I will caveat this review by saying: If you are a parent looking for a school for your child, please don't use Yelp. Talk to other parents, tour the school and discuss any questions or concerns you have with a staff member. Yelp is for finding a good recommendation for dinner, not for a critical decision like where to enroll your child in school. That said, we have two children in the PYP program and have been really happy. Our children are thriving, have surpassed academic standards for their respective grades, and the school is very responsive and communicative with parents. read more

The school is an absolute gem in the city. My three kids go here. They love it. They are excited to go to school every day. Their academics are exemplary, belonging exists on every level, and the administrators/teachers are dedicated, thoughtful, and relationship-driven. Don't know where we would be without this place! read more

Daystar is a warm, open, rigorous place of learning. Small class sizes foster a strong sense of community among students and a great deal of personal attention from teachers. Students take field trips often, using the city as their classroom. High school tuition includes international travel! Graduates of Daystar are well-rounded critical thinkers, and they leave with an International Baccalaureate diploma--which is exceptional preparation for college. My three kids have been at Daystar for over five years, and they are thriving! (In fact, we loved it so much, I began teaching there as soon as I could!) read more

I must say that this school has dispelled and alleviated many of my fears and concerns I 've had about the education of children in our society. Its approach enables the child to be prepared in this ever-competitive academic environment. There's respect of the child to teacher and teacher to child. The atmosphere is conducive for growth in cognitive development, character development and communitive awareness. My granddaughter has gone on four Learning Excursion our side the classroom to see how we all are inter-connected in the human experience of life through Systems that function to support our society and community. I love the safety measures they provide by walking your child to their parents' car door, greeting the parent to ensure the child's safety. Great School. read more

Veteran teacher posting. Simply avoid this school at all costs. Students fall behind because of low quality staff and culture. read more

It took me a while to write a review because at first I was so angry and hurt and confused by my child's & family's experience at Daystar. My son had just turned three when his time at Daystar began and it was a nightmare. He had been at home with 1 on 1 care before this mainly due to Covid, so he had his routines and not a ton of experience with other children or taking directives from adults not Mom/Dad/babysitter. Ms. Begley was his teacher, which we were thrilled about because of her extensive career; come to find out that was the worst thing that we could have asked for. Every day I would pick him up, he'd be crying hysterically as the teachers watching over pick up basically left him alone and isolated. He seemed to be having a miserable experience from what he could describe with his limited vocabulary. Ms. Begley absolutely refused to work with my son through his adjustment to school, and because he was not conforming as other students, he was made to feel ostracized from day one. We would get calls and reports from Ms. Begley about his lack of sharing and following directions (remember, he just turned three). In a parent/teacher conference, Ms. Begley told me, "I was in church the other day and God told me there's a reason he gave me [your son] in my class", making it seem like my son was such an incredible test of her skill and faith. I am shamed to say the constant reports had me concerned with my son's lack of compliance and weary of his abilities even, as Ms. Begley also said, "a school setting is not for everyone". My wife began to take time from work to attend class with our son to observe how he can improve, only to see the ostracization also occurred during class time as Ms. Begley and the helper teacher would have my son in a separate part of the room while the rest of the class continued with the lesson. We also met with the school's leader a few times, Tami Doig and were underwhelmed with her lack of support and efforts. She seemed to side with Ms. Begley's opinions without being personally involved with finding a solution. After a few months, we felt hopeless and it was clear this school was an awful fit. I kept my son home for a month while I worked full time to find a better school. We toured a dozen schools and met with their school leaders to try to find a good fit. It was awkward because I was scarred by my experience at Daystar and was just looking for a place that would love my son. He is, come to find out academically gifted and we just wanted a place where he is loved and safe, which is shocking that this experience was not available at Daystar. There was no mercy or grace or love or kindness or acceptance or longsuffering or anything that reflects Christ. We found The Gardner School which is not a Christian organization, but has loved my son and shown Christ' love to him more than Daystar showed at any point. He is now after 1.5 years there, has developed many meaningful relationships with peers and staff and is set to attend a selective enrollment elementary school. I can't express my gratitude enough to the Gardner School for showing my son love and helping him adjust to school. I also can't express enough my frustration, disappointment, and disgust with Daystar. read more

My child was a student at Daystar for 3 years and I pulled her and THANK GOD I DID! I have witnessed Principal, Tami Doig bully my child and other students. She made fun of me being a single parent and i have caught her im so many lies... She has a temper that is out of this world and she cannot handle challenging sitautions.Tami must have had a nervous breakdown or something i have never seen her in the state of mind she in. She orders the student not to talk to them and she is always angry. I feel it has affected her ability to be a good principal. The teachers are so clueless... Abigail Canfield is emotionally unstable and pretentious. I've heard that she doesn't have a teaching degree. She treats 6th graders like kindergarteners. She reads picture books to 6 graders. When pulled my child out it was such a relief. Most importantly, Daystar's curriculum is not up to par with with my child's current school and other school both private and public. The difference is night and day. I wouldn't suggest this school to anyone. read more

