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.

This is an amazing school in the heart of Chicago. The new building opened about a year and half…read moreago and it is really state of the art. The building may be new but this school has a lot of history in the city. There is a beautiful green space on the roof of the school. It is great to go up here and enjoy the urban jungle which is our city. There is also a fun play area for the students including nets overhead...we would not want a basketball going over the side and hitting someone in the head 3 stories below. Ouch!!! The staff here is great. They truly care about the students. The IB program here is also really great too. I wish I could go back to grade school and attend here. I also love the front office and the security guards too. Everyone here is so friendly and it makes the experience of school fun. I also must throw out some congrats to Kenneth Staral the school principal. He cares so much about education and the well being of all of the students. If it was not for him, I am sure that this school would not be this successful. He is a blessing for putting together such a great education plan for the students. In the warmer months, there is a guy that lives in the high rise, over the school on Oak, that will play his bag pipes on the top floor of his balcony. At first, I thought I was in some movie with hidden cameras but then realized this guy was up there practicing. So if you are ever walking around the school and you hear the music just look up and you will see this guy. I do get a tear in my eye when he starts playing "Danny Boy"! My little one will start to dance...he has even waved at us from 20 stories above. Fun Fact: The school is named after the first mayor of Chicago. Mr Ogden was involved in real estate, he also was involved with canals too. In fact, his company cut out the canal that made Goose Island in Chicago. He later moved on to the railroads and was president of Union Pacific. He built a railroad to Wisconsin to bring grain to Chicago and also a railroad out West too. He was on the cutting edge of progress and growing our nation. The parents, students, faculty and staff make the learning experience here at Ogden great and I look forward to many more years here.

When I was a kid, I had aced the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Did you know you could ace them?…read moreNeither did I. What I mean by that is that I scored a straight 99th percentile on every single one of my Iowa Tests and got a strange invitation in the mail. The invitation was from pre-International Baccalaureate Program to take an exam and potentially join Abraham Lincoln Elementary or William B. Ogden Elementary. Little did I know, this little invitation would change the rest of my life. At the exam, I met a friend that had moved away in third grade and we laughed wondering why we were both here. We both talked and said that Ogden School sounded better than Lincoln Elementary School, so that is what we decided. After taking their exam, I also had an interview. I was informed that I had scored the fifth best in the city and that I could pick Ogden or Lincoln. Seeing as my friend and I agreed on Odgen, Ogden it was. I missed my first day of school because the school bus did not show up until 9 in the morning, but by then I had already walked back to Volta Elementary as I did not know what to do. Over the years the bus was pretty consistent, except for the day that I missed it and decided to take the train downtown to school. Being eleven years old, sometimes you just don't know where you're going. I got off the train and started walking and then realized that I had no idea where I was. I walked into a police station and yelled, "Help, I need help!" After explaining that I was lost and late for school two cops drove me six blocks to school and apologized for swearing like pirates. I arrived to the playground in the back of a cop car and the kids thought that I had been arrested! With regard to the curriculum, it was a bar up from the Gifted Program that I had been in Volta Elementary and the adjustments took awhile because whereas before I was able to dominate, I struggled with the new social situation and had to take extra time to regain my bearings. By 7th grade, I was doing well in school again and liked French class the best since it was the most interesting. I still speak French today, which serves as a testament of the merits of Ogden's rigorous curriculum. At Ogden, you also learn to deal with kids coming from the deep south side and kids who live right around the corner on the Gold Coast. The pre-IB Program at Ogden set me up well for my future IB entry exams at Lincoln Park High School. The French curriculum is a must have for kids who will want to be speaking French in the future and is a cheaper alternative than sending kids out for private lessons. I also learned the ability to respect and tolerate the diversity of races and socioeconomic statuses of the various Chicagoans that will be found at this school. If you ever wonder who William B. Ogden was, he was the first mayor of Chicago. He worked extensively with land developers and reached the epic agreement that guarantees the land on our lakefront as public parks now and forever. Well forever until the city decides to lease it out for the next quick buck.

My daughter loved she made new friends and she learned about her culture even more then she knew…read more My daughter was worried about ice but the teachers and security made her feel safe she loves marwen and we will come back .

