Schaumburg

Schaumburg is where suburban living meets big-city energy — and then some. Home to the iconic Schaumburg Convention Center, one of the Midwest’s premier meeting and event destinations, the village has been doubling down on its entertainment district with the recent opening of Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, a 100,000-square-foot venue with multi-level electric karting, bowling, laser tag, arcade games, and a full restaurant and bar. Add Woodfield Mall — one of the largest shopping centers in the country — over 100 restaurants within minutes, the Schaumburg Boomers at Wintrust Field, and the Prairie Center for the Arts, and you have a community that never runs out of things to do. On the elementary side, District 54 offers one of the most distinctive open enrollment programs in the state — families can lottery into nationally rare programs including Mandarin Chinese Immersion, Japanese-English Dual Language with Early Instrumental Music, and Spanish-English Dual Language at multiple schools.

Schools: Township High School District 211 (home of Schaumburg High School and J.B. Conant High School), the largest high school district in Illinois.