Bellwood is a village of about 20,000 13 miles west of downtown Chicago. The town is undergoing commercial and industrial development, aided in part by tax incentive and other programs. Residential development is mostly single-family houses. Memorial Park District provides residents with recreational opportunities. Grade school-aged children attend districts 87 or 88, while secondary students go to Proviso West High School, district 209. (See below for details on schools).

Transportation needs are served by area highways (I-290/Eisenhower Expwy., I-294/Tri-State Tollway, I-88/East-West Tollway.), and major local roads (Lake St., Mannheim Rd.). Commuter service to downtown is provided by Metra. Travel time to the downtown Chicago station is about 45 minutes. Local bus service is available from PACE. The RTA Travel Info. Number is 1-800-972-7000.

Village Hall: 708-547-4500 NICOR: 708-547-6400

Commonwealth Edison: 1-800-334-7661 Ameritech (Phone): 1-800-942-8163.

Fire Dept. For emergencies, 911. Otherwise, 708-547-3524

Police Dept.: 911 for emergencies. Otherwise, 708-547-3528

Public Library: 600 Bohland Avenue. 708-547-7393

Loyola University Medical Center: 708-216-9000 Oak Park Hospital: 708-383-9300

Westlake Community Hospital: 708-681-3000

897 S. 1st. Ave.

Maywood, IL 60153

708-344-7000

School System Statistics: 2 schools in district. 9th. - 12th. grades. 4,207 students enrolled. 257 classroom teachers. Student/Teacher Ratio - 18.6:1. 40.5% of teachers with a Bachelor's Degree only. 59.5% of teachers with a Graduate Degree. Per Pupil Cost - $9,683.

District-Wide Programs: English as a Second Language (ESL), Hot Lunch Program, P.E. Classes, Special Education, Foreign Language, PTA, Extra-Curricular Activities, Sports, Computer Literacy, Art Instruction, Music Instruction, Band, Orchestra, Chorus, Summer School, Counseling, Tutoring.

IGAP Test Scores (Average): Tenth Grade Reading - 162. Tenth Grade Writing - 24.4. Tenth Grade Math - 204. Eleventh Grade Science - N/A. Eleventh Grade Social Studies - N/A. Composite ACT - 17.7. High School Graduation Rate - 66.6%.

Accreditation: Yes. State Department of Education, Regional Accrediting Agency.

Features: Gym(s), Computer(s)/Computer Lab(s), Library, Music Room/Area, Cafeteria, Outdoor Stadium/Arena, Art Room/Area, Auditorium/Stage, Labs for Science, Foreign Language, Reading & Writing.

Personnel: Teachers in academic curriculum areas, plus Art, Music, P.E., Guidance, Social Work, Vocational Education, Special Education, Library.

Academic Performance: IGAP Test Scores (Average): 10th Grade Reading - 185. 10th Grade Math - 213. 10th Grade Writing - 25.6. 11th Grade Science - 220. 11th Grade Social Studies - 209. Composite ACT - 18.0. High School Graduation Rate - 73.7%.

Curriculum: Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Art, Music, P.E., Foreign Language, Vocational Education.

Extras: Hot Lunch, Field Trips, Transportation.

Special Needs: Learning Disabled, Behavior Disordered students. Speech Therapy, Counseling provided.

Extracurricular: Sports, Theater/Drama, Orchestra, Band, Chorus, School Clubs.

Proviso East High School. 807 S. 1st. Ave., Maywood, IL 60153, 708-344-7000

All IGAP Test Scores are from the '96/'97 school year.

5400 St. Charles Rd.

Berkeley, IL 60163

708-547-3050

School System Statistics: See table below.

District-Wide Programs: English as a Second Language (ESL), Preschool Screening, Early Childhood, Band, (Middle Schools), Extra-Curricular Activities, Sports, Art Instruction, Music Instruction, P.E. Classes, Special Education, Hot Lunch Program, Computer Literacy, Tutoring (after-school program - reading and math focus).

Features: Gym(s), Library, Music Room/Area, Art Room/Area, Computer(s)/Computer Lab(s), Auditorium/Stage, Cafeteria, Outdoor Playground (Grades K-5).

Personnel: Teachers in academic curriculum areas, plus Art, Music, P.E., Library, Special Education, Gifted/Talented, Guidance.

