Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 is an elementary school district located in Lincolnshire, Lake County, Illinois, in suburban Chicago. The school district serves approximately 1,800 students from the communities of Lincolnshire and Prairie View, and portions of Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills, Mettawa, Riverwoods, and Lake Forest. Students attend Laura B. Sprague Elementary School, Half Day Intermediate School and Daniel Wright Junior High School. Students from this district usually attend Adlai E. Stevenson High School after graduating from D103, which is located within the district.
Schools As of 2026, the current staff of District 103's schools are:
Laura B. Sprague School Grades PreK–2:
Principal – Julia Pemberton Assistant Principal – Jennifer Arroyo
Half Day School Grades 3–5
Principal – Jill Mau Assistant Principal – Laura Delagrange
Daniel Wright Junior High School Grades 6–8
Principal – Jessica Groncki Assistant Principal – Nicole Barba Assistant Principal – David Herlocker
History The earliest school building in District 103 was a small log cabin south of Indian Creek and east of Milwaukee Road (now a shopping plaza). It was established in 1836 by Laura B. Sprague in her home, making it the first school in Lake County. In 1839, Half Day School was built.
Lake County had established 9 official school districts at that time, and in 1846 Half Day School was established as District 1. More improvements and construction projects were made to the school throughout the 19th century. In the early 1900s, District 1 was renamed District 103 due to a state mandate.
Expansion In 1938, the old section of the present Half Day School was constructed. More expansions and renovations took place at Half Day over the next 30 years.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the population of Lincolnshire grew rapidly, which led to the congestion of Half Day. In 1963, a referendum was approved to build a new school, Laura B. Sprague Elementary. Additionally, further demand led to the construction of Daniel Wright Junior High School in February 1972.
Closure of Half Day Due to declining enrollment in the early 1980s, in June 1983, the Aptakisic-Tripp Community Consolidated School District 102 in neighboring Buffalo Grove occupied the building for their students. However, in late 1992, Half Day reopened for District 103 students.
Renovations Ahead of the 2017–2018 school year, both Laura B. Sprague School and Half Day Intermediate School unveiled new expansions and renovations to their learning spaces. Half Day Intermediate School received an eleven-thousand square foot expansion, with a new second-story addition. Both of these works were part of a broader $14,800,000 USD D103 plan to update their schools.
In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Daniel Wright Junior High School unveiled new renovations and interior improvements. The estimated cost was about $8 million.
Honors and awards All three District 103 schools have received national recognition for excellence in education as a Blue Ribbon School. Some accomplishments from 2008 onward include:
Received the 2008 Academic Excellence Awards as Illinois Honor Roll Schools.
Nine times recipient of the National Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award
Received the State Board of Education Financial Recognition Award for twenty-two years
Incidents and controversies
Reid v. Board of Education, 765 F. Supp. 965 (N.D. Ill. 1991) In 1989, Stephen Reid, a student classified by the district as a child in need of special educational services, was recommended by the district to be placed in a residential school. There were no openings available at that time, so Stephen stayed at D103's public school for the time being. In February, Stephen's health deteriorated, prompting Stephen's parents—Barry and Maria—to pay for hospitalisation and later private education out-of-pocket.
The Reids requested a Level I administrative hearing under the Illinois School Code, putting the district's services and education for Stephen in question. D103 and the Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL) appealed; however, a Level II hearing officer affirmed the ruling in favor of the Reids, making the administrative decision final and ordering the district to reimburse them.
The Level II officer ordered the Reids to submit itemised bills. They submitted partial bills, leading D103 to do an independent estimate and pay a lesser amount for the case study than what the Reids expected. The school and Special Education Department of the Administrative of the Illinois State Board of Education supervisor William Charis sent a letter to the Reids, stating that the district complied with the Level II order.
Claiming the school failed to adequately provide services for Stephen under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EHA) and fully abide by the administrative decision to cover exact expenses, the Reids filed a civil suit in state court. The defendants successfully moved the case to the federal district court.
