My children have been at St A's for 8 years and we have been very happy. The kids have cultivated…read morewonderful relationships and it is a vibrant community of families. I know that the teachers and parents know my children and I know that they are academically, socially & emotionally prepared for going into high school.

I've never had such a terrible experience in applying for a school. I put in two applications in…read moreApril of 2019 for my son and my niece. My sister and brother went to tour the school and my brother put in an application for his daughter as well. I called about 3 weeks in to ask why I hadn't heard anything back. The very rude secretary informed me it was because at the time I was out of state and they couldn't meet my son after she claimed she never received my application at all. I asked her why wasn't I contacted to let me know they needed to meet with my son. She said the principal would call me. The principal did not. I called a few days later and left another message. The principal finally called me a few days later but I missed the call as I was at work. I returned the call the next day and never heard back again. That was in May. It's now August. I got the distinct impression they were not at all interested in having us at their school. I found another great school for my kid and the whole process took about 2 weeks and they welcomed a visit with my son when we arrived in town. My sister reached out recently and she was told they couldn't accommodate her daughter. I called to find out why. The principal answered the phone this time. She was incredibly rude to me. When parents apply to an institution, we shouldn't be made to feel like we have to beg a school to take us in. I told her I found another school for my son since I never heard back from them. She was completely dismissive. As it stands, I've learned the school isn't very diverse so it probably wouldn't be a good fit for my kid anyway as he is a minority. I've never gone on social media to give any establishment a bad review but my experience with this school made me feel I had to.

We hired Susan from Riley Baker to help both of our kids prepare for and apply to college. She…read morebegan working with the kids when they were early in their high school career. She helped both kids identify a career path and ultimately what they wanted our of their college experience. The biggest benefit of working with the kids this early was that they understood what was required in order to get into their top choice schools. She constantly gave them ideas for unique and relevant extracurricular activities, volunteer opportunities and other resume builders. Susan also showed the kids how to start researching and evaluating schools, which can be overwhelming for high school students. She encouraged the kids to visit schools and discussed their feedback afterward. Finally, Susan helped the kids write all of their essays (countless rounds of edits), as well as actually apply to colleges. She showed them how to fill out the applications properly, double checked their work, help them describe their activities properly, etc. . Ultimately, both of our children got into their first choice school. Susan emphasizes more than just rankings and images - she encourages the kids to really want to go to their top choices for the right reasons. She is patient but firm with the teenagers and always keeps the parents involved. While it is large financial and time committment to work with a counselor from Riley Baker, it is worth the investment. I would highly recommend Susan and Riley Baker to anyone.

We worked with Kim at Riley Baker to help both of our kids with the college admissions process, and…read morewe couldn't be happier with the service we received. Our kids couldn't be more different, and she tailored her services to them both beautifully. Our son was first, and he had really no idea where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do. Kim helped him work out a process of elimination where he eventually narrowed down a list of qualities that were important to him in a school. From there, she helped identify schools to meet those criteria, and worked with him through the process. Kim was especially helpful with his essay. Our daughter this past year was quite the opposite experience. She knew what she wanted to study and had a good idea where she wanted to go. Kim was instrumental in helping her narrow the search down to a manageable number of contenders, and was again very helpful in the construction and editing of the essay. We were especially impressed at how Kim adapted to work with my daughter who is persuing the performing arts, something she hadn't encountered much before. Overall we couldn't be happier. We've recommended Riley Baker (and Kim specifically) to several friends who've been happy as well.

My Freshman & Sophomore years were the Best here. Great memories, great teachers. My parents and…read moreI moved to Florida to continue making memories. In my heart.

Great place to send your kids if you want them to be assaulted by other classmates and then the…read moreschool doesn't do a single thing to protect your child

This school has been life-changing for my daughter. She has been able to fully use all her skills…read moreand intellect; she feels embraced by the school community, respected and accepted exactly as she is. I am deeply grateful to Fusion Lincoln Park for seeing my daughter and giving her the nurturing support and education she needed and deserved. I'd give ten stars if I could.

