The property tax bills Northbrook homeowners paid this fall rose sharply. On the Tax Year 2025 bills issued in 2026, the median homeowner bill in Northbrook rose 13.7% to $13,472, according to the Cook County Treasurer's analysis of this year's bills. Across the north and northwest suburbs, the median homeowner bill rose 6.7%. Northbrook's increase was roughly double that.
The Treasurer's office attributes Northbrook's increase to school referendums. It names a $94.9 million bond for Northbrook School District 28, a higher debt service levy for Northbrook School District 27, and a $23.5 million bond that Sunset Ridge School District 29 voters approved in March 2026. Each district borrows in its own way, and the village is split among several districts. That means two Northbrook homes at the same price can now carry different tax bills for years.
The Assessment Was Not the Outlier
The Cook County Assessor released initial 2025 values for Northfield Township, which includes all or part of Northbrook, on June 17, 2025. On the Assessor's Northfield Township residential valuation page, the 2025 estimate for single-family homes was $784,000. The 2024 median sale price was $779,000. So the Assessor's single-family estimate came within $5,000 of what homes actually sold for.
The regional shift between property types was real, but it was slower than last time. In an August 18, 2026 release, the Assessor's office reported that across 13 north and northwest townships, homes made up 66% of total assessed value before the reassessment and 68% after Board of Review appeals. Commercial values were cut 14% on appeal in 2025, compared with 20% in 2022. Even so, the Treasurer found that residential taxes in the region rose 9.9% on this year's bills while business-property taxes rose 0.2%. That regional shift is part of every north suburban bill. It does not explain why Northbrook's median increase was twice the regional median. The new school debt does.
Three Districts, Three Ways to Borrow
District 28, District 27 and District 29 all went to voters within about a year of each other, and each chose a different way to pay for its buildings. The financing method decides how long a household pays, and that matters more than the first-year cost.
| District | Ballot date | What voters approved | District's estimated annual cost | Repayment shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northbrook District 28 | April 1, 2025 | $94.9 million in bonds | $852 on a $621,600 median home with 20-year bonds; $696 with 30-year bonds | Fixed bond issue; hearing notice estimated 25 years outstanding |
| Northbrook District 27 | April 1, 2025 | A $2.655 million debt service extension base | About $422 for an average $600,000 home | Ongoing base; bonds issued as projects need them |
| Sunset Ridge District 29 | March 17, 2026 | $23.5 million in bonds | About $445 on a $500,000 property | 20-year issue |
District 28's measure is a standard capital bond. The district's referendum FAQ priced several options for voters, from $56.4 million to $110.5 million, and estimated the yearly cost of each for its median home. The FAQ also says the actual cost depends on interest rates, bond terms, individual reassessments, new construction in the district and changes in state law. The district's public hearing notice estimated the bonds would be outstanding for 25 years and said the actual term could change at sale.
District 27 took a different approach. Its referendum FAQ describes a debt service extension base as "a long-term funding source." District 27 can issue bonds when specific projects need money instead of borrowing everything at once, which the district says saves interest. For a homeowner, that means the bill is designed to hold steady at an ongoing level rather than run through a single bond issue and then end. The district's tax information page includes a calculator that estimates $421.97 a year for an average $600,000 district home.
District 29 is the newest of the three. The Record reported that the March 17 measure passed 926 to 458. The paper also reported that the district's tax rate will rise from 2.7%, the lowest among the six New Trier feeder districts, to 3.11%, the second highest after Kenilworth at 3.56%. Sunset Ridge District 29 says its boundaries include only a small section of Northbrook. For homes in that section, the change in tax rate is especially large.
Which District Sits Under the Address
These are separate taxing bodies with separate boundaries, and a Northbrook address does not determine which one taxes a home. Glenbrook High School District 225 lists these elementary districts as its feeders:
- Northbrook District 27
- Northbrook District 28
- Northbrook/Glenview District 30
- West Northfield District 31
- Glenview District 34
Sunset Ridge District 29 covers the small section of the village mentioned above.
Because of these boundaries, the village-wide median of $13,472 blends very different situations. A house in District 28 carries the cost of a nine-figure building program. A house in District 27 carries an ongoing base designed to fund work as it comes up. A house in the Sunset Ridge section moved from the lowest feeder-district rate to the second highest. Two homes listed at the same price on different sides of a district line can have different annual costs. They can also be headed in different directions.
When comparing homes, the seller's most recent tax bill shows what the home cost to own last year. The district boundary shows which debt is attached to the parcel going forward.
What the Money Is Building, and When
These borrowing programs pay for specific projects on published schedules. When the work is finished, the debt still remains.
- Meadowbrook, District 28. The district is replacing Meadowbrook with a new school as part of a plan that combines the bond with $20 million of district funds. The new Meadowbrook is projected to be complete in August 2027.
- Westmoor, District 28. A cafetorium addition was planned from summer 2026 through spring 2027, with a second phase in summer 2027. District 28's schedule projects Westmoor's completion in August 2027.
- Hickory Point, District 27. A 15,798-square-foot addition continues through summer 2027. A new multi-use space is expected by the start of the 2027–28 school year. Shabonee and Wood Oaks are also getting work, including roofing, HVAC and parking and drop-off improvements.
- Greenbriar, District 28. A classroom wing addition was planned from summer 2026 through spring 2027, followed by a cafetorium and multipurpose room renovation through winter 2028. District 28 projects completion in spring 2028.
- Northbrook Junior High, District 28. The renovation is projected to finish in August 2028.
- Middlefork, District 29. The 65-year-old school will get a new two-floor academic wing with 23 classrooms, along with outdoor space and security upgrades. It will keep its cafeteria and gymnasium.
District 28 projects the last of its work to finish in August 2028. The district modeled repayment over 20 or 30 years, so the bond payments will continue for decades after the buildings open.
A Billing Calendar That Keeps Running Late
Bill timing makes this harder to see during a sale. Cook County officials announced on August 18, 2026 that about 1.8 million second-installment bills were expected to be mailed September 1 and due October 1. They attributed the delay to problems carried over from the previous year's property tax technology overhaul. North Shore Weekly reported that these bills are normally mailed in July and due August 1. The paper also reported that last cycle's due date slipped to December 15, 2025, and that the county's Inspector General described the tax system overhaul as a project that grew from a $30 million contract to $63 million spent.
For Northbrook homes, that means the bill the Treasurer connects to the April 2025 referendums came out in September 2026, which is late in the year.
A Few Direct Questions
Did the reassessment cause Northbrook's increase? The reassessment shifted some of the regional tax burden toward homes. The Treasurer's analysis ties Northbrook's 13.7% median increase to school referendums.
Were any new Northbrook-area measures on the November 3, 2026 ballot? The Cook County Clerk's posted results list no referendum for Districts 27, 28, 29, 30 or 31, Glenbrook District 225, the Northbrook Park District, the Northbrook Public Library or the Village of Northbrook.
Is the regional data specific to Northbrook? No. The 9.9% residential and 0.2% business figures cover the north and northwest suburbs as a whole. The $13,472 median and the 13.7% increase are Northbrook's own figures.
The district estimates above are general information, not tax or financial advice. Please confirm the figures for any specific property with the taxing body or a qualified tax professional.
If you are comparing Northbrook homes on either side of a district line, or getting ready to sell a home whose tax bill has just changed, The Dickstein Group can go over the parcel-level details with you before you make a decision. Request a private consultation.