On June 14, 1991, District Judge Brian Barnett Duff issued the memorandum opinion granting in part and denying the defendant's motion to dismiss the plaintiff's claim. The court also dismissed Mr. Charis and the State Board of Education.
Conway Farms territorial dispute In 1988, the city of Lake Forest annexed the 700 acre Conway Farms residential and commercial development, in an attempt for the area to feed into its schools (District 67 and 115). The area that previously occupied Conway Farms that was split between Lincolnshire Praire-View District 103, Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125, Libertyville High School District 128, and Rondout School District 72, were risking losing millions in tax revenue.
The dispute went on until it went to the state level in 1996, when Governor Jim Edgar signed a piece of legislation allowing homeowners in Conway Farms to successfully transfer their properties in the Lake Forest district boundaries.
The legislation was not received favorably by the other school districts, and in 1997, the dispute was resolved through a compromise agreement. Under the settlement, children living on the Conway Farms residential property were to attend the Lake Forest schools. The five districts also agreed to split the tax revenues until 2017.
Mascot change In August 2020, ahead of the 2020–2021 school year, Daniel Wright Junior High School changed its mascot from a Trojan to a Warrior, due to the potential for sensitivity.
COVID-19 mask policy lawsuit In October 2021, District 103 was named alongside 15 other Lake and McHenry County school districts in a major class-action lawsuit against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. The lawsuit—filed on behalf of the parents—challenged the mandatory mask rules and policies, stating that it is unlawful for schools to exclude students that have been in close contact with a COVID-19 case without the consent of parents.
Bomb threat On Monday, August 28, 2023, a bomb threat was called to Daniel Wright Junior High School via a computer-recorded message on the school's attendance voicemail. Another threat was called to South Elgin High School. The actual message was left on the previous day but was not heard until staff checked the voicemail at 7:30 A.M. on Monday. All the students were evacuated to a secure location and police searched the premises of the school, but no bomb was ever found. It is unclear whether the culprit was caught. https://abc7chicago.com/post/daniel-wright-junior-high-school-bomb-threat-lincolnshire-evacuated-il/13711079/ https://wgntv.com/news/north-suburbs/lincolnshire-junior-high-school-evacuated-after-bomb-threat-district/amp/
Lunch schedule At the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year, controversy arose when Daniel Wright Principal Jessica Groncki shortened the lunch period from 30 minutes to 20 minutes to reallocate the time for increased passing periods. Many students and their respective parents protested as they felt that the lunch time was insufficient. Several people complained of hunger due to a lack of time to eat. One group of parents argued that the shortened lunch time damaged children's mental, emotional, and social well-being. They have started a petition on change.org that has received over 500 signatures.
In popular culture
Documentary In May 1983, exterior shots of Daniel Wright and Sprague were briefly featured in Swedish documentary Amerikanskt Skolliv (School Life in America). The documentary, showcasing the average education and environment in schools in America—specifically Chicagoland, Texas, and Wyoming—aired on Sveriges Television AB channel TV2 in Sweden in December of 1984. However, the film did not gain any notable attention or awards.
National anthem On Wednesday, April 22, 1998, the Daniel Wright Junior High School (then Daniel Wright Middle School) marching band, conducted by former director Rodney Owens, played the national anthem at Wrigley Field during the San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs game. The Organization of Music Makers Parents (OOMMPA) donated approximately $16,000 USD for the band uniforms. The middle school was reportedly one of seven school bands chosen to play at Wrigley Field out of the two hundred fifty-five audition tapes sent to the Chicago Cubs. The quality of their playing was apparently "exceptional considering their age," noted Claudia Gonzalez of the Cub's marketing department.
Science Olympiad championships In both 2016 and 2017, Daniel Wright Junior High School won the Science Olympiad National Tournament on the Division B level.
2019 Science Bowl team During the 2019 annual U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl from April 25–29 at Chevy Chase, Maryland, the Daniel Wright team placed third in the nation.
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