To stand outside Glenbrook North High School is to stand in a frame of collective memory. You can almost see him: Ferris Bueller, impossibly cool, convincing his girlfriend Sloane to skip school from the payphone near the front steps. The building, a long sweep of brick and glass, is an icon, a backdrop for the cinematic angst and adventure of filmmaker John Hughes, an alumnus who used its exteriors for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and its interiors for The Breakfast Club. For millions, this school is Shermer, Illinois—a fictional suburb that feels more real than the actual towns of Northbrook and Glenview it serves.
But the story of Glenbrook High School District 225 is far more complex and impressive than its celluloid fame suggests. This is not a district preserved in the amber of the 1980s. It is a thriving, meticulously managed educational enterprise, a two-school powerhouse that serves approximately 5,200 students and functions as a case study in what a public school district can achieve with vision, relentless investment, and overwhelming community support. The Hollywood nostalgia is the hook; the reality is a story of strategic evolution. As Superintendent Dr. R.J. Gravel puts it, the district is built on a “proud legacy of excellence and a bold vision for the future,” a mission to empower students to “grow, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to society.”
A Tale of Two Glenbrooks
The district’s story begins with a single school and a clever name. In 1953, Northfield Township opened Glenbrook High School, its name a neat portmanteau of the two primary communities it served: Glenview and Northbrook. But as the suburbs swelled, one building wasn’t enough. In 1962, the district cleaved in two. The original building was renamed Glenbrook North (GBN), and a new campus, Glenbrook South (GBS), opened in Glenview. Thus, the “Glenbrooks” were born—two distinct schools with their own mascots and identities, yet bound together under the banner of District 225.
Today, they are sibling institutions that share a reputation for excellence. They pull from a network of feeder schools—Wood Oaks, Northbrook Junior High, Attea, Springman, and portions of Field and Maple—channeling students into one of the two main campuses or, for those with specific needs, into Glenbrook Off-Campus (GBOC), a therapeutic day school. This pipeline has become one of the most successful in the country, a testament to a philosophy that marries rigorous academics with a focus on belonging and well-being.
More Than Just a Movie Set
Long before Ferris Bueller took his day off, Glenbrook was already on the map. In the late 1950s, a national magazine named the then-fledgling school one of the top 44 in the country. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan’s administration bestowed upon GBN the Excellence in Education Award.
The most resonant endorsement, however, came on January 22, 1997. President Bill Clinton stood in the GBN fieldhouse, not to talk about movies, but about math and science. Local students in the “First in the World” consortium had just beaten global competitors, scoring first in science and third in math. Clinton lauded the district’s ethos, a blend of local control and high ambition. “You didn’t use it as an excuse not to throw your hat in the ring,” he praised. “I would still be here to pat you on the back because you had the guts to do it.” Less than a month later, he referenced the achievement again in his 1997 State of the Union address. The Glenbrooks were no longer just a backdrop; they were a national benchmark.
The Business of Constant Improvement
That benchmark is maintained through a philosophy of perpetual motion. A walk through either campus reveals a district that never stops building, renovating, and upgrading. It’s a core business strategy. At GBN, a 2006 referendum funded a state-of-the-art Fitness Center, an expanded music area, and a sun-drenched main entrance, all completed by 2009. At GBS, the pace of improvement has been dizzying, with major work done nearly every few years since 2002. Renovations in 2024-2025 alone included revamped parking lots, remodeled and new all-gender bathrooms, and a new woodshop after a fire.
The modern Glenbrook classroom is a lesson in pedagogical design. Flexible seating enhances collaboration. Dimmable lighting allows students to view a projection screen while taking notes. Massive whiteboards are used for everything from solving math problems to practicing Chinese characters. Even the GBOC therapeutic school features a CrossFit gym, ensuring equitable access to top-tier equipment. This isn’t just about shiny new facilities; it’s about creating physical spaces that actively support the district’s educational goals.
The Engines of Achievement
The results of the Glenbrook model are undeniable. GBN was ranked the 48th-best public high school in the United States by Niche in 2022. In 2021, 96% of its seniors graduated, with 98% enrolling in college. That class included 14 National Merit Semifinalists. At GBS, the story is similar, with the school consistently ranked among the best in Illinois.
Nowhere is the district’s dominance more apparent than in its debate program. GBN was ranked the top debate school of the 20th century and, in 2004, became the only program ever to win the “Triple Crown,” sweeping the three major national championships. GBS has its own trove of national debate titles. This intellectual rigor is mirrored in the diverse student body. At GBN (as of 2021), the population is 71.4% White, 17.9% Asian, and 5.4% Hispanic, with a large Jewish community that led the school to add Hebrew to its language offerings. At GBS, 42% of students are from minority groups, including 18.1% Asian and 11.3% Hispanic. Clubs like the Black Student Union, Hellenic Club, and Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) reflect this vibrant cultural tapestry.
Athletics are an equal partner in the Glenbrook identity. The schools have won a staggering number of state championships. GBN made history in 2005 by becoming the first large-enrollment school in Illinois to have won state titles in football, basketball, and baseball. Its boys’ tennis and hockey teams are perennial powerhouses, and its girls’ golf team won back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. GBS has captured state titles in girls’ basketball, boys’ volleyball, and field hockey. This is the culture that produced athletes like NBA coach Chris Collins, MLB player Jason Kipnis, and Duke basketball phenom and head coach Jon Scheyer, whose 52 points in a GBN game—21 of them in the final 75 seconds—is the stuff of local legend.
This is the real story of the Glenbrooks. It’s a place where a presidential citation hangs alongside a movie poster, where a world-class debate team shares the spotlight with a state-champion football team. It is a district that faced down a scandal and emerged stronger, one that invests in its future as relentlessly as it honors its past. From a single building named for two towns, it has become something more: a national model for the power and potential of public education.
Also Read: The 10 Most Admired School Districts