Curriculum: Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, P.E., Art, Music, Library.

Extracurricular: Foreign Language (all grades), Sports, Band, School Clubs (Middle Schools).

IGAP Test Scores (Average): See IGAP Scores Tables below.

District Schools (Bellwood Grade Schools only):

MacArthur Middle School. 1310 N. Wolf Rd., Berkeley, IL 60163, 708-547-3085.

Northlake Middle School. 202 S. Lakewood Ave., Northlake, IL 60164, 708-547-3095.

Sunnyside Elementary. 5412 St. Charles Rd., Berkeley, IL 60163, 708-547-3070.

All IGAP Test Scores are from the '97/'98 school year).

640 Eastern Ave.

Bellwood, IL 60104

708-344-9344

School System Statistics: See table below.

District-Wide Programs: Hot Lunch Program, Early Childhood, Art Instruction, Music Instruction, P.E. Classes, Gifted Program, Summer School, Special Education, Preschool Screening, Extra-Curricular Activities, Sports, Chorus, Counseling, PTA, English as a Second Language (ESL).

Features: Auditorium/Stage, Gym(s), Handicapped Accessible, Library, Music Room/Area, Art Room/Area, Cafeteria.

Personnel: Teachers in academic curriculum areas, plus Music, P.E., Special Education, Gifted/Talented, Library, Social Work, Guidance, Art.

Curriculum: Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Art, Music, P.E., Library.

Extras: Hot Lunch, Field Trips, Transportation, Summer School.

Extracurricular: Sports, Chorus, Orchestra, Band, School Clubs.

IGAP Test Scores (Average): See IGAP Scores Tables below.

District Schools (Bellwood Schools only):

Roosevelt Junior High. 25th. Ave. & Oak St., Bellwood, IL 60104, 708-544-3318.

Lincoln Elementary. Linden & Jackson, Bellwood, IL 60104, 708-544-3373.

Lincoln Primary School. 3519 Wilcox Ave., Bellwood, IL 60104, 708-544-2815.

McKinley Elementary. 3317 Butterfield Rd., Bellwood, IL 60104, 708-544-5230.

Thurgood Marshall Elementary. 27th. Ave. & Oak St., Bellwood, IL 60104, 708-544-6995.

Wilson Elementary. 1136 24th. Ave., Bellwood, IL 60104, 708-544-1806.

Editor's Note: Annual tuition quoted in this table is for one child, Full-day Kindergarten (if available)/Grades 1-8 for Elementary Schools and Grades 9-12 for High Schools. For Catholic Schools, annual tuition quoted is for parishioners. For other denominations, annual tuition quoted is for members (whenever there is a difference between member/nonmember tuition). Any school with an asterisk (*) offers before- and/or after-school care. While we make a reasonable effort to maintain accuracy, we don't guarantee that all information is correct.

Editor's Note: Tuition quoted is the weekly rate for full-time care. Codes in parenthesis: I for Infant, T for Toddler, 2 for Age 2, P for Preschool (Ages 2-5 or 3-5), K for Kindergarten, SA for school-age. For part-time preschool programs (2, 3, or 5 mornings or afternoons per week), the tuition quoted is monthly, with 2x, 3x, or 5x in parenthesis to indicate the number of days per week for each program. While we make a reasonable effort to maintain accuracy, we don't guarantee that all information is correct. For any categories that are blank, please call the center for that information.

700 Speechley

Hillside, IL 60162

708-547-3900

Equipment/Physical Features: Outdoor Playground(s), Computer(s), Gym(s), Swimming Pool(s), Tennis Court(s), Ice Rink(s), Sports Fields.

Parent/Tot & Children's Classes/Leagues/Camps: Reading/Stories, Computers, Arts & Crafts, Cooking, Music, Ballet, Dance, Basketball, Soccer, Karate, Hockey, Boxing, Gymnastics, Swimming, Tennis, Baseball, Softball.

Adult Classes/Leagues/Activities: Fitness, Dance, Basketball, Pet Obedience Training, Volleyball, Swimming, Tennis, Softball.

Senior Adult Classes/Clubs/Services/Programs: Men's Group, Women's Group

Special Needs: Physically Handicapped, Developmentally Delayed, Hearing-Impaired, Sight-Impaired.

Special Services: Adapted Materials, Remedial Help, Adapted Equipment.

Other Services: Preschool.