Over the objections of some residents, a plan to adjust Plainfield School District 202’s high school boundaries is moving ahead.

At the Dec. 17 Plainfield school board meeting, board members voted 4-3 to approve the plan. Voting in favor were board president Rod Westfall, board members Greg Nichols and Nora Dalton and board secretary Elias Kalantzis.

Voting against were board members Joshua Ruland and Margarita Morelos and board vice president Barbara Seiden.

The new boundaries mean students in several subdivisions in District 202 will attend a new high school starting in the 2026-27 school year because of current and projected overcrowding at Plainfield North High School.

District 202 has four high schools – Plainfield North, Plainfield South, Plainfield Central and Plainfield East.

The follow changes were adopted:

• Students living in the Arbor of Plainfield, Indian Oaks, Lewood, River Point, Vintage Harvest and Wallin Woods subdivisions will attend Plainfield Central instead of Plainfield North.

• Students living in Creekside Crossing subdivision will attend both Plainfield North and Plainfield Central high schools.

• In addition, those living in Fieldstone, Renwick Place (Stone Bluff) and South Pointe subdivisions will attend Plainfield East instead of Plainfield North.

Prior to the vote, several residents spoke against the proposal. The majority of them live in South Pointe subdivision.

They voiced concerns about there being no safe route for students to walk from South Pointe to Plainfield East.

Other residents were concerned about their kids switching from one high school to another.

“It is not about a particular school, but about the fact that they have quite an entrenched relationship and support system that you’re considering uprooting,” said parent Faith Hartmann, who has two children at Plainfield North and an eighth grader at Ira Jones Middle School.

Seiden had empathy for those residents who voiced safety concerns.

“The safety and transportation considerations raised are a true concern,” she said.

Enrollment numbers

Plainfield North’s enrollment this year is 2,359 students. The school has a functional capacity of 2,244 students.

Plainfield North’s enrollment in the 2026-27 school year is expected to increase to 2,372 students, resulting in over-capacity challenges.

As part of the proposed high school boundary change, Plainfield North’s population is reduced to about 2,000 students while Plainfield Central and Plainfield East high school increase by about 150-200 students each.

The school district’s administration recommends postponing changes to elementary and middle school student attendance boundaries until the district determines whether there is a need for new construction.

“This phased strategy addresses the most pressing capacity concerns through strategic adjustments to student attendance boundaries without requiring immediate facility expansion,” school district officials said.

“This may mean increased class sizes in the elementary and middle schools beginning in 2026-2027 until the district and Board of Education determine the best way to manage current and predicted overcrowding,” the district said.

RSP & Associates had analyzed student attendance boundaries, provided enrollment projections and recommend potential adjustments. In September, it submitted a plan to adjust student attendance boundaries.

The district then collected public feedback about the plan.

In December, RSP & Associates presented an updated model that incorporates new functional capacity standards for elementary and middle schools, community feedback, current enrollment numbers and new residential developments.