Downers Grove North High School (DGN; sometimes Downers NorthorNorth; formerly Downers Grove High School) is public high school situated in the city of Downers Grove in the Illinois state of the United States. The school was established in 1928.
The original building (then called Downers Grove High School) was finished in 1928, with additions made in 1935, 1952, 1976, 1999–2000, 2011-2013, and 2019-2021. In 1964, the school's student body was split in half, one portion attending North, the other attending the newly built Downers Grove South.
The auditorium is named after Clarence Johnson, who served as principal of the school for 35 years from 1932 to 1967, and DGN's outdoor stadium is named after Dick Carstens, who coached football from 1955 to 1985.[7]
The Green Room of the theatre is named after George B. Pappas, former English teacher, department head, and pep rally leader known for his positive spirit. Pappas died May 4, 1999.[8]
Downers Grove North's class of 2015 had an average composite ACT score of 24.0, 3 points above the state average.[4] 94% of the senior class graduated.[4] Downers Grove North made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprises the state assessments used to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Because the school had previously not made AYP, the school is still on academic watch. 45% of students are enrolled in honors or at least one AP course.[9]
For years 2008, 2009, and 2010, North High was named among the top 6% of high schools in the nation, according to Newsweek magazine’s annual ranking of high schools.
Downers Grove North competes in the West Suburban Conference. The school is a full member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which governs most interscholastic sports and competitive activities in Illinois. The schools teams are stylized as the Trojans.
Badminton: 4th place (1996–97); 3rd place (1999–2000, 2004–05, 2006–2007, 2009–10); 2nd place (2000–01, 2001–02); State Champions (2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06)
The student newspaper, The Omega, which is published monthly, has been ranked in the top ten in the 9- to 12-page broadsheet category by the NSPA.[13] The school literary magazine, the Northwind, is published annually. In 2012, its Speech Team placed second at the IHSA state competition.[14]
In the 2022-2023 school year, there were 2,138 students enrolled at the school. In the same year, 71% of students identified as non-Hispanic white, 14% were Hispanic, 6% were Asian, 5% were black or African-American, and 4% were multiracial. The school has a student to teacher ratio of 13.9, and 9% of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches.[15]
Tomlinson Holman (1963) was the creator of the Tomlinson Holman Experimental Sound System (THX Sound System) and its companions the Theater Alignment Program, Home THX, the THX Digital Mastering program[18][19]
^"NSPA Winners (2012)". www.studentpress.org. National Scholastic Press Association. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
^ ab"Fourth of July Festivities"; 2 July 2007; Downers Grove Reporter; "Downers Grove North High School alumni Olympic gold medalist and USA hockey team captain Cammi Granato and professional wrestler Lanny Poffo will be there."; accessed July 15, 2009
