Maine Township High School South serves most of Park Ridge and portions of Harwood Heights, Niles, Norridge and Norwood Park Township. Primarily residential, the attendance area also includes some light industry, office developments, and shopping areas. Comprised mostly of single-family homes, neighborhoods range from low income to upper middle income and also include a mix of apartments, townhomes, and condominiums. Low-income students constituted 8 percent of South’s enrollment in 2013-14. Maine South High School lies 30 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago.
Primarily homogenous, Maine South also includes a small language minority population. For the 2015-16 school year, approximately 22 percent of students speak one of 42 languages other than English at home. For the 2013-14 school year, the student population was 84.6 percent white, 9.6 percent Hispanic and 3.4 percent Asian. Enrollment for the 2013-14 school year was 2,408. Average class size was 21. Maine South provides a comprehensive, innovative and rigorous public education program for its youth. Curriculum offerings at Maine South are extensive, with over 200 courses offered in 10 departments, including the fine arts, foreign language and career technical education. Educational horizons are broadened via South’s distance learning and video conferencing capabilities, allowing student learning to expand into the larger community.
A rich curricula and outstanding programs provide students with multiple learning opportunities. Parental and community support further guarantee an outstanding secondary education, and the entire community benefits from South’s outstanding cultural and athletic events and from students’ active participation in community service.