My son attends Daystar, and let me just say, this school is AMAZING! The principal, Tami is a God send. She knows every student and every parent by name. Always smiling and welcoming. My child has excelled at Daystar. He actually loves getting up and going to school. The staff and the teachers are always so nice and helpful. Mr. Winter is a breath of fresh air, and Mrs. Worgen is absolutely helpful and awesome. I recommend Daystar to everyone. This is an amazing school. read more

For being a Christian school, Daystar academy is anything but a Christian minded God-fearing school. My children were left high and dry because they were having difficulty e-learning during the pandemic. Daystar academy basically took our tuition money during the pandemic and because we could not keep up with our children's e-learning they were just kicked out of the school. What a Christian way to handle the situation! If you love and care for your children I would not enroll them in Daystar Academy if my life depended on it! Do not say you weren't warned! read more

Unless you want your kid to be behind when they go to a new school or Graduate, do not send your kid here. They are not well taught and are treated like little kids. I had a kid at Daystar who seemed to be doing well in school. They got exceptional grades which made me proud of them. I was then in shock this year to find out he was getting C's and below at their new school. I was very confused at first until I had a chat with my kid. They told me how they were falling behind in classes now because of the lack of things they learned at Daystar. They said it was very slow paced and the teachers were almost too nice and when it came to learning they did not help a lot as many students even corrected them. As well as my student doing bad in school now, they also got sent into the office many times for small things that should just result in a talk from a teacher. I was very disappointed with this school and do not recommend sending your own children there. read more

My niece and nephew attend here, and this institution is a beacon of light and learning. The children are taught in balanced and innovative ways, the staff members are caring and professional, and there is plenty of communication with the parents/guardians. The kiddos are learning so much and they enjoy going to school, which sets a good precedent for their future as lifelong learners. I'm impressed with closeness and family-like culture, how they try to involve and engage everyone, and the structure provided! read more

My child loves this school! Tammi is very hands on. She knows every child and even knows the name of my infant. My child's teacher Ms. Cordes is very kind and intelligent. My daughter feels free to be herself and because she was new, her teacher did a great job finding opportunities to get her acclimated with the school and class. My daughter didn't do well in public school, but is now excelling at Daystar. She is beyond her peers in knowledge. I love that I can order lunch for her. They have lots of events and field trips. My daughter isn't stressed, but is still learning. She is in karate and musica theater. I haven't had any issues at all with any of the staff. I can't wait to send my son here when he's older. read more

Both my kiddos go here. I am grateful, it is one of the best things in our lives. They are getting an extremely good education for a reasonable price. It is a faith based school (evangelical, protestant). Notably: My kids have retained and developed their natural curiosity. The teacher to student ratio is good. The community is delightful. The Principal is top notch. read more

There are too many wonderful things to say about Daystar, so I'll give you an example. Meet: The hot lunch thermos. This thermos has been accompanying our Kindergartner to school for 8+ months. My husband and I were JUST informed of the fiasco surrounding our sons lunch shenanigans with his hot lunch box (by a friend who happens to be on Staff). Apparently, the steam of the hot lunch creates a vacuum making it too hard for him, the Teacher, the Receptionist, the Building Manager, the Principal... or any other "strong man contest" he can lure in to try. We immediately planned to stop using the thermos, to which was replied, "Oh, no. You can't take this from him. It's totally his thing! He gets such a kick out of it." And, I can picture his silly grin and giggle. THIS IS WHY we love Daystar. Never have they complained about a lunch thermos so ridiculous it can't be opened, or tying our kids shoes a gazillion times, or complaining that we asked last minute if Grandparents could join the classroom for lunch? It is such a wonderful, welcoming, nurturing environment. We love the diversity - racially and socio-economically. We love their approach to academics, giving each child room to learn at their own pace. We love the teachers. The teacher ratios. The curriculums are creative, and intent on character development. The city of Chicago is amazing in and of itself and Daystar utilizes it. The Learning Excursions our Kindergartner has been on this year are fantastic! Learning hockey in gym... visiting the Blackhawks practice stadium. Learning about community... walking to the Chinatown fire station to learn about the role fire fighters play in our community. We have truly found the best school in Chicago! Like many other families with young kids, without a school like Daystar in the city, we would most likely need to move out of the city to find a school that meets our family and child's needs. We are truly blessed to be a part of the Daystar community. read more

Daystar has been a true blessing for our family! My son started kindergarten this past fall and has thrived. Ms Foley is quite possibly the best kindergarten teacher around and Ms Brink is also a bright spot in my son's day. From the moment we pull up in the morning, principal Tami is there ready to greet us with a smile and help hold my son's bag as he hops out. These little touches are just one of the many ways we feel like we're part of the Daystar family. We absolutely loved the Montessori school our son was at but are thrilled we have transitioned to Daystar. The curriculum is quite impressive with a monthly assignment sheet of 15-20 assignments to complete. The assignments range from making a number line to reading a book out loud to parents. The smaller class sizes really create a strong learning environment where each child feels cared for and supported. They also stand out with the number of learning excursions (i.e. Field trips) they do. And being so close to the museum campus really helps! Can't recommend it enough! read more