NORMAL -- Some Twin City schools have a majority of students from low-income families; others have relatively few. Some schools are very diverse; others not so much. Recognizing this, educators say they are determined that all students receive the best education possible.

Awareness of differences among schools in the same school district surfaced in Normal-based Unit 5 last summer at public meetings about redistricting. Because three new schools will open in 2010-11, the district had to decide where students would attend in the future.

During the process, including numerous public meetings, Unit 5 agreed neighborhood schools are a priority for elementary school students. By the very nature of those schools, some will have high numbers of low-income families, others will be primarily white, and others will have racial and ethnic mixes.

For example, under the new plan, just 2 percent of the children at Bloomington's Northpoint Elementary School qualify for free and reduced lunches (the accepted measure of low income), compared to almost 67 percent at the new Cedar Ridge school being built in south Bloomington.

At the rural schools in Carlock and Towanda, 94 percent of the students will be white, while at Fairview in Normal, fewer than half of the students will be white.

According to Superintendent Gary Niehaus, what makes it possible to give all 12,890 students an equal education is Unit 5's objective that the same "initiatives go across the district."

"The district gets a report card as do individual schools. Where there are deficiencies, we add resources to those buildings, grade levels...," said Niehaus. Programs like Early Childhood Education, pre-kindergarten at-risk and special education are among the efforts that help students who may need such services.

D-87 demographics

In Bloomington District 87, where there is only one high school and one junior high, the 152-year-old district has had a steadier demographic makeup.

For the last 20 years, black students have consistently made up 22 to 24 percent of students in District 87. In recent years, there has been increase in Asian, multi-cultural and Hispanic students, and a decline in white students. Hispanic students now make up about 9 percent of the district's 5,519 enrollment.

While District 87's elementary schools have a more even distribution between income and race, the district still must adapt to differences among schools.

For example, of Washington Elementary School's 424 students, 32 percent were low income as of Sept. 30. At Sheridan Elementary, low-income students make up 83 percent of the 431-student body.

"The single largest factor in why our students are performing so well is that we have high expectations and provide every opportunity for them to succeed," said Jim Cooper, the principal at Sheridan that has long established summer and early start programs and other resources to address its dynamics.

The importance of providing consistent instruction regardless of a school's demographic makeup also can be seen at Stevenson Elementary School, where 47 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches -- and where all of the students met or exceeded state standards this year, said Teresa Hill, assistant superintendent of curriculum.

District 87 Superintendent Robert Nielsen credits the consistency of achievement throughout the district to the board of education's focus on long-term goals of improving literacy, communication and math skills for all students.

"It set the direction for all kids," he said, adding the focus on student achievement is backed with resources to make it possible. The district also continues to upgrade facilities as part of a multi-million dollar effort over the last six years to improve the learning environment in its older buildings.

Haves and have-nots

In Unit 5, the differences in its school buildings were highlighted two years ago when the district lobbied for public support to build the new schools to address fast-paced enrollment growth. The concept of "have and have-not" schools was part of the debate over whether to approve the $96.7 million referendum that also is being used to upgrade older elementary schools to match what will be offered at the new ones in 2010.

"We will have nine renovated schools when the construction is complete," said Niehaus. All will have Smart Board technology, improved security, and other amenities to achieve that goal. At the curriculum and social levels, schools also make adjustments to broaden the educational experience of their students.

At Towanda Elementary School, for example, students eventually will transition from a school with a white enrollment of more than 94 percent to Normal Community High School where more than 25 percent of their classmates will be minorities.

To help students prepare, grade school curriculum includes instruction about other races and cultures, and varied reading materials, said Towanda principal Karrah Jensen. Students celebrate Black History Month, and invite parents for cultural presentations, she said.

At Northpoint, the school also takes opportunities to expose students to other lifestyles. "We take students into the community," said principal Bruce Weldy, noting they are given the chance to volunteer for Midwest Food Bank in Bloomington and tour the Salvation Army's Safe Harbor homeless shelter.

"The charitable work we do here has increased as well," he said.

Easing from elementary schools

Students from Northpoint will attend Kingsley Junior High, which also has a more diverse 1,000-student population. Kingsley principal Lynette Mehall and her staff meet that challenge by placing students from different grade schools in "four houses" that include students' friends to increase the comfort level during the transition from grade school to junior high.

Kingsley's feeder elementary schools also include: Hudson and Towanda schools, both with a majority of white students; Fairview, the only Unit 5 school with more minority students (51.5 percent) than white students; Oakdale, which has 20 percent Spanish-speaking students and 7.5 percent students with limited proficiency in English; and Sugar Creek that is doubling in size in 2010.

Other students transitioned from an elementary school with about 150 students last year with mostly homogenous backgrounds to Kinglsey.

"Our goal is to set them up for success," said Mehall.