Great school. Busing to park district for after care, as well as quality after care after school…read more Family picnics, and adult friendly fundraisers, multiple dances. :

I can't speak to the actual school, but they have a gorgeous community garden that I've helped tend…read morewith Chicago Cares. A pleasant way to spend a nice Saturday morning, and it's in a cute area to boot.

Northside really is an exceptional place. I was a part of the first class to complete four years in…read morethe high school, and I can say, without a doubt, that Northside had the kind of impact on me that I don't think I could have had elsewhere. The staff at this school is remarkable not only because of their depth of knowledge on various subject, but because of the fresh approach that they take to education and the compassion that they show their students. It was my experience that the teachers at Northside didn't punch out as soon as the bell rang (or the music played). As for the overall environment, this school has always been extremely progressive in it's approach to the arts and it's dedication to pursuing them. The open mics used to be something of legendary quality for Chicago high school students, and that tradition has been carried on by the annual arts festival the school presents. I found myself completely prepared for college, but more importantly, completely prepared to go after the things in life I wanted to explore personally and artistically. Northside always treated me more like a human than a statistic, which is rare in the CPS. If I ever made the mistake of procreating, I'd be sending my kid here.

Northside College Prep is an excellent and rather unusual high school. It's a Chicago public…read moreschool, with selective enrollment. Students must apply, have a great academic record, and score very well on an entrance exam in order to be accepted. All academic classes are taught at the honors or AP level, which provides the challenge needed by motivated students. My daughter is a freshman here, and so far I've been very impressed with the curriculum, faculty, and teaching methods. The schedule resembles that of a university: each academic class meets twice a week. Every Wednesday is dedicated to an alternative learning program called "Colloquium" which gives students an opportunity to sample a variety of subjects. The administration is well organized and supportive of the staff. In addition, there are very strong parent organizations that contribute to the life and health of the school community. If you know of an academically gifted grade school student, I would highly recommend that you consider NCP when evaluating high schools.

Great school, awesome curriculum , brilliant kids .... so happy to be a part of this school. Can't…read morewait to get more involved in the parent community

Worst open house I have been to. The principal spent 35+ minutes talking about HER, her…read moreaccomplishments, HER family, her goals, her role as a parent...after going on more than 30 min only talking about HER, a lot of parents began to leave. I have been to other selective enrollment open houses and the principals at every other school got down to business and discussed what we were all there to learn, what programs the school offers, even presented current students to give their point of view of what they enjoyed about the school... However, here, the principal was more interested in flashing her Christian Louboutin heels than talking about why Payton is better than the other SSE HS...

Quite honestly, I don't know much about this high school. I will only speak on what I do know. I…read morejust got a five star car wash from the swim team ! What great energy they had! I wish them to have the best season and for them to reach all their goals, including their fundraising one! Driving away with a clean car and a smile on my face! -the person who drove the blue car 8.21.26

A general public high school that has to accept ALL kids from the neighborhood. Luckily, most of…read morethe kids are wonderful.

I went to Clemente way back in the day, and have done a few things with them over the years as an…read moreadult. I think the school gets a bad rap but is actually not bad at all. You have kids from all over the Chicago land area and the school is really upgraded over the years. And the peope who seem to have negative comments obviously never went there. I think that most of the time, the gentrification plays a key role in TRYING to deminish the school, but guess what? Its not going anywere and has gained momentum. Roberto Clemente is a school that does well in the Community, but of course you have JERKS who just move in and think they can get the school out of this neighborhood. Kids will be kids so stop with the negativity because jealousy is such a bad disease. Its not a bad place, but you need to go there to experience it. They're steel band is ALWAYS on top nation wide, what do you have to say about that.

Came to an event here to celebrate parent leaders. The campus was clean and beautifully decorated…read morewith Puerto Rican murals. Staff were very friendly.

Very great school! curriculum is rigiorous and culture and climate of the school is amazing!read more

My daughter goes to this high school and is currently a senior. It's in a safe area and although it…read moreis over crowded with student enrollment the staff and teachers do their best to teach and guide the students. They have a nice field and tennis court and it's right next to Norwood Park and pool. The streets around the school get VERY crowded when school is in session especially in the mornings and after school. They just need to do something about the over crowding issue and enforce the metal detectors for anyone entering the school.