For years I've passed Marwen by train or bus on my way to/from the Loop. For years I wondered what…read moreMarwen was, but was never curious enough (read too lazy) to find out. At some point I decided that Marwen must be the corporate headquarters of some outdoorsy clothing brand because the name reminded me of Erehwon, the mountain outfitter. Well, mountain outfitter it's not; this is what Marwen is all about (from their website): "Marwen was founded to provide Chicago's youth with stimulating and diverse opportunities to channel their adolescent energy into personally rewarding and developmentally appropriate outlets. Chicago is a city rich in history, architecture, art, and culture, and it is Marwen's intent to leverage these resources, providing our students with an out-of-school program that provides access to opportunity, while remaining highly relevant to their individual and collective experiences." The fabulous Kelly S told me about "Show Me Marwen" which gave me a chance to check the place out, for free to boot! The event was really cool, but a little crowded. I liked that they asked attendees to not only wear name tags, but add color-coded stickers to show how they were affiliated with Marwen (student, alumni, parent, friend, etc.), it really gave it a community feel. The alumni and student artwork on display was amazing and ranged from photographs to paintings to pottery to claymation videos. I was in awe of all of the creativity in the room. The only downside was that when I left Marwen I felt about as creative as a cucumber.

My kids don't go to Latin school but they played many basketball games with the Romans. The school…read moreis well located and beautiful. There is a lot of art on the walls. I'm sure that kids get good education in this school. This review is about behavior of parents of the Romans and the Romans Coach in season 2025/26. They put so much pressure on kids. One of the siblings of the Romans was cheering with mean words. The kid would position itself next to the hoop, so that only the players can hear. Unbelievable. One of the fathers was yelling at his kid because they were loosing. I felt so sorry for those kids, even though they are probably similar to their sickly ambitious parents. The Romans Coach is a nice looking woman, but unfortunately in traveling team she is well known to be mean toward the girls. She was so annoying during the games, she was too hard on her team, with an attitude of cruelty toward opposite team. Again - unbelievable. This is expensive school and kids in Latin school will be successful, but in the background of their success, there will be a lot of therapy, substance abuse, hidden inappropriate sexual behavior and on the top of that, life long competitive cruelty that was built in them in such a young age. Such a pity.

I started at Latin in Jr. Kindergarten and went all the way through my senior year of high school…read more At the time I didn't realize how lucky I was to have had parents that insisted that I have the best education available; Latin is absolutely that. I was learning things in my freshman and sophomore year of high school that many people didn't study until college. I made life-long friends there and had a wonderful grade school, middle school, and upper school experience.

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.

We love ICSJ. Our son joined the school in Kindergarten and we've had a great experience since day…read more1. The teachers truly care and are invested in the whole child. Our son is challenged and thriving academically, as well as nurtured emotionally. The co teaching model is amazing and special. 2 certified teachers in a class of 24 students max. They also have learning specialists that are able to help children if they need a little extra assistance but they do it in a fun way so the kids do not view as a negative. In fact my son loved his small group time with the reading specialist. We love that they have Spanish twice a week, as well as very strong academics across the usual subjects including STEM. We love their student lead conferences because it teaches students public speaking skills in front of their parents in which they can present what they have been working on. After the "presentation" then the parents have opportunity to speak to teachers in the more traditional private format. We are not religious and feel that the religious aspect of the school is not overwhelming but rather teaches good morals and ethics. The community is amazing! It really is a small school in a big city with a family feel. The teachers are also very responsive when parents reach out. They have before & after school care. We often sign up for enrichment classes after school which have been great. They have ranged from stem, yoga and chess. Many graduates continue high school at high ranked Catholic schools like St Ignatius AND the #1 ranked high school in Illinois Walter Payton. We originally looked at Lincoln Elementary (CPS), St Clements, Catherine Cook and FXW but chose ICSJ for the reasons above. It may not have the big name factor of some other schools but I would definitely check out this hidden gem because it's an incredible school!

From the owner: Immaculate Conception – St. Joseph School is a premier Catholic elementary school on Chicago's near…read morenorth side, serving over 300 students from 28 different zip codes. Our unique co-teaching model puts 2 certified teachers in every classroom through 3rd grade, giving students authentic differentiation in learning. With student support teams consisting of 2 learning specialists and 1 counselor at each of our two campuses (PreK3 - 3rd grade at 1431 N. North Park and 4th-8th at 363 W. Hill Street), a full-time school nurse, and Spanish, PE, Music, Art, STEM and Religion at all grade levels, in addition to our primary subjects taught, our focus is on developing each child to his or her fullest potential. Our students have tested in the top 85% for math and reading, at every grade level tested (K-8th) within the state of Illinois, for the last 3 years and go on to the best high schools in Chicago and beyond. Come join ICSJ...a Family of Families!

