Ok, i just graduated from ETHS this year and despite my many mixed feelings i considered it to be a…read moremostly positive experience. First let me start off by saying i have a lot of anxiety, both social and academic, and i took a while to adjust, but i did eventually. The pros- -all sorts of after school activities are available. Yes we have football, debate, honor society, basketball, and all the typical stuff. But we also have quiddich club, ceramics club, Latin club, Israeli culture club, photography club, classic film club, etc. -the school is ethnically diverse -yes, it's not in the nicest area and there are some troublemakers, but ETHS has TONS of security guards that will do things like split up fights immediately. Unless you are someone who goes around looking to pick fights you are probably safe. -the school is big enough that people are not too into your business or gossipy because you are just 1 of over 3000 kids. -tons of support systems available AM support (before school), Wildkit academy (on Saturday, but also feeds you and clears detentions), and a study center/ lab for every academic subject. The cons- -The "achievement gap" is VERY noticeable, and although the school has tried to integrate classes, it has made many of the parents of the higher achieving (yes, mostly white) students upset. -the security can sometimes be a bit overkill, do we really need them in every corner yelling at us to get to class? Shouldn't we be able to figure that out on our own? -the school looks intimidating and is big, and can be difficult for freshmen (and certain people in general) to navigate. -I have friends that have learning differences and forums of anxiety different from my own who have had bad experiences with the special ed department.

The lady in the front office is literally no help :\ I've called two times, and she has just…read moredirected me in the wrong direction. She always has an attitude as well.

This school has been a terrible experience for my child. She struggles with severe social anxiety…read moreand has difficulty interacting with other children her age, yet out of all the students with anxiety, the school singled her out. One of her teachers often spoke down to her as if she were unintelligent, despite the fact that she is very bright, excels in science, and consistently scores well on tests. She is also very talkative and expressive around family, and she was already in therapy receiving support for her anxiety. Without informing me, the teacher arranged for her to take a test and then sent her to a speech therapist. Because of her anxiety and the unexpected nature of the test, she felt overwhelmed and couldn't think clearly in the moment. As a result, she was unable to recall or process what was being read to her, which only worsened her anxiety. The following year, the school placed her in an IEP without notifying me. The way this situation was handled makes me feel that racism may have influenced their decisions.

This school was the worst of my life in 3 years at Haven. When I was in 6th grade, I was falling…read morebehind but then I was all caught up during the pandemic. It gave me so much anxiety and anger to the point I just wanted to give up. But 2 years later it got even worse. I just met the assistant principal and she wasn't as friendly like the others. She would fuss about students not bringing hall passes with them at all times whenever they're broken or lost. She would also take cellphones away during lunch or recess because it's "a distraction from learning" Another thing that I hate about is how this school gave me more anxiety in 8th grade. My teachers alternatively gave us work by their teaching style while other teachers who had more experience in the district were teaching students with higher education. They were far behind in units and couldn't understand the curriculum so almost everyone in my class was failing! Any child who is attending Haven in the next school year I recommend you take their education to a different school or outside of this district because this school gave me a lot of anxiety and fear growing up!

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.

My son did not learn anything here! He would come home with bad grades and when I asked his…read moreteacher. They were so rude and pissed off as if they hated their job. If your going to teach kids, hire better staff.

my kids do not go to school here but they attended a weekend event that was hosted by Nichols. It's…read morean older building for sure but judging from the facilities and art work that graced the halls, this looks like a cool school in a nice neighborhood.

After my family moved to the area from out of state my husband…read morewas diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. After his loss, my son was really struggling with grief and depression. I was looking for a small school with a personal touch. My son was an incoming Junior and they said they would waive the language requirement. a year later they sprung on me in August, that they would not waive the requirement and he could nit graduate on time. They recommended that I move him to public school, so I did. After which they refused to refund my $16,000 payment for first semester Senior year. He didn't attend a single day. They also, harassed me for second semester payments with collection calls and refused to sign a social security form to help me get social security as a widow of 3 children. The head of school was incredibly degrading when I called her to discuss a possible refund. Beacon Academy claims to be a holistic approach and a caring environment. Don't buy it.