This is an amazing school in the heart of Chicago. The new building opened about a year and half…read moreago and it is really state of the art. The building may be new but this school has a lot of history in the city. There is a beautiful green space on the roof of the school. It is great to go up here and enjoy the urban jungle which is our city. There is also a fun play area for the students including nets overhead...we would not want a basketball going over the side and hitting someone in the head 3 stories below. Ouch!!! The staff here is great. They truly care about the students. The IB program here is also really great too. I wish I could go back to grade school and attend here. I also love the front office and the security guards too. Everyone here is so friendly and it makes the experience of school fun. I also must throw out some congrats to Kenneth Staral the school principal. He cares so much about education and the well being of all of the students. If it was not for him, I am sure that this school would not be this successful. He is a blessing for putting together such a great education plan for the students. In the warmer months, there is a guy that lives in the high rise, over the school on Oak, that will play his bag pipes on the top floor of his balcony. At first, I thought I was in some movie with hidden cameras but then realized this guy was up there practicing. So if you are ever walking around the school and you hear the music just look up and you will see this guy. I do get a tear in my eye when he starts playing "Danny Boy"! My little one will start to dance...he has even waved at us from 20 stories above. Fun Fact: The school is named after the first mayor of Chicago. Mr Ogden was involved in real estate, he also was involved with canals too. In fact, his company cut out the canal that made Goose Island in Chicago. He later moved on to the railroads and was president of Union Pacific. He built a railroad to Wisconsin to bring grain to Chicago and also a railroad out West too. He was on the cutting edge of progress and growing our nation. The parents, students, faculty and staff make the learning experience here at Ogden great and I look forward to many more years here.

When I was a kid, I had aced the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Did you know you could ace them?…read moreNeither did I. What I mean by that is that I scored a straight 99th percentile on every single one of my Iowa Tests and got a strange invitation in the mail. The invitation was from pre-International Baccalaureate Program to take an exam and potentially join Abraham Lincoln Elementary or William B. Ogden Elementary. Little did I know, this little invitation would change the rest of my life. At the exam, I met a friend that had moved away in third grade and we laughed wondering why we were both here. We both talked and said that Ogden School sounded better than Lincoln Elementary School, so that is what we decided. After taking their exam, I also had an interview. I was informed that I had scored the fifth best in the city and that I could pick Ogden or Lincoln. Seeing as my friend and I agreed on Odgen, Ogden it was. I missed my first day of school because the school bus did not show up until 9 in the morning, but by then I had already walked back to Volta Elementary as I did not know what to do. Over the years the bus was pretty consistent, except for the day that I missed it and decided to take the train downtown to school. Being eleven years old, sometimes you just don't know where you're going. I got off the train and started walking and then realized that I had no idea where I was. I walked into a police station and yelled, "Help, I need help!" After explaining that I was lost and late for school two cops drove me six blocks to school and apologized for swearing like pirates. I arrived to the playground in the back of a cop car and the kids thought that I had been arrested! With regard to the curriculum, it was a bar up from the Gifted Program that I had been in Volta Elementary and the adjustments took awhile because whereas before I was able to dominate, I struggled with the new social situation and had to take extra time to regain my bearings. By 7th grade, I was doing well in school again and liked French class the best since it was the most interesting. I still speak French today, which serves as a testament of the merits of Ogden's rigorous curriculum. At Ogden, you also learn to deal with kids coming from the deep south side and kids who live right around the corner on the Gold Coast. The pre-IB Program at Ogden set me up well for my future IB entry exams at Lincoln Park High School. The French curriculum is a must have for kids who will want to be speaking French in the future and is a cheaper alternative than sending kids out for private lessons. I also learned the ability to respect and tolerate the diversity of races and socioeconomic statuses of the various Chicagoans that will be found at this school. If you ever wonder who William B. Ogden was, he was the first mayor of Chicago. He worked extensively with land developers and reached the epic agreement that guarantees the land on our lakefront as public parks now and forever. Well forever until the city decides to lease it out for the next quick buck.