Lane Tech College Prep High School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Albert Grannis Lane Technical College Preparatory High School |
|
|---|---|
The clock tower at Lane Tech
|
|
| Address | |
|
2501 W. Addison Street
, 60618
United States
|
|
| Coordinates | 41°56′43″N 87°41′27″W / 41.9454°N 87.6907°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public Secondary Magnet |
| Motto | Wherever you go, whatever you do, remember the honor of Lane |
| Opened | 1908 |
| School district | Chicago Public Schools |
| CEEB code | 140640 |
| Principal | Edwina Thompson |
| Teaching staff | 269.00 (on a FTE basis) |
| Grades | 7th–12th |
| Gender | Coed |
| Enrollment | 4,525 (2023–2024) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 16.82 |
| Campus size | 33 acres (13 ha) |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Color(s) | Myrtle Old Gold |
| Fight song | Go, Lane, Go |
| Athletics conference | Chicago Public League |
| Nickname | Champions |
| Accreditation | AdvancED Higher Learning Commission |
| Newspaper | The Lane Tech Champion |
| Yearbook | Golden Years |
Lane Tech College Prep High School, often called Lane Tech, is a large public high school in Chicago, Illinois. It is a special "magnet" school, which means students need to pass a test to get in. Lane Tech is one of the oldest schools in Chicago and has over 4,000 students, making it the biggest high school in Illinois. Students from many different backgrounds attend Lane Tech. In 2019, it was ranked as the 3rd best public high school in Illinois and 69th in the entire country.
Contents
School History and Growth
.jpg)
How Lane Tech Started
Lane Tech is named after Albert G. Lane, who used to be a principal and superintendent for Chicago Public Schools. The school first opened in 1908 as the Albert Grannis Lane Manual Training High School. It was built at Sedgwick Avenue and Division Street.
In its early years, Lane Tech was a school mainly for boys. It focused on teaching hands-on skills. Students learned things like carpentry, making cabinets, and working with wood. Older students learned about metalworking, welding, and even electricity.
Moving to a New Campus
By the 1930s, Lane Tech had grown a lot, with over 7,000 boys attending. The original building was too small. So, a new, much larger school was built. On September 17, 1934, all 9,000 students and teachers walked from Wrigley Field to their new campus. This big walk was repeated in 1983 and 2008 to celebrate the school's anniversaries.
When the new school opened, its name changed to the Albert Grannis Lane Technical High School. Everyone just called it "Lane Tech." In 2004, the name changed again to Lane Technical College Prep High School. This new name showed that the school was now focused on preparing students for college.
Changes in Student Admission
In 1958, Lane Tech became even more selective. It started admitting only top students. This change happened during the "Space Race" between the United States and the Soviet Union. The school wanted to help make sure the U.S. stayed strong in science and technology.
In 1971, girls were allowed to attend Lane Tech for the first time. This decision was made because enrollment had dropped, and there weren't enough technical schools for girls. Some male students protested, but the school decided to go ahead with admitting girls.
School Campus
.jpg)
Lane Tech's campus is about 33 acres big. It is located where Addison Street and Western Avenue meet in Chicago. The campus includes the main school building, Lane Stadium, Kerry Wood Cubs Field, a soccer field, and a parking lot.
Lane Stadium
Lane Stadium is an important part of the campus. In 2007, parts of the stadium were found to be unsafe because it was old and built on landfill. This meant that big events like graduation ceremonies had to be moved. The stadium was fixed and reopened on September 7, 2007, with a new turf field and a new track for sports.
Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden is a special place on campus. It has a flagpole and a stone monument with the names of Lane Tech students who died in the Vietnam War. The garden was rededicated in 1995. A special plaque was added in 1998 to explain the garden's meaning to the school.
Academics and Learning
Lane Tech offers many challenging classes. Students who qualify can take "Honor level" courses. There are also Advanced Placement (AP) classes in subjects like English, history, math, science, art, music, computer science, and world languages. These AP classes can sometimes count for college credit.
Students can also join the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) instead of regular physical education. This program helps students develop leadership skills.
Lane Tech is the only public school in Chicago that offers classes in Aquaponics, which is a way of farming that combines raising fish and growing plants. The school also has one of the biggest and best computer science programs in Chicago Public Schools. Many Lane Tech graduates go on to earn advanced degrees, like PhDs.
In 2018, 94% of Lane Tech students took at least one AP class. The school also had a 94% graduation rate that year. GreatSchools.org, a website that rates schools, gives Lane Tech an 8 out of 10. This rating looks at things like test scores, how much students improve, and how ready they are for college.
Sports and Athletics
Lane Tech has a wide variety of sports teams. These include baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross-country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling, women's rugby, and water polo.
Lane Tech teams often win city championships, usually 7 to 10 each year. Since 1908, the school has won 16 state championships. Many Lane Tech athletes have gone on to play sports in college and even professionally. In 2024, the girls' flag football team won the city championship.
In 1934, the NFL team, the Chicago Bears, even practiced at Lane Tech for a special game.
Getting to School
Students can get to Lane Tech in several ways. Public buses (routes 49, X49, and 152) stop near the school. Chicago's "El" train lines (red, blue, and brown) are also close by. For students who ride bikes, Lane Tech has bike racks.
Famous People Who Attended Lane Tech
Many notable people have attended Lane Tech. Here are a few:
- Tony Alcantar – an actor and acting teacher.
- Edgar Bergen – a famous ventriloquist and actor, known for his puppet Charlie McCarthy.
- Rod Blagojevich – a former Governor of Illinois (attended for a short time).
- Aimee Boorman – a gymnastics coach who coached the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics, including Simone Biles.
- Phil Cavarretta – a Major League Baseball player and manager for the Chicago Cubs.
- Bill Daily – an actor from TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie.
- DJ Colette (Colette Marino) – a house music singer and DJ.
- George J. Efstathiou – an architect who worked on famous buildings like the Burj Khalifa.
- Neal Gabler – an author and political commentator.
- Theaster Gates – an American artist.
- Godfrey – a comedian and actor.
- Robert Irsay – a former owner of the Indianapolis Colts football team.
- Maxwell Jenkins – a young American actor.
- Frankie Laine – a famous singer.
- Justina Machado – an actress from TV shows like Six Feet Under.
- Richard W. Mies – a former U.S. Navy admiral.
- Rachel Barton Pine – a violinist (Honorary Alumna).
- John Podesta – a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.
- Fritz Pollard – a football legend, the first African-American head coach in the NFL.
- Joey Soloway – a Golden Globe award-winning producer and writer.
- Dave Spector – a television personality in Japan.
- Genndy Tartakovsky – an Emmy Award-winning animator known for Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack.
- Laken Tomlinson – a football player for the Seattle Seahawks.
- Towkio – a rapper and producer.
- Johnny Weissmuller – a five-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who later played Tarzan in movies.
- Steve Wilkos – a talk show host.
- Adrian Zmed – an actor from TJ Hooker and Grease 2.
