When Naperville Central High School's 2,589 students walk in Thursday, Aug. 13, their daily routine will look different: advisory period now lives inside second period class, and the mid-morning shuffle to a separate homeroom group is gone.
The change means students stay with their second period teacher for homeroom instead of transitioning to a different room and a different group of peers. Assistant principal for operations Carrie McFadden told the Central Times the goal is stronger relationships between teachers and students who already share a classroom.
"When you're in a classroom environment, the teacher knows the students even more. You get to learn their personalities and things like that," McFadden said. "This way, I think it will just be a little smoother that we just kind of go right from second period into advisory."
Central piloted the model during 2025-26 through a program called Community Conversations. Administrators liked what they saw enough to make it permanent.
SOAR program adds sessions
The schedule shift comes alongside an expansion of SOAR Support periods, the academic intervention program Central launched in January 2022. Principal Jackie Thornton wrote in an Aug. 5 email to families that the school has tracked a consistent reduction in D and F grades each semester since SOAR began. The district has not published specific figures.
Administrators plan to add more SOAR Support sessions throughout the year, though they have not said how many.
McFadden said the school will not revert to the old advisory model mid-year but will collect feedback and evaluate results by spring.
What this means for special education families
For students with IEPs or 504 plans at Central, the advisory change eliminates one daily transition. District 203's Special Education department has not released guidance specific to the restructuring. Families with questions can contact the school directly.
School week ahead
- Thursday, Aug. 13: First day of school, all District 203 schools (Naperville Central, Naperville North, all elementary and junior high buildings).
- Monday, Aug. 17: First day of school, District 204 (Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley, Still Middle School, Scullen Middle School and all elementary schools).
District 203 Board of Education meeting dates for August are posted at naperville203.org.
