasive species, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, investments in alternative energy and campus and community outreach. In 2016, Lewis and Clark was a recipient of the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award and the American Association of Community College’s Sustainability Education & Economic Development Green Genome Overall Award winner.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/green.
Fostering innovation
The 5,000-square-foot St. Louis Confluence Fab Lab, which opened in 2015, is utilized by faculty, staff, students and community members through monthly or annual memberships. Composed of industrial grade design, fabrication, finishing and assembly tools for many different materials and processes, the MIT-inspired Fab Lab enables local innovators to explore and bring their ideas to life, as well as collaborate with makers across the globe.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/fablab.
Community health
Lewis and Clark delivers affordable health care to underserved populations through a Mobile Health Unit and a federally funded Family Health Clinic – still the only nurse managed clinic operated by a community college. The intercollaborative practice clinic focuses on whole health, and offers dental, occupational therapy and exercise science services in addition to sick and wellness visits with a nurse practitioner.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/fhc.
Center for the Humanities
Lewis and Clark is dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and respect among people of different cultures, ethnicities and religions, while influencing positive social change through Lewis and Clark Diversity Council programming and the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities in Edwardsville. The MJCH is currently in the process of assembling world-class scholars and researchers to enable the center to affect policy with a goal of improved environmental equity for communities of disenfranchised people throughout the world.
Learn more at www.lc.edu/manniejackson.
Research and Education Center
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center was founded in 2002 as a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Lewis and Clark. NGRREC is dedicated to the study of great river systems and the communities that use them, and aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds and their associated communities.
Learn more at www.ngrrec.org.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has shaped a changing world since opening its doors to students in 1957. SIUE is the perfect combination of residential comfort and thriving urban culture. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, nursing, education, health, human behavior, business, engineering, pharmacy and dental medicine.
SIUE’s 2,660-acre campus is home to more than 14,000 students from the surrounding communities, the nation and the world. As the second largest employer in the Madison-St. Clair County region, SIUE employs more than 2,400 faculty and staff.
SIUE is an NCAA Division I member of the Ohio Valley Conference, as well as the Mid-American Conference as affiliate members in the sports of men’s soccer and wrestling beginning with the 2018-19 academic year.
The university boasts a regional economic impact of more than $514 million. For every state dollar spent on the university, SIUE generates $8.60 of economic impact in the local economy. As the second largest employer in the Madison-St. Clair County region, SIUE generates more than 9,000 regional jobs.
SIUE offers a variety of events, entertainment activities, educational opportunities and clinic services for community members:
Entertainment
- Music: Enjoy a variety of musical performances held throughout the year, or enroll in the Suzuki or keyboard development program. siue.edu/music
- Theater & Dance: The university annually hosts entertaining theater and dance productions, including the popular Summer Showbiz. All performances are open to the public.
siue.edu/artsandsciences/theater - Arts & Issues Series: An eclectic blend of speakers and performers are brought to campus each year. artsandissues.com
- Athletics: Join the fun and excitement by purchasing tickets to the university’s varsity NCAA Division I athletic events.
siuecougars.com - Running, Walking & Biking trails: Explore the 2,660 acres of SIUE using the Madison County Transit Trails. The SIUE campus includes nine bike trails that connect to a system of more than 130 miles of bike trails.
siue.edu/campus-recreation/facilities - Center for Spirituality & Sustainability: The famous Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome is open year-round and is available for many types of events.
siue.edu/religion
Education
- Summer Camps: From art and dance to science and sports, learning and fun go hand-in-hand for kids age 6-18 at SIUE’s many summer camp options. siue.edu/summer
- Summer Classes: SIUE offers more than 700 summer classes, which meet for five weeks or less. siue.edu/summer
- Math Homework Hotline: Staffed by SIUE students who are studying mathematics. Call (618) 650-3072 Sunday-Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m.
- Non-credit leisure learning: Classes include languages, ACT prep, music and more. Discover a new hobby, brush up on a professional skill and make new friends. siue.edu/educationaloutreach
- Professional development and customized training programs: Earn credits online or off campus, plan a career change, satisfy job-related CEU requirements or develop an educational program for your business.
siue.edu/educationaloutreach
Community clinics
- Attention and Behavior Clinic: Staffed by faculty in the Department of Psychology, the clinic provides comprehensive assessments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as consultation to parents and schools for the management of inattentive, hyperactive and disruptive behavior. siue.edu/education/psychology/abc
- Cougar Curriculum Center: Under the supervision of literacy professors, graduate students in the Literacy Education program offer individualized reading and writing assessments and tutoring to children in grades 1-12.
siue.edu/education/litclinic - Speech, Language and Hearing Center: Under the supervision of a licensed and certified speech language pathologist, graduate students provide therapy for adults and children with various speech, language and hearing difficulties. siue.edu/slh-center
- Weight Management Program: Exercise science and kinesiology professors use a holistic approach to cover all aspects of successful weight reduction and weight management, including nutrition, physical activity, and the emotional/cognitive aspects of behavior change.
siue.edu/wmc
Learn more about the SIUE community and its mission at www.siue.edu.