My children have attended St. Helen since we moved here two years ago. The school has a thriving parent-school association which puts on a four-day festival with music, rides, and a full-entertainment beer garden as well as many other community fundraisers to contribute to the school's operating budget. The school's enrollment has steadily increased since the current principal took over the operation and direction of the school and it is no wonder why. My children are getting an education by people who care and it shows in their development and well-being. read more

We love this school. My 3 year old started preschool here this year and we just love it. The principal is exactly what you'd expect - stern, fair and helpful. She's not there to make friends, she's there to make sure your children get the best possible education. She listens to the parents feedback and if it warrants a change - whether it's adding a new program, or handling an issue, she tries her best to do the most good. It bothers me when the principal puts on a happy face for the parents. Most of the teachers are wonderful, but do your homework - go to open houses, and make requests. I will say that like every school - not every teacher there is fully committed. I have come across one or two who always seem to have a sour puss on their face. And the work with kids under 6 - they should be smiling in their sleep! The tuition is affordable, especially for what you get. The hot lunch program and the after-care schedule family friendly. I would definitely look into this school - we really love it here and now feel like we don't *have* to move to the suburbs. There's a ton of diversity - socially and racially. The parent-groups are great - very involved but none of that stiff competition you see in other religious based education facilities in the city. Ranked top 25 in Chicago private schools! read more

Our son has been attending preschool since last November. This is a great little school. Dedicated teachers and great group of parents.

My child has been attending St. Helen for 3 years and we've recommended it to other parents often. It's exactly the kind of school that we had hoped for, in that the children are all happy and having fun at school, not stressed and worried about grades. The facilities are a little dated (this is a very old building that sometimes seems dimly lit and drab), but, the children's artwork brightens things up and they are trying to renovate it as funds become available. The thing we like the best about the school is the way the teachers encourage our child's creativity. I can't even count the number of times when my child's pre-K teachers went out of their way to stop us just to tell us that our child had said something particularly interesting in a kid logic kind of way, drawn or painted an especially good picture or otherwise done something they felt was noteworthy and we should encourage at home. I always know when they've had music class because my child comes home singing and talking about what Ms. M. had the class do that day. The art teacher is excellent as well. My child came home one day and excitedly told us all about how they were trying to paint pictures just like the ones Daddy and Mommy like at the museums. A few weeks later, we saw out child's recreation of van Gogh's Sunflowers posted at a website for student artwork online. Pre-K and kindergarten are structured around themes of the week. All of the subjects are taught in a way that ties the theme into the learning. For example, there was an Eric Carle week in which they used Carle's stories to focus on literature (obviously), science (so many nature themes in his works), as well as the artistry in his illustrations (each child created a painting using Carle's layered/textured style). The characters also found their way into little math lessons and such throughout the week as well. Teachers send home newsletters either weekly or bi-weekly to let parents know about the activities that are being done in the classroom so we can ask good questions and try to build on the lessons at home. In kindergarten, our child began bringing home books to read. The assignment was to read the book over and over until it could be read without errors to the teacher. Our child had never really been interested in reading, but somehow, the thrill of sitting with the teacher for a few minutes and entertaining her with a story was just the motivation needed. My child's now able to read most picture books without a problem and is starting to read chapter books. Pretty good for a beginning first grader. There are a plethora of after school activities even for young children, including Spanish, Mandarin and Polish clubs, science club, chess club, soccer and dance clubs. My child spends most days after school for an hour doing some activity or another. Perhaps things have changed in pre-K since my child was there, but whenever I picked my child up from the classroom, the assistant teacher was leading the students in a dance or gym-like activity to get the children moving again after nap time. They weren't sitting idly and watching TV or coloring, although, considering there is a 30 minute window for parents to pick up pre-K students (a change since my child was in pre-K), it seems logical to me that teachers would try to do a laid back activity that requires little clean-up so the child can walk away easily whenever someone shows up to take the child home. I certainly wouldn't judge the whole day by what I see at the very end. With a pre-K student, there are a lot of opportunities to go into the classroom and spend a day and see just what the children do and learn. I've done that and was impressed. read more

