A private school for students with special needs has begun renovations to convert a former elementary school in Niles, Ill., to a high school campus.
The Maryville Jen School will move from its campus in Des Plaines to the former South Elementary School in Niles and will be renamed the Charles H. Walsh Sr. Academy and Career Tech High School.
The Jen School says the Walsh Academy will provide students with disabilities a comprehensive and experiential instructional model in academics, career and vocational pathways, and social-emotional skills through research-based practices.
The larger facility will enable the Walsh Academy to eventually accommodate 120 students – 82% more than today. The number of academic classrooms will increase from eight to 12.
The Walsh Academy will offer students with individualized Career Technical Education in construction – including home construction and repair and building tiny homes for veterans; small engine and bicycle repair; and graphics.
The facilities at Walsh Academy also will have a metals lab; a podcast studio; a medical/health lab; a culinary lab garden and greenhouse; and driver's education space.
Niles School District 71 sold the shuttered South Elementary earlier this year to Maryville for $2.5 million. The Niles district closed South Elementary in 1998. Until recently, the facility was home to another private school for students with special needs.
Walsh Academy is scheduled to open the Niles campus in fall 2023.
The architect is MKB Architects.