Beacon Academy is a brand new high school located in downtown Evanston, IL. This is the first…read moreMontessori-style school in the region. Beacon opened on Monday, August 25th, 2014 to a new freshman and sophomore class. Beacon has a tremendously dedicated staff and faculty. The team has been assembled from both the Chicago/Evanston area and other places across the U.S. to create a visionary school that others will use as a model for the future. Jeff Bell, Kate Anderson and others have worked hard for many years to reach this historic milestone. The mayor, alderman and others in the city met the staff and students for the ribbon cutting ceremony on the 25th. It's a remarkable achievement and one that I am very excited to be part of. Our daughter is one of the 30+ pioneers embarking on an amazing journey of learning, leadership and community. I highly encourage you to visit and welcome Beacon to the area!

Amazing staff! Such a special warm and caring environment full of creativity and smart guidance.read more

This is our 11th year at Roycemore, and I couldn't be happier with my decision to enroll both of my…read morekids in this school. Although we had a few hiccups with one teacher initially, they have since gotten to know my son better. The teachers at Roycemore are fantastic and genuinely care about their students. The most significant improvement I saw was when my daughter started high school. She became an excellent writer and developed a strong love for math. Thanks to the dedicated teachers, she was able to gain admission to an Ivy League school and now tutors other kids in math. When she ran out of classes at Roycemore, she was able to continue her studies in Mandarin and math at Northwestern. I love this school, the teachers, the staff, and I will be forever grateful for the impact they've had on my children's education and personal growth.

We feel so lucky that we discovered Baker. When we walked into Baker for an open house, we…read moreimmediately sensed the warmth of the staff and parent community. Our family is a two-mom transracial adoptive family. We were blown away with how comfortable we felt. Baker truly welcomes everyone. The hands-on learning experiences meet the needs of each individual child which has led our son to love school both academically and socially. Baker teachers and staff are flexible, compassionate, engaging, creative leaders in the field of education. Furthermore, Baker has resources that many private schools do without. There is a full-time learning specialist, social worker, and a nurse. We needed a school that would accept and embrace our son's food allergies. Baker goes above and beyond to make each student feel safe and important. Coming from a family full of educators, we realize that while no school is perfect Baker is a true gem!

Baker nurtures that spark for learning…read more We started at Baker last year. When district 65 wouldn't allow us to switch our assigned school, we realized just how curious we were to explore other options outside of district 65. We noted what we valued most in our kids schooling experience & as we heard really good things from others and read about Baker ourselves, it seemed to tick all the boxes... but on the website. And any website can say whatever it wants to say, but was there proof? Concrete proof of all the amazing claims? And tuition almost prevented us from taking a tour at all. But we had to just go see for ourselves. Once we toured, we were so excited and we just knew. The school is adorned with student creations and with self portraits and It's colorful! it's vibrant, it's lively. It's welcoming!! The energy is just good. Once we saw the classrooms, I knew I wanted my kids to go here. I wanted this to be their daily experience. The rooms have movement, they're (again) vibrant & lively. You WANT to learn in this space. I had toured our district school prior and I remember feeling anxious and so put off by how sterile and uniform and bland my sons kindergarten room was going to be. Like he's never going to sit still and shut up. And I don't want that for him. I knew if he wasn't stimulated enough & not challenged enough, he was going to act out. That his blossoming brilliance & sensitivity we see, would turn into goofiness & misbehavior. And my daughter would just be squashed & silenced by that method of teaching and atmosphere. That environment was going to kill the spark for learning for them. It would dim who they are. Environment MATTERS. The academic material is received so much better in a joyous, stimulating & nurturing environment. That is Baker. In our district school, I wondered... where's playfulness and joy and various charts and expression and tools for learning and learning through discovery and PLAY?? Baker is that. Baker values that. We value that! We have been at baker for a school year and a half now. During these extraordinarily fundamental years... the ones that shape their experience & relationship with schooling and academics for years to come , the years that shape confidence and self awareness and help establish their voice... these are the years I want them learning by exploring, by seeing and feeling and truly experiencing what they are learning vs the way I did ( and the most of us did) which was through our ability to regurgitate the material. The resources are outstanding. Our teachers have been extraordinary so far. My children are being nurtured. They're being taught well and excelling in all areas. They're overcoming challenges as well as being challenged. They are seen for who they are. They're thriving! And I see proof of that every single day. Baker is a community. I'm watching my kids cultivate community. Baker fosters that. I am proud to have my children at Baker. And I'm proud to share of my time, gifts and talents with Baker to help our school continue to grow, . I am proud to be as involved as I am. I'm invested! And genuinely interested in doing so. Despite running a small local business and having a family and all the time constraints and responsibilities like everyone else, l make time because this school matters to me. Because it matters to my husband. Because this school matters to my children. We are so fortunate to receive a scholarship to attend. So fortunate to be here. I always wanted to feel genuinely confident in our kids school and where they were going to be spending so so much of their time and who with. I love this school. I love the people who make up Bakers teachers and staff. As parents we are acknowledged and heard. As parents, we notice so many other parents genuinely involved in school. Invested in more ways than one. Again, community. A strong ever growing & involved community. I don't know what middle school is like or any of the other grades. However, I can confidently speak on our personal experience with lower school. And we have been thrilled. No school is perfect. Not even this one. But this one is really really good for our family right now. And we're so happy to be a part of it

