My boys attend school at Oscar Mayer. We pulled them from a private school and have found Oscar…read moreMayer public school to be superior. It is its own community. The parents are VERY friendly and the teachers all want to be there. I have never seen such an organized staff and so many wonderful volunteers. They have THE BEST after school program called "club bull dog". The children are able to pick what activities they want to be in such as Karate, Yoga, Lego, dance, shutter bug-picture taking, cooking, basketball, mad scientists, chess, and the list goes on!!! Each quarter the activities switch And my boys get so excited. Growing up I remember my mom having to drive my brother and I all around town for activities after school and at Oscar mayer they have everything on site!

This school is not Montessori -- that gets oversold on the tour. They may have Montessori works in…read morethe classroom, but Montessori principles are not followed throughout. There is external praise in the classrooms. They use shame tactics to get kids to do what they want them to do, manipulating their emotions. Some classrooms put the names of students on the board when they do something they should not do. The teachers do not seem to be able to help students resolve conflict using Montessori principles. The PE class has spent the entire period watching TV. The after school program bribes kids to finish worksheet packets with candy. This is a traditional school, not a Montessori school.

Serious safety issues - I wish we could wind back the clock and avoid this place - there are just…read moretoo many serious issues and not enough resources to provide a safe environment for children.

Great school with awesome teachers. Our kids love to go to the shool and their teachers are very…read moreinvolved and care a lot. So does the principal! It's the public & no-selective elementary school in Chicago with the best test scores, in a upscale neighbourhood with often overachieving and very educated parents. So, yes the school cares about the test scores ... so do most parents, but our kids never felt any pressure to perform, our daughter thinks it's rather stimulating. They also have a special needs class for kids with learning desabilities.

We have been at SJS for four years now and are so grateful to have found this school. The school…read morehas won 3 blue ribbons, has consistently high test scores, and a wonderful parent community. We have felt very supported by the teaching staff and our kids are genuinely excited to go to school everyday.

St Josaphat has provided both of my kids a great education. The teachers and staff are amazing,…read moreand the kids are very well-prepared for high school and beyond. The parent community is active and very involved; some of our closest friends are other parents at the school. I have two very different learners, one with a 504/student support plan, and both of my kids have thrived at the school. I can't recommend it highly enough.

My son attende Prescott Elementary and I am extremely happy. The school administration and faculty…read morehave dedicated themselves and manage skillfully to oversome challenges of its diverse community of chidlren and parents. Prescott created a highly respectful, confident and motivted body of students through persistent application of innovative educational methods. This is visible throught the yearly award winning and academic results. Thank you Prescott Elementary!

My daughter was bullied there by both teachers and students my daughter tells me. She's out now…read morefor a while. There was some lousy kid who cut my daughter's hair in class. When I went to the school and spoke with the vice principle or assistant principle or whatever that is, one f*****g c***t Amanda Mulch and complained. Know what she said? She said "You don't like it you can take your daughter to another school!" And that's exactly what I did. In a follow up meeting with the principle, one di***head Mr Roche he presented me with a stay order of some type. Yes what another reviewer here said they brush problems and hide them. This school is to be avoided at all costs and both Mr Roche and Amanda Mulch should be sacked immediately.

As a current teacher at Inter-American Magnet School, I can attest to its academic quality and…read moresocial impact. Our school is the 2nd oldest dual language public school in the country. Many Chicago Public Schools claim to be 50/50 English and Spanish, but Inter-American is one of the few schools actually doing it. If you want your student to be fluent in English and Spanish, send your students here PK-8. I teach an Enrichment class at Inter-American to help students get into top high schools. Every year, students graduate Inter-American and go on to attend schools like UChicago Lab, Latin, Parker, Northside, Whitney Young etc. I would say the most popular high school for IAMS students is Lane Tech- a selective enrollment high school at Addison & Western. My favorite part of IAMS is our commitment to social justice. Students learn to respect different cultures from a young age. Students learn tone proud of their heritage and to value other heritages. Great school in a safe area.

Don't. Just don't. I know you're excited because it has "magnet school" in the name, and we were…read moretoo, but we've learned the hard way that IAMS is a deeply dysfunctional place. CPS knows this is a troubled school, and goes to great lengths to hide it (Google the Block Club Chicago articles about IAMS from 2021 to see what I'm talking about). Their LSC just held a no confidence vote in their 4th principal in 8 years, after the last one was abruptly "reassigned" to the central office in the middle of the year. This place is chaotically disorganized and growing steadily more dangerous (one "soft" lockdown so far this year). Communication is poor, grammatically incorrect and/or entirely in Spanish, despite their bilingual mission. If your child is not Latino, they WILL suffer harassment and discrimination. Teachers' kids are allowed to bully others with impunity, and appear to be exempt from the rules. Administrators actively protect bullies and retaliate against parents who advocate for their children. IAMS will boast about its parent involvement, but in reality it is run by a small cabal of *very extra* parents, and if you're not among them, you and your child are second-class citizens. There are some excellent teachers there, as well a few really terrible ones. I have witnessed a teacher shouting and using sarcasm at a class of 4th graders. Very few people seem happy to be there. Add the Cubs traffic to all this, and it's nowhere near worth it. Avoid at all costs.

