8708 Gardner Rd
Fox River Grove, IL 60021

My two daughters are finishing up their sophomore year at Barrington High School. Our decision to move to town a few years ago was partially based on hearing how great the school district was. Our experience here has been far inferior to what we had expected. My kids come home from school routinely complaining about how their teachers aren’t actually teaching, and that they are just handed a bunch of schoolwork based on minimal instruction. When they ask for help or further assistance, the boilerplate response is for them to “look it up” on the school’s web-based learning management system, Schoology. Classroom management is sorely lacking, and we’ve had multiple issues of in-class bullying that is overlooked and ignored. The overall vibe of the students here is one of entitlement, and for the kids who are actually here to follow the rules and try to get an education, they are given lip service with very little follow through. We’ve been hugely disappointed with this school and its learning environment.

The 3 years we have had our children in Countryside Elementary School 2025 will probably be our last. We plan on pulling our children and move them to private school to ensure their education doesn't suffer anymore.

If you are an English learner, have an IEP or 504 plan, then you will like this school. I’m not sure why the rating reflects that more resources should be allocated toward disadvantaged children. This district spends a lot more money catching kids up then they do on kids without special needs. If you have an above average, self motivated or quick learning child, you may want to look for a school district that can offer more. In particular, I was shocked at what passed for “A” work in language arts. I’m glad the district went remote because it gave me a chance to see how underprepared my child would have been before reaching high school.