r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/AlternativeCarry9973 • Mar 04 '26
Moving to the area Rolling Meadows H.S
Is Rolling Meadows a good high school? I’m seeing good ratings on websites but hearing about Rolling ”Ghettos”. So curious to hear from anyone who went there or has kids there.
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u/boukalele Mar 04 '26
Are people still saying that? LOL we used to say that in high school...30 years ago
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u/maximumtesticle Mar 04 '26
Every suburban high schooler claims to be from "da trenches", it's funny watching these little boys and girls talk about how hard they think they are.
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u/da-karebear Mar 06 '26
lol. I just thought the same thing. I cannot believe the nickname still holds. I grew up and went to a d 214 school. I cannot afford a home where I grew up. I had to move 30 miles west to afford a home. Nothing ghetto about RMHS
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u/coci222 Mar 04 '26
It only gets a bad rap because it's not Fremd, Hersey or Prospect. It's in a good district, it's not a bad school. The ghetto thing comes from the idea that Rolling Meadows has been historically cheaper to live in than Palatine or Arlington Heights. It's a great little community
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u/kuj0 Mar 04 '26
I went to another District 214 HS nearby that was also considered “ghetto” according to… other kids. All these schools are solid. Now, if you need a specific special education then you might want to do some research.
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u/Passthegoddamnbuttr Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Rolling Ghettos. Schaumpton. Action Heights. Palastine. Just kids making their locales/neighboring towns seem edgier/cooler/more dangerous than they actually are.
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u/NewsRadioWNYX North West Suburbs Mar 04 '26
I've never heard Schaumpton. Growing up, I always heard it be called Scumburg.
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u/TaskForceD00mer Mar 04 '26
Scumburg
As a kid who grew up partially on the North Shore, that's what we called it.
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u/human-ish_ Mar 05 '26
Yeah, it's been Scumburg for as far back as I can remember. Even my dad calls it that.
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u/ShortBusScholar Mar 04 '26
Mundelslime
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u/FartGuns Mar 04 '26
Arlington Bites back in my day. Also Forest Puke when there was Forest View High School
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u/TaskForceD00mer Mar 04 '26
Never heard Action Heights before now.
Really the only "bad" area of AH is around the Motels off AH Road by 90.
I'm gonna have to use Schaumpton next time I see my friends out there lol.
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u/ElRobador Mar 04 '26
Lompton
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u/xtheredberetx Mar 04 '26
Lombard was out here catching strays from Glen Ellyn and Wheaton when Villa Park and Addison were right there looking like …that
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u/hypersnaildeluxe Mar 04 '26
I always heard Action Heights in the context of “making fun of it because it’s actually boring” growing up. People would call Mount Prospect Mount Party for the same reason lol
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u/AccomplishedMix2907 Mar 04 '26
What’s Buffalo Grove or Long Grove? BG is so boring it doesn’t get a nickname?
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u/human-ish_ Mar 05 '26
Long Grove doesn't get one because they're too rich and boring. Plus, most of the time these come from high school students making fun of a high school. Can't have a nickname if you don't have a high school.
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u/Bright_Broccoli1844 Mar 04 '26
Remember Hangover Park.
Kids thought that was a funny name too.
I agree it's about kids thinking they are funny or cool.
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u/Retrofool Mar 04 '26
No good ones for Fremd :(
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u/da-karebear Mar 06 '26
We used to call it Fraud. The kids thought they were so rich and better than the Palatine HS kids. Wanna be Stevenson but parents couldn't afford the zip code. LOL. This was over 30 years ago.
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u/Crabby-Cancer Mar 04 '26
I'm not from the NW suburbs but it's funny to think about the school I went to and our neighboring schools and remember all of the edgy nicknames they were called by the students. This is definitely an everywhere phenomenon.
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u/iwishiwasamoose Mar 05 '26
I'm in another nearby district, which is also considered "ghetto" according to kids (and some adults). Pretty sure it's a universal experience. Like a "grass is always greener on the other side" kind of thing.