My son has attended Hawthorne for 7 years. Contrary to what has been posted by a former parent, we…read morehave never experienced racial inequality at the school. It has a diverse student population with families whose ethnic roots span the globe. Each year the school has a fundraiser to provide programs in the arts that CPS has eliminated due to budget cutbacks. This fundraiser has silent auctions where parents bid as little or as much as they wish on goods and services. No pressure is put on parents to participate in this event. If someone wishes to bid $10,000 for a personal parking space in the school parking lot, ( and no..I am not that person ), I would thank them for providing enriching programs for the students that they wouldn't otherwise have. If a child has behavioral issues, there are specialists who can address the problem. A teacher's job, ( to state the obvious ) is to teach, and not allow a disruptive child to affect the quality of the education of the other 30 students in the class

Hawthorne teachers all use more of an unschooling or child led environment. There is very little…read morestructure and discipline taught so your kids will really struggle to keep up with the structure and discipline and higher standard in choice high schools once they leave Hawthorne. Due to the lack of discipline and structure in Hawthorne once they reached middle school Hawthorne was rampant with bullying, out of control, highly privileged and entitled kids that have no respect for anything and take everything for granted. It is very sad to see because this school gets A LOT of funding and TONS of support and donations from the district and the wealthy families. Yet their academics are not that much better than lower income schools and the culture within the school is very toxic. Hawthorne encouraged a huge lack of appreciation for the advantages they were provided and this type of toxic and overly privileged environment will deeply damage your child's character, their mental, emotional and academic outcomes. If you have a daughter attending Hawthorne your daughter will be surrounded by spoiled white male children that are not taught that no means no and not taught to respect her boundaries. If you complain about how your daughter is treated the school will do nothing at all about it and say boys will be boys while they raise a bunch of Brock Turners to release in to society. Hopefully one day they use all of the extra funding they receive on improving their school.

I have three children who currently attend school here. You really can't beat the sense of…read morecommunity and the commitment of the teachers and staff. The Performing arts teachers are top notch! The parent community is committed and involved. It is an excellent option to consider for your kids!

This is our second year as a Tubman family and we are extremely happy! Tubman has checked all of…read moreour top "wish list" items for a school for our kids: great academic program (wall to wall IB program), different electives, diverse groups, strong parent-admin communication and, most importantly...an amazing community!!

Update: we have both of our sons, upcoming 6th grade and 2nd grade, at walt disney magnet school…read moreand I just felt compelled to express my absolute joy with this school! Both of our sons have been here since kindergarten, and they are just flourishing. Living in chicago, parents can almost be overwhelmed with the amount of education options and feel stress about if they're making the right call on where to send their children. After being here so many years, we have never once questioned our decision to join the walt disney magnet school family. Whether your child is an excellerated learner or needs some extra help, the teachers optimize the true potential of each student. This is genuinely a school for every and any child and we just feel so lucky to be here. Aside from the teaching staff, the administrative team has found a way to keep a personal relationship with their families, all while managing over 1,400 students. Principal Riskus is always at every field day, concert, play, etc, and not just to show up but to engage with the kids and their families. How these teachers and administrators can be on a first name basis with over 1,400 students and families is beyond me, but they do it. We have never felt like just another name on a list despite the abundant student population. I imagine my review might seem like I work there or this is an AI response (ha!) but i truly am just a parent who loves this school. Again, I just felt compelled to express our true appreciation and cannot wait for the new school year.

I got to go the June graduation here for a family member and was really impressed. She did well on…read moreher state tests and got into a selective enrollment high school. I guess that makes for a short review but thats really all you need to know. Walt Disney Magnet School did its job and did it well.

This school has is amazing! It has a spectacular staff and an even better education system. AACA is…read morenot just a school, it is a home. Every day there is hot lunch in the cafeteria that is both healthy and tasty. AACA has left many parents marveling on how confident, educated and all around great their kids are after sending them to this school.

From the owner: We immerse our students in an academically excellent, arts-integrated, Catholic community…read more Alphonsus enrolls 500 preschool through eighth graders eager to learn, ready to serve, and creatively curious. Come experience the Alphonsus difference!

Chicago's best kept secret. I hesitate to post about it, so the word gets out…read more This school is extremely strong academically with students attending elite high schools. The diverse learning program is strong and every teacher in this school is dedicated to nothing but your child.

You won't find a more loving, supportive and fun school for your child in the city. We've been…read moreparents here for nine years. The academics are great- the kids are well prepared for high school- but it's the community and the belief that kids should enjoy being at school and have fun learning that has made all the difference. Our children thrived here and love their school. The 8th graders know the preschoolers, the students know all of the teachers and the principal welcomes you each morning. Its a gem in Lakeview. Thank you, OLMCA!