River Forest is a village of about 11,700 10 miles west of downtown Chicago. About two-thirds of the village is residential, with commercial and multi-family housing taking up the remainder. River Forest Park District and River Forest Community Center provide recreational opportunities. Grade school-aged children attend district 90 schools, while secondary students go to Oak Park-River Forest High School. (See below for details on schools).

Transportation needs are served by area highways (I-290/Eisenhower Expwy.),and major local roads (I-64/North Ave., I-43/Harlem Ave.). Commuter service to downtown is provided by Metra or CTA's Lake Street or Congress-O'Hare elevated trains. Travel time to the downtown Chicago station is about 20 minutes. Local bus service is available from PACE. The RTA Travel Info. Number is 1-800-972-7000.

Village Hall: 708-459-2517 NICOR: 708-547-6400

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

Fire Dept. For emergencies, 911. Otherwise, 708-366-7629

Police Dept.: 911 for emergencies. Otherwise, 708-366-7125

Public Library: 735 Lathrop Ave. 708-366-5205.

Loyola University Medical Center: 708-216-9000 West Suburban Hospital: 708-383-6200

Westlake Community Hospital: 708-681-3000 Oak Park Hospital: 708-383-9300

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

201 N. Scoville Ave.

Oak Park, IL 60302

708-383-0700

School System Statistics: See table below.

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

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

Accreditation: Yes. State Board of Education, Regional Accrediting Agency (North Central Association of Colleges & Schools or NCACSS).

Features: Music Room/Area, Gym(s), Computer(s)/Computer Lab(s), Science Lab(s), Library, Auditorium/Stage, Swimming Pools, Fieldhouse, Outdoor Stadium/Arena, Cafeteria, Art Room/Area, Writing Center.

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

Curriculum/Courses: Basic Math, Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Creative Writing, Journalism, American History, World History, Government, American Studies, Consumer Education, Physical Science, Earth Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Band, Chorus, Art, P.E./Gym, Health

Elective Courses: General Business, Introduction to Computers, Keyboarding, Word Processing, Investments, Speedwriting, Desktop Publishing, Computer Programming, Fashion Merchandising, Accounting, Bookkeeping, Management, Microcomputer Graphics, Journalism, Creative Writing, Journal Writing, Expository Writing, English Literature, American Literature, Humanities, Contemporary Literature & Composition, Debate, Oral Communication, Dramatic Arts, African History, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, African-American History, Philosophy, Human Behavior, Social Problems, Asian Studies, Global Studies, European History, Astronomy, Aviation Science, Microbiology, Health, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Latin, Etymology, Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Music Literature, Foundations of Music, Guitar, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Art History, History of Film, Graphic Design.

Honors/AP Courses: English, Foreign Language, History, Math, Science.

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

Special Needs: Learning Disabled, Behavior Disordered, Mildly/Moderately Retarded, Physically Handicapped, Hearing-Impaired, Sight-Impaired students. Tutoring, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Counseling provided.

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

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

7776 Lake St.

River Forest, IL 60305

708-771-8282

School System Statistics: See table below.

District-Wide Programs: Art Instruction, Music Instruction, P.E. Classes, English as a Second Language (ESL), Computer Literacy, Foreign Language (Part of middle school curriculum, enrichment program at grade school level), Special Education, Band, Orchestra, Gifted Program, Hot Lunch Program, Early Childhood, Summer School, Sports (Grade 5 & up), Counseling.

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

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

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

Extras: Hot Lunch, Field Trips, Transportation.

Special Needs: Learning Disabled students. Speech Therapy, Resource Services, Counseling provided.

Curriculum: Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Art, Music, P.E., Foreign Language (For Elementary Level Students - Foreign Language Instruction Program or FLIP is subsidized by PTO & student fees. Spanish & French is offered during lunch hours or before school, part of regular curriculum for the Middle School), Library.

Extracurricular (Middle School): Band, Orchestra, Sports.

Roosevelt Middle School. 7560 Oak Ave., River Forest, IL 60305, 708-366-9230.

Lincoln Elementary. 511 Park Ave., River Forest, IL 60305, 708-366-7340.

Willard Elementary. 1250 Ashland Ave., River Forest, IL 60305, 708-366-6740.

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.

401 Thatcher Avenue

River Forest, IL 60205

708-366-6660

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

Parent/Tot & Children's Classes/Leagues/Camps: Fitness, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey, Tennis.

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

Special Services: Adapted Materials, Remedial Help, Adapted Equipment, Member of West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA), 708-455-2100. Programs for children and adults.