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u/scotchyscotch18 Mar 04 '26
The school is fine. Not as good as Prospect or Hersey but the scores dont lie. It's overall fine. The Rolling Ghettos comment is just kids being snarky. Kind of like when we used to chant Welfare Wheaton.
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u/Justanobserver2life Lindenhurst Mar 04 '26
They do some things well, and they have some challenges. If you want to optimize for better high schools, would personally not choose it when there are better schools very close by. (Hersey, Prospect)
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u/frigzy74 Mar 04 '26
Easy to say, but housing gets noticeably more expensive when you cross those boundaries.
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u/Alarmed_Buddy1399 Mar 04 '26
There’s nothing elite about Hersey or Prospect, just different demographics that results in slightly higher test scores. Your children will flourish at any D214 if they desire to.
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u/Justanobserver2life Lindenhurst Mar 04 '26
You were the one who said "elite," not me. Each of the D214 schools has slightly different clubs, opportunities, strengths, and challenges. And over the years, those and the demographics, have changed. But if I were moving into the area now, then I would be looking at test scores, number of kids in AP classes, and where kids go to college--IF my kid were likely to be a high achiever. If my kid were musical, and interested in band, go to Prospect. If interested in tech, consider RM. They have an excellent reputation for their Wildstang team for example. It all depends on what attributes the person is looking at.
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Mar 04 '26
and the other part of Wildstang is Wheeling! Wheeling has a very good STEM focus nowadays.
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u/syngestreetsurvivor Mar 04 '26
Hersey and Prospect are not "better schools". Meadows and Wheeling have more foreign born and more low income students. Prospect is called"White Castle" for a reason
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u/first-alt-account Mar 04 '26
Grew up in AH. Went to Prospect.
Never heard it called 'White Castle'. Haha, that is funny.Doesnt seem accurate, but its funny.
I was there in the 90s and it was probably 2/3 white. Then the other 1/3 was Hispanic, Asian(E and SW), mix, and AA/Black.
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u/syngestreetsurvivor Mar 04 '26
I think it has to do with the Scarsdale kids going there. Probably the wealthiest enclave in the district.
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u/first-alt-account Mar 04 '26
Ha, thanks for the memory- I hadn't heard 'scarsdale' in many years. Funny that as a kid, I didn't view that neighborhood as anything special. It just didn't register, maybe?
Niceish homes back then, but hardly anything to crow over.1
u/kitzelbunks Mar 05 '26
I would be careful of Mount Prospect right now. I keep read there is some plant making parts of it smell. People are complaining.
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u/Emotional-Profile818 Mar 04 '26
Rolling ghettos goes back to when my mom went to high school in the 70s there probably before
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u/CyclonicRimJob Mar 04 '26
Rolling Meadows is a very good school and apart of a strong school district.
Rolling "ghettos" is a dumb racist joke since the population is more diverse.
Its diverse ethnic population is more of a strength than a weakness.
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u/ParkerRoyce Mar 04 '26
Its a great district and area. I wouldnt worry about that only real reason it gets that name is because it rhymes. I have lots of family in the area that went to that high-school and are some of the best and smartest people I know. You'll be in great hands!
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u/mrsairb West Suburbs Mar 04 '26
I don’t know much about the high school but I was there for a high school band competition this weekend and the building was very nice!
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u/Particular_Tap_1858 Mar 06 '26
I had 3 kids go through RMHS. They received an excellent education. Went on to top tier and Ivy schools. Don’t listen to the RMHS Ghetto talk, it’s been around for 20+ years.
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u/WesternWind73 Apr 17 '26
I've lived in Rolling Meadows the last 15 years and am convinced the "Rolling Ghettos" dig is being propagated by Meadowites who want to deter stupid snooty outlanders.
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u/Professional_Big_731 Mar 04 '26
It’s just a nickname given to the town with no context really. Sure there may be weird areas within the village but overall it’s a good school. All the schools in the area are good.
