Barrington High School

Barrington High School is a public four-year high school located in Barrington, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Barrington Community Unit School District 220.

Although the village of Barrington incorporated in 1865, the area did not have a dedicated permanent high school until 1949. Before that, Barrington had a K-12 school on Hough Street. On February 8, 1947, the village held an election to choose a site for a new high school. Of approximately 1,414 ballots cast, 1,013 were cast in favor of selecting the current location on West Main Street. Voters also granted the village authority to purchase the 70-acre site, issue bonds for the high school's construction, and build the high school. The original purchase price for the site was $37,000.00. At the time, some residents complained that the tract bought had been too large; the opposition countered that unless the tract stretched far to the north, other residents and/or businesses might purchase that land, and the board would not be able to buy the land as cheaply later. The Consolidated High School Board of Education, now Community Unit School District 220, consulted authorities on location, educational needs and the most fitting type of building allowing for future planning. The board engaged the architectural firm of Perkins and Will to design the original structure. The village issued $940,000.00 in bonds for the site and building; however, due to rising construction prices at the time, the high school as planned could not be completed for that amount. On June 12, 1948, an election increased the authorization for such bonds by an additional $328,000.00 by a decision of 388 to 71. Groundbreaking on the high school took place on July 10, 1948, and engineer George Gilfeather supervised the ensuing construction almost daily. Classes began in the new building on September 12, 1949 under Superintendent F.C. Thomas.

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