It is a very nice place and the teachers are hands on and they have some of the best cuticular…read moreactivities.

This is a school. It is one of the best schools in Evanston. All of the teachers have at least one…read moredegree in what they teach. Being a student of this school, I should know that the school lunch and breakfast is decent.

I was raised in traditional schools and had no prior experience with the Montessori approach, so I…read morewasn't sure what to expect when we first joined Chiaravalle Montessori. But after four years at the school, I can confidently say that I am amazed by how effective this method is and how well it supports my child's individual growth. Our child is now in kindergarten, and one of the things that continues to impress me is the sophistication of the curriculum. Every day, he brings home work that I would have been doing in second or third grade--adding and subtracting fractions, solving word problems, and even working with four-digit multiplication. The school's approach really allows children to progress (and f accelerate) at their own pace. It's incredible to see how engaged and excited he is about learning. Even more importantly, he is thrilled to go to school each morning. Knowing that he wakes up eager to learn and be part of his classroom community speaks volumes about the environment Chiaravalle has created. Another standout aspect of Chiaravalle is the extraordinary educators. Over the past four years, our child has had three different classroom teachers, and every single one has been a true education professional, deeply dedicated to their students. They don't just teach; they observe, adapt, and create a learning experience that meets each child where they are. Their ability to recognize strengths and nurture individual potential is remarkable. Beyond academics, Chiaravalle is an incredibly close-knit and welcoming community. The relationships our child has built--with peers, teachers, and other families--are meaningful. It's a place where children are treated with dignity, encouraged to explore, and supported in becoming confident, engaged learners. We truly believe that Chiaravalle is giving our child the best foundation--not just academically but socially and emotionally as well. We feel incredibly grateful to be part of this school.

My son transferred to Chiaravalle during the fifth grade because his learning style wasn't…read morewell-suited for public school. His math scores were lagging and didn't improve despite trying things like teacher conferences and outside tutoring. After visiting Chiaravalle, my son was immediately attracted to the welcoming community and the modern Montessori learning approach, where students are allowed, encouraged, and trained to take responsibility for their own learning and community. He still doesn't love math (Chiaravalle can't perform miracles!) but he's back on track with what he needs to know and has much more confidence about his math aptitude. He's also learning tons of other great stuff--not just academics but also leadership skills (and the resilience needed to be a good leader) as well as executive functioning skills like how to keep up with his assignments and plan his own work schedule. He's in seventh grade now and in middle school they are doing such a great job getting him ready for ETHS. He's a social, outgoing person and we were not sure how he would do with the smaller class sizes. This turned out to be no problem, especially because students of different grades work together. He's friends with students who are a year older and a year younger than he is, in a way that I think would not be the case in public school. Overall, Sending him to Chiaravalle significantly and positively changed the trajectory of his education and development.