School History

Glenbard Township High School was truly established in the 1922-1923 school year when students began their first full year of attendance on this campus. Students in Glen Ellyn had previously attended the Glen Ellyn High School which was located on the second floor of the DuPage Bank Building. This school was founded in 1916 with Mr. A. W. Holzman as Principal. When Mr. Fred L. Biester took over this office in 1918, the faculty consisted of five members who instructed 120 students in a basic curriculum. We have grown to a teaching staff of 140 who work with approximately 2,100 students.

By 1920 the enrollment had far outgrown the bank building and the various church basements which had been called into service. A search began for a building site. “Honeysuckle Hill” was then purchased for the new high school. It was a wild patch of weeds and trees, and the parking lot was a deep ditch. Lake Ellyn blanketed the entire football field and was sold to the Park Board for one dollar.

After the site had been chosen, Lombard, a non-high school district, asked to be included in the Glen Ellyn district. The two communities combined their efforts, and Glenbard High School was born. The original school was comprised of the section west of the present main office.

Over the years, Glenbard has continued to grow in answer to the ever-increasing pressure of enrollment. The first addition was made in 1926, the auditorium in 1931, and the Hilltop gym in 1936. The East wing was added to the building in 1953. Biester Gym was built in1958. In 1959 Glenbard East was built in Lombard, and the original school became Glenbard West. In 1964-65, there was a complete renovation of Glenbard West, including the addition of new choral, band, and physical science facilities. In the years that followed, our George Zahrobsky Botanical Garden, our Shakespeare Garden and our Poet’s Corner were added to further enhance the beauty of our campus. The most recent additions, a new library and fieldhouse, were completed in the fall of 2001.