Private K-8 School in Chicago, IL

North Park Elementary, Chicago:
North Park Elementary was founded in 1980 to create an affordable alternative for parents who wanted to provide top quality kindergarten through eighth grade elementary school education within the City of Chicago in Cook County. A group of founding parents in the North Park neighborhood banded together to create the fledgling school with hope, high expectations and a great deal of hard work. Given our convenient Northside location, we typically serve families on the Northside of Chicago, from Lake View, North Center, Lincoln Square, Old Irving Park and even Evanston. We show our commitment to gender equity and diversity in a variety of ways, where we commit to hiring teachers and admitting students without regard to race, religion, gender or other characteristics.

Education Programs:

Kindergarten Through To Second Grade:
Our primary school is a colorful, stimulating place with approximately 20 children in each class. In our full day kindergarten, the children get all the tools they need to develop a strong foundation of reading and writing. To maintain a low student-teacher ratio, kindergartners have a full time assistant teacher, as well as our energetic, nurturing head teacher.

While much of kindergarten is homeroom centered, children make regular trips to our library and have outside instruction in music, art, gym and Spanish. From the beginning, kindergartners are paired with older classes to foster confidence and enrich learning. For example, they regularly read one-on-one with fourth grade reading buddies. As students progress to first and second grades, they accept increasing levels of responsibility while mastering reading, writing and math concepts.

Third Grade Through To Fifth Grade:
The move to third grade is significant. Students start to focus on organization skills to help them manage their full academic program, while also continuing their co-operative, thematic learning. For example, fourth graders research the development of baby chicks and share their unique presentations with kindergartners who hatch live chicks in class.

By third grade, students have technology fully integrated into the curriculum with instruction in keyboarding, word processing, desktop publishing and multimedia presentations.

By fourth and fifth grade, they are well on their way to becoming independent learners. Additionally, students have more music options with choir beginning in third grade and band starting in fourth grade.

Sixth Grade Through To Eighth Grade:
The middle school grades have a rigorous focus on academics to prepare our students for applying and attending top Chicago area high schools. Departmentalization begins, yet students are fortunate to work with the same specialized teachers who can ensure that each and every child is fully prepared.

Students are required to complete two major research papers during the year, following MLA standards. They also keep a portfolio of work to chart progress, challenges and goals. Beyond core subjects, students have the choice of an elective each quarter. Many are service oriented, such as library aide, primary class helper, recycling committee and safety patrol.