McHenry High School - Upper Campus

History

Initially established as McHenry Community High School in 1924, the Freshman Campus opened its doors for the 1923–1924 school year, marking the first campus for McHenry Community High School District 156. This campus housed 9th through 12th grade students from 1924 until 1968.

In 1968, McHenry High School - Upper Campus, established as McHenry High School - West Campus, opened its doors to 11th and 12th-grade students to accommodate the population growth in McHenry and its surrounding towns. Simultaneously, East Campus began serving 9th and 10th graders. This arrangement persisted until Johnsburg High School opened in 1978.

In 1979, following the departure of Johnsburg High School students, both East and West Campuses transitioned into four-year high schools after significant remodeling of the East Campus, which included modernizing the building and installing a new ventilation system. The serving boundaries between the West and East Campuses were established, with Illinois Route 31 serving as the primary dividing line. The administration faced criticism for this decision. Despite having two separate campuses, they operated under McHenry Community High School to maintain a unified Warrior identity and spirit.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, both East and West campus grew to capacity as McHenry County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States during the 1990s population boom. Despite several failed referendums in the 1990s to expand the Upper Campus and improve the Freshman Campus, a referendum was finally approved in 2000.

Construction began that same year and was completed in 2003, adding 24 classrooms, new gym with 2,000 seats, new cafeteria, and staircases (known as Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior Towers) to the Upper Campus, which expanded its capacity to nearly 1,600 students. The Freshman Campus remained at around 950 students. Following the completion of these additions, boundaries were adjusted to reflect the increased facility space. However, since the 2003 expansion, disparities between the Upper and Freshman Campuses have grown, with the Upper Campus offering more space and opportunities for student success than the Freshman Campus.

During the 2010s, the McHenry High School district developed over 20 Advanced Placement courses and a variety of dynamic, 21st-century electives. In a 2018 statement, the school district noted, "As our curriculum offerings become more modern and advanced, East [Freshman] Campus students have increasingly been forced to travel to West [Upper] Campus or select other opportunities. About a quarter of all MCHS students travel, and about 23% of teachers. The vast majority of East [Freshman] Campus students have to travel at some point during high school, and many find themselves attending multiple classes at West [Upper] Campus during the school day."

Academics

McHenry High School offers over 30 Advanced Placement courses and dual credit pathways. The AP® participation rate at McHenry High School-Upper Campus was 45% in the 2020–21 school year. The high school also holds a 70,000 square foot State-of-the-Art Center for Science, Technology, and Industry Center for courses in biology, computer science, manufacturing such as a t-shirt print shop, automotive course, technology rooms for robotics, applied engineering, and computer sciences, e-Sports, classrooms dedicated to biology and medical studies, and new journalism classrooms.

Student body

In the school year 2022–2023, McHenry High School enrolled a total of 2,190 students.

Racial Makeup

In the 2022–2023 school year, McHenry High School enrolled 71% of White students, 1.1% of Black students, 25.1% of Hispanic students, 1.4% of Asian students, 0% of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 1.1% of students with two or more races.

Enrollments by Grade

In the 2022–2023 school year, McHenry High School enrolled 554 students in 9th grade, 554 students in 10th grade, 538 students in 11th, and 544 students in 12th grade.

Athletics

McCracken Field

McHenry High School primarily hosts their football, soccer, track, softball, and baseball matches and practices at McCracken Field, commonly referred to as McCracken. Since 2024, McHenry High School moved baseball matches and practices to its main campus' field.

Athletic Teams and Memberships

McHenry High School is a member of the Fox Valley Conference (FVC) and Illinois High School Association (IHSA). McHenry High School currently offers the following athletic teams:

Athletic Achievements

The table below depicts the highest achievements that McHenry High School athletic teams have earned. These achievements only include achievements associated with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) in teams, not individuals.

Notable alumni

Upper Campus Alumni

None at this moment.

West Campus Alumni

Matt Skiba (Class of 1994) – best known for lead singer of Alkaline Trio and Blink-182.

Jason Faunt (Class of 1992) – actor best known for Wesley Collins on Power Rangers Time Force

Ryan Sierakowski (Class of 2015) – professional Major League Soccer player (Portland Timbers)

Bobby Miller (Class of 2017) – professional Major League Baseball pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers)

East Campus Alumni

Chuck Hiller (Class of 1952) – former Major League Baseball player (San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates)

Gary Adams (Class of 1961) – founder of TaylorMade Golf Company.

Jim Althoff (Class of 1979) – former professional National Football League player for the Chicago Bears.

Robert Tonyan (Class of 2012) – professional National Football League player for the Minnesota Vikings.