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.

I went here over a decade ago. Knowledgeable and fair teachers, except Galinsky and Frasz. There…read morewas a weird push to go to the best college possible. Thank god I did not. Saved the debt for grad school. Still live in parent's basement but have a respectable career with the major company in my field. As promised, I never ever had to work as hard as I did freshman, sophomore, or junior year, ever again. This school introduced me to people from so many different backgrounds and really opened my eyes to global issues. Case in point: Our main drama occurred right after graduation. One activist type guy followed a love interest to palestine. Also, a chick went to Israel, also following a love interest, joined the IDF, and immediately gave them all the information she knew about the activist guy.

My 16 year old son currently attends LPHS and I can't emphasize how amazing the staff is here. This…read moreschool is truly a Lincoln Park gem. You'll get the proper support from the staff. Dean Johnson is amazing and was very accommodating and helpful, he truly cares about the kids just like every adult that works here.

I attended this school 2nd grade through 8th grade, 1998 to 2004. The principals were authoritarian…read moreand modeled the school's organization on British boarding schools for some reason. In middle school, our math teacher Mrs. DiIorio gave an official, approved lecture to my class on why slavery was actually a good thing for enslaved Africans. I'm serious. She screamed at us constantly. Her approach was based in control, verbal abuse, and coercion. She led the class in bullying one of my friends who had organizational difficulties due to ADHD. In social studies, we had to memorize every single American Civil War date yet barely touched world geography. Another social studies teacher told us he supported the use of the nuclear bomb in WWII Japan and suggested that he opposed abortion. Were there decent teachers? Yes, the art and music programs were pretty good and the teachers were kind. But I hope the white supremacist, right-wing ideology and abusive tactics have gone to the wayside at this school. Something was very off at this place. I'm still unpacking trauma from the constant screaming of Mrs. DiIorio and others.

Catherine Cook School is a small private grammar school in Old Town on Schiller Pl. Over the years…read moreit has grown to take over the loft building and to buy the lot and build the building next door. There is a great community of parents involved. My closest friends to this day are Catherine Cook Moms.The strong academic foundation at CCS made high school a smooth experience for my son and now he's doing well as a Loyola freshman. He started in pre-kindergarten and went all the way through. The tuition is far below that of Francis Parker or Latin. I highly recommend Catherine Cook for a strong phonics-based reading program and solid accredited teaching protocols and an excellent art department.

My son has been at LPP for about a year now and LPP is truly fantastic!…read more Prior to enrolling my son, I did a thorough search and visited 5-10 different daycares/preschools before selecting LPP. Every aspect of LPP is very well thought out -- whether it be how they manage food allergies (my son has several) to how they prepare and execute parent teacher conferences to the weekly curriculums to how they retain their staff (teachers sign a year long contract). And most importantly, the teachers really care and know the students. Each day, they send home little notes about what each student did and details of my son that they provide can only captured by listening and knowing him. I know it can be tough to get into but it is absolutely worth it.

We looked far and wide in our search for preschools for our daughter when she was 2-1/2. Since it…read morewas her first school experience, it was really important to us that she love it (we wanted the first associations to be great). There are many great preschools in Chicago, and particularly the Near North Side, where we live. But LPP was really the right choice for us. The space is open and full of light (no windowless tunnels of classrooms, as we saw in lots of schools). The kids go to Lincoln Park, Astor Park, the zoo, or the tot lot every day. There is lots of imaginative play. But most importantly, the teachers are AWESOME. They are young, motivated, passionate about what they do, loving and nurturing. When you walk into the school to drop off or pick up, you just start to feel happy. Everyone is greeted and gets a smile (and the kids get hugs). There is a huge teaching emphasis on positive interactions with others -- sharing, kindness, laughter. Also, attitudinally, the school (and the parents who seem to end up there) is just mellow and sweet. Highly recommend. My daughter has such a great time there, and we've seen her skills and confidence grow in the past year. Of course, it all comes at a price -- but if you can afford it, it's certainly worth it and not out of line with other schools in the area. P.S. If you really want your child here, you may have to do as we did - keep calling back after you are waitlisted to remind them of your interest, and be flexible about your schedule -- days you are willing to come.