Great school. My kids love it. teachers are friendly and patient. Looking forward for the years to…read morecome. Highly recommend

St. Francis de Sales HS is a school on the upswing. The work of Principal Roni Facen (an alum…read moreherself) has brought new life and energy to the building. Recent improvements to the library, cafeteria, weight room, and Gymnasium building are just the start. Enrollment is increased by 30% this year--just a sign of the renaissance of the school. AP subjects include English Literature and Composition, English Language and Composition, US History, and Biology. Honors courses are offered in most subject areas. Class sizes are small (generally fewer than 18 students/class) with opportunities for 1:1 tutoring and other support services with classroom teachers and support staff. Charity and charism are part and parcel of the school's mission and philosophy. As such, students give of themselves through many different outreach opportunities such as our monthly food drives, COVID-19 testing and vaccination days, mental health support and awareness community events, and Ecology/environmental outreach at Big Marsh Park and other nearby wetlands. Students are warm and welcoming to each other. It is a supportive, loving environment for learning. Sports have always been a keystone activity. Recent options include Soccer, Basketball, Track, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and Cheer & Dance. Activities offered include Photography Club, Anime Club, Gaming Club, Students in Action (Multiplying Good), Weightlifting and Ecology Club. Occasional grant funded programs provide even more opportunities such as a Build-a-Bike class.

I attended this school from 6th to 12th grade. The majority of the time I experienced daily…read moreinappropriate remarks from some very ghetto kids from 2001 to 2007. The sexual vulgarity that came out of their mouths was so frequent I started walking from one class to another with headphones. Then I was told by security I was not allowed to wear headphones. At the time, we only had 2 security guards who regularly circulated. One was almost bed ridden due to physical ailments and had to roll around in an a special chair. The other was hearing impaired so he couldn't hear any of the sexual obscenities the boys were shouting. I would not recommend this school for that reason.

Very questionable school. Lots of very interesting faculty. I've had some very bad experiences with…read morethe faculty. Students are overall pretty nice. Some of the parents are also problematic.

Best school EVER they have classical nice staff and really good/high quality hot lunches super bigread more

We love Sor Juana Classical and Steam School! We were immediately impressed by Principal Kehr whose…read moreenthusiasm and excitement assured us we made the right choice for our son. From Principal Kehr, who personally greets each student every day and goes above and beyond to help our son, to the teachers who are phenomenal, the state-of-the-art technology/STEAM lab, and the small class sizes for individualized learning - We could not dream of finding a more amazing school! Our son is now in the 100th percentile for math and 99th for reading and writing. He is reading at a sixth-grade level and has developed tremendously over a short period of time.

I am so upset with the school right now. this school may be "good" but, recently I took my child…read moreto this school and they expected him to act like he was in a palace or something. They made him wear uniforms that are so uncomfortable. And if you take off your tie, you get detention. Even worse is when you go home, you can't take off your tie until you are inside. HEAR ME OUT, THEY LITERALLY HIRE PEOPLE TO GO ON THE BUSES AND MONITOR STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T TAKE OFF THEIR TIE. This school is the absolute worst. I would not dare take him here again.

I went to Skinner from kindergarten until 8th grade. I graduated twice from this school and…read morewouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else during my grammar school years. Not only did I have amazing teachers, faculty, and friends; it would such a great school. The faculty did the best they could to make the students' experience different and I think they definitely accomplished that. I would say, and I'm sure most of the people that I graduated with, would say that we absolutely loved our time at this school and would recommend it to anyone out there looking for an amazing school with amazing people teaching their children. Sidenote: I went to the school before this new one was built, but I've been back to visit and this is definitely an accurate picture of what the building looks like. It's beautiful on the inside and out.

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...

My daughter graduated from Walter Payton 6 years ago. She excelled at Vanderbilt University and is…read morecurrently working on her MBA at University of Chicago. She flourished at WPHS and developed her skills in Math, Science, and critical thinking.

Jones College Prep is 100 on the US NEWS and WORLD REPORT Top 100 High Schools…read more I am so grateful for Jones College Prep, from which my eldest daughter graduated last night and from which my younger daughter will graduate in two years. For those of you who believe you must move to the suburbs to obtain a quality education for your children, it just ain't so!! Jones is small (700 students), academically rigorous as a public "Selective Enrollment School" (granted, with highly competitive admissions), and its most unique quality, remarkable diversity: 30% Hispanic, 24% White, 24% Black, 11% Asian, 8% Native American (in Chicago!), and 4% Multiracial. Here is one astonishing factoid that speaks volumes about the quality of education at Jones, and the depth and talent of the 200+/- member Class of 2008. Collectively, these kids were awarded $11.14 million in scholarships. That's something like $55,000 per student. Here is a representative list of the caliber of colleges represented by this year's graduating class: Bard, Barnard, Bennington, Carnegie Mellon, Coe, Cornell, Eugene Lang, MIT, NYU, Oberlin, Purdue, University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Wellesely, and many more. Not all public schools suck.

