As our daughters wrap up their 6th and 2nd grade school years, I fondly think back to when my…read morehusband and I took our first tentative steps through the front doors of Chicago Waldorf School for a Thursday morning tour in the fall of 2013. We entered into a warm, inviting space and were greeted by friendly faces and a caring energy. What we heard and saw in those couple hours completely changed our view and understanding of what school should be. We came away with a sense of openness, excitement and newness. After experiencing one Waldorf tour and orientation, we knew at a deep level this was what "school" should look like and transferred our daughters mid-year from the school they were attending. The focus on experiential learning paired with the practice of meeting the child with a cirriculum that matches where they are developmentally is paramount to the Waldorf educational philosophy. The parent community is also a huge part of what we have grown to love about the school. It is a vibrant, energitic and fun group of people who call CWS home. My husband and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of it.

The Chicago Waldorf School....although I have much to say, I will leave this brief and to the…read morepoint. The school is poorly ran, they don't know how to accept change, they use people that willingly volunteer their limited free time until the person feels so used they never return to the "community". I happen to think that the philosophical base behind Waldorf education is way ahead of the curve; however, the people running the Chicago school are way behind. Maybe one day everything will click for them and the students can get the education they deserve without the distractions that have constantly plagued the school. - Alum

My son is in first grade and I have been very happy with the school. He is doing well academically…read morebut most important he is excited to learn. I attribute that attitude to both the teachers and the administration who always seem to give there all.

The school is okay. Teachers are adequate, but the leadership truly lacks. The principal exhibits…read morepassive-aggressive behavior and should not even be an assistant principal. Other than that, the school is in a convenient location and is free of rats.

We love St. Edward. I am an alum who learned both values and academics needed to succeed in high…read moreschool, college, and graduate school. This community is exactly what our children need. We watch them go off to school full of happiness and eager to learn. We couldn't ask for better environment for our children. Thanks to Ed's for providing a balance of education, community, service, faith, and bringing joy to their students.

As I write this, my daughter is in 4th grade and my son just started Kindergarten. We cannot be…read morehappier. Our daughter started at this school in preschool and we have seen her grow and experience everything this school has to offer. She is just getting into the sports programs there which will elevate her confidence even more. The small class sizes, great families, and teachers all put forth an effort to insure that your child will excel in life. Also, most of the children that have graduated from this school have qualified for great high schools in the area, from Loyola, Notre Dame, and St Ignatius to Northside College Prep and Whitney Young. Great Choice, Great Community, Great School. Eva K, not sure who you are, or when you went, but those comments are far from our family's experience.

My son got in to the first class of the Options program at Coonley, and now that he's about to…read moregraduate, I have to give them credit for helping him get into the Selective Enrollment HS of his choice. If you're fortunate enough to test into the Options program here, or be in the Neighborhood program, consider them seriously as a good place to entrust your kid's intellectual growth.

I moved back into this neighborhood 5 years ago. My son is now in 7th. He has challenging LD's with…read morean IEP. Coonley has done the best of their ability to help my Son and listen to my suggestions. I appreciate their help :)

I got a decent education for 2 years I was at A.H.S. Even…read morebeing a Latin King the teachers made the effort and showed me that there's more to life than Chicago! I say that as a proud Chicagoan!

Son is an IB sophomore and we are so pleased about the caring and supportive teachers,…read moreadministration, staff and other parents involved with Amundsen. Our expectations have been exceeded on every front. This is a fantastic neighborhood school and opportunities abound for kids to pursue academics, athletics and clubs in a warm and welcoming environment with lots of options.

