History

Illinois became a state in 1818. In a 1829 treaty, the Potawatomi Indians gave up all their land east of the Mississippi to the United States. However, under this treaty, the Potawatomies were allowed seven years more, until August 1836, before they had to move to the new lands assigned to them west of the Mississippi. In September 1833, a final treaty was signed with the Potawatomies forbidding the white man to settle on the land until 1836. However, the white settlers came and settled on this land before the designated time, and the Indians did not object. In fact, no white settler was ever harmed by an Indian in this region.

Our school was established in 1844, because the local area residents believed in educating their children. The first Gavin School was a one-room log cabin. Gavin School was named after Mike Gavin, the farmer who gave the land to have a school built. The enrollment in 1844 was 10 students from 1st thru 8th grades. Teachers were paid largely by farm produce.

Fast forward over 170 years later and what follows is current day Gavin School District 37!

Location

Gavin School District 37 has two school buildings both located in the unincorporated area called Ingleside, Illinois 60041. Ingleside is bordered by Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Round Lake, and Long Lake. Students attending the Gavin schools come from Ingleside, Long Lake, Lake Villa, and Fox Lake. The school district is located approximately 40 miles north and slightly west of Chicago, IL. The Wisconsin border is approximately 10 miles from the school district. The geographic area of the school district is approximately 6.2 square miles. The waters from the lakes of Fox Lake, Long Lake, and Duck Lake make up some of that area.

Demographics & Facilities

All of the Long Lake population and portions of the Ingleside, Lake Villa, and Fox Lake populations add up to a total of approximately 8,000 people who are served by Gavin School District 37. Approximately 700 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 are housed in two school buildings - Gavin Central Elementary School (PreK-4) & Gavin South Middle School (5-8). Gavin SD 37 also serves students who attend St. Bede School, which is located within district boundaries. We are proud of our diversity, which is as follows: 56.6% White, 32.2% Hispanic, 6% Black, and 4% Two or More Races.