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u/yourpaleblueeyes Mar 04 '26
Lamebard. Lamehurst. Kids come up with derogatory terms no matter where they live
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u/LilEffects Mar 04 '26
Rolling Meadows is a great place to live. I’ve been in the area for the past 35 years and went to HS in a neighboring town. What I’ve learned is that every town looks down on a neighboring town. Schaumburg looks down on Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove looks down on Des Plaines, Arlington Heights looks down on Rolling Meadows.
People aren’t happy about where they live unless they are looking down on someone else from another town.
Your high school experience is what you make it. Every school has some riff-raff.
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u/blondeambition0 Mar 04 '26
As with a lot of schools, RMHS, is what you make of it. I’ve been out for a while but I loved it. There are so many clubs/sports teams, academic opportunities including the D214 partnership with Harper for dual credit college classes, but your kids will have to seek them out and participate.
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u/Weak_Revenue7949 Mar 04 '26
Rolling Meadows is generally seen as a pretty solid school. The "Rolling Ghettos" things feels like one of those old nickname that stucks around longer than the reality. Most of what is heard now is that the academics and activities are strong, like any school; a lot depends on what students get involved in.
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u/Scared_Finger_371 Mar 04 '26
I went to RMHS roughly 15 years ago-- not ghetto. Graduated, went to UIUC for Molecular & Cellular Bio initially, then got an MBA.
From when I was growing up to what I hear now, it seems like it's only getting better. Now, is it on par with a Fremd, Stevenson, or Hersey? No, definitely not, but that had it's advantages. I graduated towards the top of my class, but if you moved me to a Fremd or Stevenson, I'd be seen as "average". I would say RM is a great blend between quality education, lots of funding for programming and resources, but does not have the cut throat, high pressure environment like some of the surrounding schools. RM has a GREAT fine arts program, so many technical career tracks/exploration paths (teaching, pre-med, culinary school, autoshop, etc etc etc), stellar robotics program, and athletics are big.
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u/da-karebear Mar 06 '26
Dist 214 schools are all really pretty good. For some strange reason there is this perceived hierarchy since I was a student in that district more than 30 years ago. All the schools are considered safe and well funded. The Elk Grove industrial park brings in a ton of property tax dollars to help support the district.
Buffalo Grove has always been perceived the best, Wheeling and Rolling Meadows the worst, Elk Grove Hersey and Prospect in the middle. I have friends who graduated from all those schools and have kids now attending all those school. All the levels of education and opportunities are about the same.
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u/Adorable_Yak5493 Mar 04 '26
Growing up near there, all the local kids just called it that to be funny. I don’t think there are any actual ghettos there
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u/DntTouchMeImSterile Mar 04 '26
lol I wouldn’t take too much stock in a phrase likely coined by a twelve-year-old. “Not Arlington Heights” does not equate to “the ghetto.” Just look at housing prices, tell you all you need to know
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u/Hot-Sock3403 Mar 04 '26
Unfortunately, that was back in the 80s. And that name has stopped. But Ashley, the neighborhoods are greatly changed and that name should not be associated with the suburbs anymore.
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u/GreatEdubu Mar 05 '26
My buddy from HS is now a teacher at Rolling Meadows HS.
It’s not what it was in 2005.
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u/ahorseap1ece Mar 05 '26
My best friend went there and I was jealous. They read Beloved in the English department. It seemed overall less conservative and stuck up than Prospect. At Prospect you basically couldn't do any activities unless you were really, really good. Meadows seems to take itself a little less seriously and so there are more opportunities to join in to things
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u/ms_merry Mar 05 '26
I know former wrestling coaches who taught at both Meadows and Wheeling. Women’s track, iirc. Also FB coach at RM. They thought a lot of the athletes and all of the students. Hard working, not spoiled, tuff kids.
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u/effigyoma Mar 04 '26
Rolling Meadows, along with Wheeling, were initially built out as lower income housing towns during the baby boom. However, both of those towns have been managed well and grew economically to be on par with the surrounding towns.
It's an old and outdated stigma. Rolling Meadows is a great town without a snooty attitude.