About Maine East High School - Maine Township High School District 207 East

The School and Community

Maine Township High School East serves parts of Des Plaines, Park Ridge, and portions of Glenview, Morton Grove, and Niles. Primarily residential, the attendance area of the school also includes some light industry, office developments, and shopping areas. Comprised mostly of single family homes, neighborhoods range from modest to affluent and also include a mix of apartments, townhomes, and condominiums. Maine East High School lies thirty minutes northwest of downtown Chicago.

Officially a language minority school, Maine East educates students who speak 52 different languages; 75 percent of the students come from homes where English is not the primary language.

Student enrollment for the 2010-11 school year was 1,958. The student-teacher ratio was 18 to 1. Average class size was 19.

The citizens of Maine East's communities demand a comprehensive, innovative, and rigorous educational program for their youth. Curriculum offerings at Maine East are extensive, with over 200 courses offered in 10 departments including the fine arts, foreign language, and applied arts and technology.

A rich curricula and outstanding programs provide students with multiple learning opportunities. Parental and community support further guarantee an outstanding secondary education (parental involvement was 83 percent for the 2010-11 school year), and the entire community benefits from East's outstanding cultural and athletic events and from students' active participation in community service.

The Faculty

More than 200 talented and dedicated certified staff members provide the motivation for student achievement. About 80 percent of East's teachers have an MA degree or beyond.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement courses are offered in U.S. History, Economics, European History, American Government, English Language, English Literature, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Environmental Science, Calculus, French, Spanish, Music Theory, Studio Art, and Statistics.

In the spring of 2011, 337 students took 722 exams: 54 exams received a 5, the highest ranking; 56 percent of East's examinations were graded 3 or higher.

Post-Secondary Education

In 2010, 377 of 455, or 83 percent of the graduates continued their education.

Ability Level Grouping

Maine East has four ability level programs which are organized in academic subjects by each year: the Advanced Placement Program, Accelerated Program, Gifted/Lyceum Program, Regular Program, Integrated Literacy, Guided Study, and Special Education Program. Students are selected for these programs based on previous academic achievement and teacher recomendation. Students may take courses at various levels in different subjects.

Grading System and Rank in Class

Students have the option of reporting their grade point average (GPA)&emdash;on their transcript only&emdash;in two different ways: weighted only, or both weighted and non-weighted. The non-weighted GPA gives equal grade points to every course regardless of difficulty. A class rank based on the non-weighted GPA will be calculated; however, the weighted system will be used for designating official class rank, selection of Maine Scholars (students in the top one percent of their class), and Honor Roll designees. Driver Education does not count in the grade point average and class ranking. Physical Education counts in the non-weighted GPA, but not in the weighted GPA. In a Pass/Fail course, a passing grade does not affect a student's GPA; however, a failing grade will be figured into the student's total GPA.

ACT Results for the Class of 2010

In the Class of 2011, 433 students took the ACT test earning a composite score of 21.1. The chart below shows East's sub-test scores and compares school scores with state and national scores.

ACT Data - 433 Students

Score Comparisons
Maine East	21.1 (Composite)
Illinois	20.9 (Composite)
National	21.1 (Composite)

Maine East's Average Sub-Test Scores
English	20.7
Math	22.2
Reading	19.9
Science	21.0

Pattern of School Year/Length of Day

Two semesters form the 185-day school year. Nine 45-minute periods make up the normal school day, but a 15-minute half-period at the beginning of the day allows flexible scheduling for students to take additional courses that might not fit into a nine period day. Laboratory classes are 67 minutes.

Grading System

The weighted GPA calculation recognizes more difficult courses by assigning different grade point values as shown below. The non-weighted GPA is calculated on a 4-point scale.

	Accelerated & Advanced Placement	Remedial & Regular
A	5	4
B	4	3
C	3	2
D	1	1
F	0	0

Detailed Graduation Requirements

A minimum of 23.25 academic units of credit are required for graduation. Coursework must include the following: English, four units; mathematics, three units; social sciences, three units; science, three units; two units of credit from any of the following—fine arts, applied arts and technology, or foreign language; one-quarter credit each of oral communications and consumer education; one-half unit of health; elective credit, five units; physical education each semester except when enrolled in health; driver education; and examinations on the Declaration of Independence, the Flag of the United States, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois. Students graduating before 2008 were required to complete one less course in math, science, and social science, and one additional elective credit.

View the full school profile by clicking on the "Maine East High School Profile" link in the "About Maine East" menu at the top-left of the page.