My child has been attending St. Helen for several years now. I'm surprised by the negative reviews. I wonder if the parent who was critical of learning in preschool spent time in the classroom, or only observed pick-up. I spent a lot of time in my child's classroom and the teachers were great. Every week or so had a different theme like butterflies. For science, the children would observe caterpillars and discuss different types of butterflies. For reading, they read books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. For math, they found various shapes in images of butterflies, etc. Everything tied together and the children learned about all the usual subjects through the theme. It laid a great foundation for kindergarten and beyond. I was continually impressed when my child talked about school. The negative reviewer could have had a bad teacher I'm not familiar with, but I think it's more likely there was more to the work than she realized. Pick up time for preschool runs between 2:30 and 3:00 in the classroom, shortly after nap time ends. Educational videos seem like a good way to give children a chance to wake up and walk away without missing anything. If a child is in the middle of an activity, (s)he often will be reluctant to leave. I love that my child wants to finish up, so when I'm rushing my babe, I feel bad. I can't say I've ever felt bad tearing the kiddo away from the TV because I'm illegally parked. Mixed age classrooms for preschool are on the way out. This year, it was announced that there would be a preschool class for children turning 5 shortly after school begins. The other classes have been moving in the direction of age groupings as well. I was disappointed in the news because I think the younger children learn a lot from their older role models. The older children nurture the younger ones and relish being role models. Children also get a chance to become friends with children that they might otherwise never have known because of their 1 year age difference. My child remains good friends with both children 1 year older and 1 year younger because they met in pre-K. I think it makes the school feel more like a community. The teachers handled the age disparity well by creating small groups based on ability to instruct children at their level. I can see how it would be easier for the teacher to teach children when they're all at the same level though. I have a baby, and look forward to seeing the age-based classrooms in action someday soon. I disagree with the characterization that the preschool students are just biding their time until they get into a CPS magnet. The majority of families that I have seen leave the school left because they moved to the suburbs because they didn't want to send their children to CPS schools or pay for tuition for younger siblings. I'm Catholic and have no problems with the Catholic instruction. It's consistent with the church's teachings on social justice. They're accepting of everyone, as they should be. I didn't hear criticisms from the staff about the former priest, but he was horrible with children. He had no patience for them, droned on forever during Ash Wednesday mass, the only time preschoolers attend, and didn't seem to understand why they were so fidgety. I hope the new priest is better with kids. There has been no update to the Chicago Magazine article about top schools, so I don't see why continuing to cite it is a problem. Parent volunteering is a problem. but I was welcomed by those few powerhouses with open arms, and encouraged continually to return. I felt bad when my schedule wouldn't allow me to do more. The parents I've talked to are like me. They feel like they contribute in other ways and don't feel like they have the time to step up and get more involved. Most of the parents work full time jobs, so it's hard to take on more. Pick up can be chaotic, but it's a large school and I certainly don't know how to improve it. I'm sure suggestions would be welcome. School being delayed last year was unfortunate. What the reviewer neglected to mention was that the reason that work was done 2 weeks before school started was because that's the only time school is closed in the summer. The rest of the summer, there are summer camps operating every day, which is a huge help to working parents. Because it's an old building with asbestos, the only time to do the work without risk to the children was those 2 weeks before school started. The missed days were made up later in the school year. My only complaint about the school is the old facilities. The building always seems to be dark and in need of a lot of work. There are beautiful paintings and such to brighten up some spaces, and work is ongoing, but there's a long way to go. But, otherwise, we've been very happy with the supportive environment and the wide array of extracurricular activities because my child loves doing just anything and everything. read more

My children attended St. Helen for years. We are no longer there after a family move. This school has gone through several changes over the past couple years. The number of early child classrooms has gone up, however, the higher grade levels have stayed the same (one or two classrooms per grade level). My children have very fond memories of their time at St. Helen. The teachers are warm, the classrooms are inviting, and my kids have life long friends (as do I) because of time at the school. There is one teacher in particular that really impacted my family (teaches 5th grade). She not only challenges students through classwork/assignments, but challenges them personally. I saw such growth and maturity last year from all the students in her class. The kids love her and parents love her too! I didn't have to pry my child to tell me what was going on in school. The entire car ride home and dinner conversations were full of fun stories about school! It was unbelievable! Pre teens and teens are at such a vulnerable state in their lives. I couldn't have picked a better woman to help shape my child during this awkward and challenging time. Now that we are attending a new school for the beginning of junior high and upper elementary, I see the difference in my child going to and from school. Now, I am even more grateful for the confidence gained, knowledge learned, and spark for advanced learning instilled by this wonderful teacher! There are only a couple organized sports at the school, but more clubs than the kids know what to do with! There are such a variety of extracurricular activities for the students to get involved with. There are sports clubs, science clubs, writing clubs, and many others. It gives kids the opportunity to explore their interests, and adds to the enthusiasm for school. There are many parent organizations as well- its great to have so many school parents involved in volunteering, coaching, or other school events. read more

St Helen is a wonderful gem in West Town. We have been here for almost 7 years. It is a socioeconomically and racially diverse school with caring teachers and a dedicated hard-working principal who knows each child by name. The building may not have frills, bells, and whistles like schools in newer buildings, but the families and staff, more than make up for that. The kids learn to think beyond just memorizing test questions and get into top notch high schools throughout the city. Happy to support our school. read more

I have been very disappointed in St. Helen's pre-school. The people are nice, and the classrooms are attractive...BUT WHERE'S THE LEARNING??? My daughter has been attending St. Helen's for 5 months, and I can't tell you one thing she's learned. The teachers use very antiquated teaching methods; most of the activities my daughter does at school require no thinking...mindless coloring is about all she does. it's obvious these teachers are no where near the top of their game. When I pick my daughter up from school she is often sitting watching TV. REALLY? WATCHING TV AT SCHOOL? I PAY FOR THIS? I can sit her in front of the TV at home for free?!? It's labeled as a "Top 25" school. Well, that doesn't say much for the schools in Chicago, now does it?? Very disappointing. read more

My daughter attends St. Helen and loves it. She has grown so much there and I am thrilled with our choice of schools. The teachers are warm and loving AND good teachers. I am in education myself and I am very picky. There is before care, after care, and plenty of after school activities to pick from. Keep up the great work St. Helen! read more