James Watson, the first superintendent of Lake Zurich consolidated School District 95 once stated, "Put a good teacher in a tent and there will be education."

Imagine how today's parents would react to one teacher for grades 1-8, 38 students, multi-age classroom, no physical education, school sessions running for three months in the fall (winter was hard to travel to school) and the spring (summer the kids helped with farming), and it might be your turn to provide room and board for the teacher.

When Sarah Adams taught at the first school in Lake Zurich in 1862, the school was located on a farm about 1/2 mile south of Lake Zurich's then boundaries. The building was made of logs, as was the furniture, slates were used for writing, and she earned thirty-two dollars and ninety-two cents that year.

Until the early 1900s the area was served by several one room schoolhouses. Seth Paine accommodated the area with a school room in his "Stable of Humanity". After it burned down, he arranged for a room in the Old Maple Leaf Hotel, now the Marathon Gas Station. Around 1900, the school was moved to the newly built Ela Town Hall. Finally, a school was built in 1913 at the current location of the School House Apartments on Oak Street. The four room building housed grades 1-8, the town library, and some high school classes.

As population grew in the area, so did the school district. Before 1928, students wishing to continue their education beyond eighth grade had to attend Wauconda or Barrington High Schools. The Ela Township High School opened its doors in 1928 for 35 students in the freshman class. In 1946, the one-room schools in the township were consolidated. May Whitney school was built in 1949, and after another Quentin school was updated, and Seth Paine Elementary School was built. The current high school was built in 1970 and by 1993, the district included eight schools: five elementary, two junior high, and one high school.

The worries for parents in District 95 are few, thanks to the determination of the School District to maintain and guard the good quality of education that the founders of the community set out to establish. In fact, the current population of 5,287 students ('95-'96), maintains excellent standings, according to recent school report cards, comparing standardized test results with other local and State schools.

Today's students can expect to study the core subject areas of mathematics, english, reading, writing, social studies, and science. Other areas of study include technology studies, art education, music and physical education, and today's students have a 100% graduation rate from high school in Lake Zurich.

The teachers in Lake Zurich also continue the traditions of excellence. Teachers in Lake Zurich schools tend to stay for their careers and rather than room and board, their salaries, which average $42,810 annually, include retirement benefits, bonus and extracurricular payments, and even tax-sheltered annuities. Most Lake Zurich teachers have Bachelor's Degrees and 54% have Master's Degrees and above.

Education makes or breaks a town. All important aspects of a community revolve around the schools and their contributions. Reputation, property values, and even the future prospects for growth rely upon the quality of education offered. History proves that Lake Zurich School District 95 has faced the challenges and changes in time successfully even without the benefit of the tent.