As parents we spend countless hours (and sometimes years) searching to find an elementary school…read morewhere we know our precious children will be safe, loved, happy and intellectually challenged each day. In my case, the search to find this school started when my daughter was born in the fall of 2008 and I became a stay-at-home dad. From the start of our search, my wife and I were doubtful we would come across a school that would meet all of our expectations. The reason we were so pessimistic was because my wife and I are both elementary school teachers. We know first hand how hard teachers, administration and staff need to work to make each child in the school feel safe, loved, happy and challenged every single day from the minute the students walk into school until the time the students walk out. Then one day in the fall of 2009, I visited the playgroup at German International School Chicago (GISC) with my daughter just to get a peek inside the school. After two more years of attending the playgroup at GISC, asking a lot of questions, reading a lot of research about the benefits of brain development in bilingual children, and continuing to visit numerous other schools around Chicago, it was crystal clear to me that GISC was the dream school I had been searching for years for my daughter. As soon as my daughter was eligible to attend GISC, in the fall of 2011, I enrolled her. It is now 2017 and the German International School Chicago still continues to meet the four criteria we all want for our children and they continue to exceed my expectations. The only difference now is that I have two daughters that are enrolled into GISC and both of them speak German fluently. My daughters' lives right now could not be any better off educationally, emotionally and developmentally. I owe it all to the GISC teachers, staff, parents, community members and the truly amazing director at GISC, Frau Obritzberger. Thank you so much GISC! My family and I are looking forward to the very bright future ahead at GISC.

My child is still at the gisc. So far I am not happy with the outcome of my child's education,…read morebased on the price. My child claimed to witness: Favoritism Uncleanliness Ai usage And the lack of privacy

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

I love this high school…read more There is That one teacher who really gets you. Your Crew. The yearbook! Friday nights under the lights. Get your groove on. Clubs, activities, extracurriculars. Spirit week. Community support.

Been waiting for the right words and time to express my experience. But here I go…read more... We started over the pandemic and we chose them because they had safe covid protocol, a tight nit community, and strong philosophy. We loved our first year as the teacher was experienced and communicative. Year 2 we started to get signs that school communication was lackluster and then an inexperience teacher was brought in to the toddler class. We quickly started getting calls with assumptive diagnoses and lack of details on what the issues were. We listened to the feedback about how to improve in our "Montessori parenting but also quick, diagnoses to sensory issues. We listened and found solutions to that feedback to fit in. Year 3 Tidbits that there were issues happening with non specifics or examples given one was that a 3 loved our first year as the teacher was experienced and communicative. Year 2 we started to get signs that school communication was lackluster and then an inexperienced teacher was brought in to the toddler class. We quickly started getting calls with assumptive diagnoses and lack of details on what the issues were. We listened to the feedback about how to improve in our "Montessori parenting" but also quick, diagnoses to sensory issues. We listened and found solutions to that feedback to fit in. Year 3 Tidbits that there were issues happening with non specifics or examples given (one was that a 3 year old " putting materials in water at lunch"... was disruptive) to ultimately a midday work call asking my kid to leave without anything else. Final days: given essentially 30 days to find our son a new school On our last parent teacher conference we saw different parents asked to leave the conference because of a misschedule on the schools part. Not a surprise. 1 out of 5 stars. To this school: Adapt with the times and treat us like humans

I love our little school! The teachers and administration are excellent. My daughters have attended…read moresince preschool (now in first and fourth grade, respectively) and I am grateful for the down-to-earth education they are receiving and the tight-knit community of staff and parents. Reading the bad review from Yesenia due to lack of diversity is incredibly frustrating. My children are bi-racial but very light-skinned. How can one judge the merits of a school based on the color of its students and staff? For the record, there are Indian, Asian, Hispanic and other Black families at the school including several Hispanic staff members and a teacher of Indian descent - but that does not and should not matter! What ever happened to building a nation of citizens "where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."? For the other parents who found that their children did not succeed at CM; perhaps an AMI Montessori program is not a good fit for your child. CM is one of two AMI-accredited schools with an Adolescent Program in Chicago, which means they follow the original standard of teachings developed by Maria Montessori. There is no technology in the classroom and students are expected to self-govern their time and develop personal responsibility for their work and education, which is exactly why we love the program. In regard to the comment about the "long time veteran teacher" leaving; she retired and is still involved with the school. Furthermore, I can assure you, things are not falling apart. We were fortunate to have in-person learning for all of the 2020/2021 school year with masks, temp checks and frequent hand washing and thankfully there were no Covid outbreaks. CM is a tight ship and my daughters are thriving.