An Amazing and Fun school to learn at! I am always exited to get to school every day!read more

I did not think I would need a counselor/tutor outside of the support I had from my school, but…read morewhat 1636 Review boiled down to was exactly what I ended up needing: not a motivational tool, but a great set of eyes. Linda, having seen a wealth of both successful and unsuccessful essays, knew where to push certain essays, where to retract, and when to change the focus of a piece entirely. She, and the few students she has working for her, have a strong set of healthy tips to offer students struggling (or not) with essays of any kind. Additionally, Linda was eager to check in -- by phone or by email -- to ensure that the process was going smoothly, that I was meeting our agreed upon deadlines, and that I liked the direction in which my essays were going. Collaboration and support happened not just during sessions, but all the time. I never lacked a newly marked up copy of an essay, and when I did, it meant it was time for another meeting. Beyond essays, it was actually Linda that pushed me to apply Early Decision, a choice that I could not thank her more for influencing. I had a good idea as to what schools interested me, but it was Linda who really pushed me to make the firm decision, and as a result, I had a head start on essays, an unmatched interest in a school, and a free winter break! Thanks to Linda and everyone at 1636 Review!

Linda was incredibly helpful with my business school application and with her help I was just…read moreadmitted to HBS! I met Linda through my aunt who suggested I seek her advice with my essays. Through phone conversations and emails, Linda helped me craft my story into an essay that captured both my experience and personality. I couldn't be more happy with the result and I don't think I would be going to Harvard Business School next year without her!

My daughter joined North Park Elementary when she was in kindergarten and she is about to graduate…read morefrom 8th grade. I have been impressed with this school from start to finish. NPES does an amazing job teaching the kids how to learn. They're constantly building on what they know, and rounding back to reinforce the knowledge they already have. The 8th grade math and science curriculum is high school level and I've heard the kids are well prepared for high school. The kids test well for the CPS selective enrollment and private school tests, and most kids go to top rated high schools. We had a lot of support through the whole high school enrollment process as there is dedicated faculty to guide families. The school also has a strong basketball, theater and Science Olympiad program. The parents and teacher community are welcoming. I feel lucky to have found this little school!!

In our experience, you couldn't do better than NPES -- high standards achieved by excellent…read moreteaching rather than testing pressure. This weekend our son graduates from the University of Illinois - Champaign, as did our daughter three years ago. Both went through NPES from K through 8 and thrived in high school and college. Our daughter was in the Scholars program at Van Steuben, our son at North Side College prep. Now for the proud parent part. Our daughter is only a couple years out of college with a B.S and already in her dream job in food science, working for a major company. Our son is graduating for UIUC Phi Beta Kappa with a major in geography with minors in urban planning and infomatics, accepted in library school at the UIUC (which is the best in the country). Wow. They couldn't have done any better. We credit NPES for giving them a very strong start, with an impetus to study and do well that has carried them all the way. The small classes, personal attention, inspiring teaching, encouragement rather than pressure, out of class activities -- it all worked the way grade school should work. Beyond that, and perhaps because of the NPES friendships and good start, neither has ever gotten into any kind of trouble or (to our knowledge) even close to it. We feel blessed. And NPES was a key part of that blessing. If you're thinking about schools, be sure to consider this little gem.

I went to grammar school here and graduated in 1986. My second home. Had a real multi cultural…read moreeducation when I went to school here and all my class mates were from different nationalities. It being a smaller catholic church than others, it offers more of an intimate environment, St Thomas is a real anchor of diversity in Uptown. SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE Vietnamese/Laotian 8:00am English 10:00 am Espanõl 12:00pm Eritrean Ge'ez Rite 3:00pm (Mass 1st Sunday of the month, prayer 3rd Sunday of the month)

My son graduated from St. Thomas of Canterbury this past May, and he started attending the school…read morein pre-school. St. Thomas offers an inexpensive solid education which prepares your child to achieve their goals upon graduation. The school is very small, but the staff is committed to helping your child succeed academically.

Teachers really care about your kid and not just if they are in honors or AP courses. They engage…read moreand teach. The administration so far has been outstanding and has worked with our student especially Chris Grosrenaud who is an amazing counselor. We look forward to the next four years with our youngest who starts in 2026. Really couldn't be happier with any public school our children have attended Des including private schools.

Both campuses are great. The staff care about the students. All of my sons teachers were amazing…read more They have a lot of stuff for tut students to pick from. The classes they offer can help the students with the education during and after high school.