Palos Heights is served by four school districts noted for high quality programming and instruction. The four are Palos Community Consolidated School District 118, Palos Heights School District 128, Community High School District 218, and Consolidated High School District 230.
District 128 operates two elementary schools and a junior high school and has an enrollment of 680 students. The district's Palos East elementary school is situated within the city's boundaries. District 118 also operates two elementary schools and a middle school. Its enrollment exceeds 2,180.
Both districts emphasize the educational basics of reading, writing, and mathematics, augmenting these with athletics, art, and music. They provide special education pro-grams and programs for gifted students based on language arts.
District 218's Alan B. Shepard High School serves Palos Heights and several neighboring communities. It is located in the southeast corner of Palos Heights. Enrollment is about 1,675. Students choose from more than 200 different courses, including 16 advanced placement courses, and such studies as Japanese, German, computer programming, computer-aided design, robotics, graphic design, and desktop publishing. In addition, students can participate in a full roster of sports. Early in this decade, Shepard won conference titles in football, boys and girls basketball, volleyball, badminton, and girls tennis.
A wide range of extracurricular activities are available, including instrumental and vocal performing groups, drama groups, academic competitions, student government, various clubs and special interest groups, and student publications.
High School District 230 s Carl Sandburg High. School, located in Orland Park, serves students living in a portion of Palos Heights; It, too, offers more than 200 courses designed to meet the academic needs of college-bound students and the training needs of career-oriented students. Several private and parochial schools in Palos Heights offer alternatives to public school education. Among the schools are St. Alexander Catholic school; Palos Evangelical Lutheran elementary school, and Chicago Christian High School.' The latter offers the full range of college preparatory, business, and technology courses.
One of the newest educational centers in Palos Heights is Kid's Choice, a facility designed to care for school-age children before and after school. A boon for working parents, the facility offers a variety of supervised activities for youngsters. Transportation to and from school is provided.
The aim of excellence is achieved in the schools of Palos Heights.
Palos Heights has been a college town since it incorporated in 1959, for in that year the Trinity Christian College Association purchased Navajo Hills Golf Course in Palos Heights, remodeled the clubhouse, and began a two-year liberal arts instruction program. The college grew steadily and by 1968 was offering baccalaureate degrees. Today, the 50-acre campus consists of 17 buildings.
With an enrollment of about 600 students, Trinity Christian College awards bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degrees in 20 majors, including business administration, computer science, elementary education, ^and theology. In addition, the college offers nine professional studies, among them pre-medical and pre-law. A variety of internships with area businesses and organizations is available to students.
Palos Heights students can readily commute to Moraine Valley Community College, in nearby Palos Hills. Moraine Valley is the seventh largest community college in Illinois. It serves more than 25,000 residents each year through classes, seminars, lectures, concerts, and other activities. Some 17,400 individuals arc enrolled in credit and non-credit classes at the college. The average student age is 27.