Jones is a wonderful school in the city of Chicago. Any child would be lucky to get in and go…read morethere. I currently have a daughter attending (sophomore), and my son will be joining her there, as a freshman, this fall. A true gem of a school in the south loop.

Rating based on: Building /property (exterior)…read more Online information I always thought of Gunsaulus as a rather impressive school. A friend lived nearby and I often passed the school over the years. I guess it's been a few years since I went past Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy because it is more impressive than ever! I remembered a playground on the corner section of the school property near 44th St.& Sacramento Ave. It has been replaced by a track and soccer field. (see business photos) It looked more like a high school to me than an elementary school. Well, maybe that's because it is a "scholastic academy"!?! A Little HISTORY The school opened in 1924 and the estimated cost was $650,000 - - a considerable amount of money nearly 100 years ago! Lovely built-in features included: *Foyer with fine heavy oak woodwork, leaded glass windows and decorative plasterwork. *Terrazzo and marble hall floors. *800 seat auditorium *Large gymnasium on the fourth floor. *Enormous original kindergarten with non-working fireplace and kitchen. *The building originally accommodated 500 elementary students as well as the Freshmen of nearby Kelly High School. *Gunsaulus became a Scholastic Academy in 1982. https://gunsaulus.org//m/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=200710&type=d&pREC_ID=400544 For history of Frank W. Gunsaulus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_W._Gunsaulus TODAY Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy: *Grades PK-8th *Instruction based on NWEA and Fountas and Pinnell Assessments aligned to Common Core State Standards. *Offers high school algebra to 8th graders who are prepared for success in the program. School Introduction : https://gunsaulus.org/m/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=200710&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=401084 Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy seems to be a school where a child can get a very fine education. I just hope they moved that playground that used to be where the soccer field is now to the back of the building. (I did not check out the back of the building) I think it would be nice if the kids can have some fun on their journey to becoming "a community of passionate, loving, and respectful life-long learners and leaders who empower themselves as global citizens" - The Vision for the Students in the School Introduction link above. School -Review #1 Brighton Park Neighborhood Review #6

Unfortunately, this school has gone downhill significantly. It feels like many of the good teachers…read morehave left, and the overall quality and professionalism have declined. Communication is a major issue -- emails often go unanswered, messages left with the main office don't get returned.

I spent the second half of my grade school years here, before it was called an Academy. Back in…read morethe day it was just John H. Vanderpoel (poel pronounced pool) elementary school, which served grades K-8. No middle school back then, and grade school to high school was a big jump. No buses then, either. We walked to school. In the dead of winter, we walked. It wasn't far for me, though, about 5 blocks down quiet streets lined with huge trees. We lived next-door to my grandparents, who had lived in Beverly since before my mother was born, so I'm thinking my mom went to Vanderpoel, too, but I can't remember for sure. But I do remember the school, a 3-story old brick building that included swings on the playground. I remember my teachers, I remember the gym that doubled as an auditorium, I remember my classmates. The school was named after John H. Vanderpoel (in 1910?) as was Vanderpoel Ave., the street behind the school. John Vanderpoel, born in 1857 in the Netherlands, was an influential artist and taught at the Art Institute of Chicago for 20 years beginning in 1880. Georgia O'Keeffe was one of his students. She praised him as a teacher. Vanderpoel's book, "The Human Figure", was published in 1907. BOY could he draw in pencil & charcoal. Until 1929, his works were housed in the school, then moved to nearby Ridge Park Field House & displayed in the art gallery named after him. Vanderpoel School is indeed part of Beverly's rich history & I loved it there. I loved my neighborhood, my friends, my school, and the simplicity of growing up back in the day (not saying how long ago but it was....long ago). I still have many of my grade school papers & projects. Wow, so different from the work kids do today. Example: a geography project for a state (or country?) that exported cotton. In addition to a written essay, I glued a hunk of cotton to one of the pages. I got an "E" for excellent, no "A" back then at this school. My favorite class: art. I also took kiddie art classes at the Art Institute & then majored in Fine Art in college. I went on to have an art gallery in a Chicago suburb. I'm guessing Mr. Vanderpoel would like that. I'm guessing I would have liked Mr. Vanderpoel.