Membership timeline
Full members
| Conference | IHSA |
|---|---|
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Region | Chicago metro area, Illinois |
The Independent School League (ISL) is an athletic conference comprising 9 private secondary schools in the Chicago metro area. All but one of the schools are also full members of the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for most high school athletics and competitive activities in the state. The schools are all relatively small, most belonging to the smaller classes of competition offered by the IHSA.
| School | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Team Name | Colors | IHSA Classes 2/3/4 | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis W. Parker School | Chicago | 1901 | 944 | Colonels | A/1A/2A | [1] | |
| Lake Forest Academy | Lake Forest | 1857 | 435 | Caxys | [note 1] | [2] | |
| Latin School of Chicago | Chicago | 1888 | 1,175 | Romans | AA/1A/2A/3A | [3] | |
| Northridge Preparatory School | Niles | 1976 | 250 | Knights | A/1A/1A | [4] | |
| North Shore Country Day School | Winnetka | 1880 | 535 | Raiders | A/1A/2A | [5] | |
| Regina Dominican High School | Wilmette | 1958 | 508 | Panthers | A/1A/2A | [6] | |
| University of Chicago Laboratory Schools | Chicago | 1896 | 2,015 | Maroons | AA/2A/3A | [7] | |
| The Willows Academy | Des Plaines | 1974 | 250 | Eagles | A/1A/2A | [8] | |
| Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart | Lake Forest | 1858 | 145 | Wildcats | A/1A/2A | [9] |
The ISL was founded in 1967. [10] The league initially comprised eight teams: Chicago Lab, Elgin, Latin, Morgan Park, North Shore, Francis W. Parker, Harvard-St. George, and Glenwood.
Harvard-St. George closed in 1993, and Glenwood closed its high school in 1979. Lake Forest Academy left the ISL in 2008 and rejoined in 2021. [11] Regina Dominican High School joined in 2022. [12] Morgan Park Academy left the ISL in 2023. [13] Elgin Academy closed in 2024. [14]
Full members
Elgin Academy was an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school in Elgin, Illinois, United States. Elgin Academy was notable for many accomplishments, such as its Scholastic Bowl and ACES teams.
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Marty McCarty, North Shore Country Day, winner of the last year's Private School league White division, which this year is competing in the newly formed Independent School league ...