The roots of William Beye Elementary stretch all the way back to the late 1870s, when local students would pack into a back room of a general store on Ridgeland Avenue or a nearby four-room schoolhouse. A newer facility was constructed in 1896 at the behest of prominent German immigrant William Beye. After several expansions - including multiple additions after a 1930 fire destroyed parts of the school - the original facility stands more than 130 years after it was founded. Today, Beye Elementary serves more than 400 Oak Park students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.