Our boys went to Downers Grove Christian School which was very small with small class sizes. We…read morewere concerned how they would transition into DGN and if it would be a good fit (however, we always heard wonderful things). We have been SO impressed with teacher/parent communication and the plethora of activities to suit everyone.

The school is not what it once was. With our previous children we felt good about their education…read moreat North, but now with kids sleeping in class, car theft from a parking lot with no security cameras, filthy disgusting bathrooms that are so smelly and dirty the kids won't use them, as well as cafeteria food that is utterly, cold, hard and disgusting. There is a overall vibe that no one wants to be there. Thank goodness for the excellent teachers that we do have that still go out of their way to educate and support the students.

DGS is a mediocre high school at best. I am rating based on my child's experience. We had to fight…read moreto get her an IEP and the experience was so emotionally draining I felt the Special Educational Department (SPED) were unsupportive, rude and demoralizing. Alyssa Gundersen was incompetent, unprofessional and nasty. SPED teachers seem more interested in coaching than teaching! Very cliquey. Must be an advocate for your child because this school will just placate them until graduation, meaning they just move your child along as an assembly line hoping you cause no trouble so they can earn their huge pension without actually working!

I saw that DGS disabled reviews on Google and you can see why. I'm a former student from a long…read moretime a go. Problems are still the same: Staff turns a blind eye to bullies, and their student support for students who are having issues outside of school is non-existent. Back when I was there there was a student death, including by suicide, every year. I heard it's worse now. I recently had to contact their admissions office to get a copy of my diploma after getting accepted to a post grad program at a school outside the US. The guy responsible for getting the diploma sent, whatever his title was, seemed perpetually mad from the first contact with him, never returned voicemails, cut me off while in conversations with him, and made the process as difficult as possible to get what I needed. It was so bad that I called Downers Grove North to see if they might be able to assist somehow since I had taken summer classes at DGN at once point; they were very professional and friendly there. I explained the situation and they contacted the admissions guy at DGS, upon which he became more compliant, albeit reluctantly. Nothing has changed at DGS. The teachers, the way they ran the classes, and material were pretty good as I can remember. But as far as outside of class or dealing with admissions or with other staff, nothing has changed. Teachers now getting in trouble for sexual harassment, busing students in from Cabrini Green back in the day, gym teachers flirting with students - The school management still maintains a rough and tough atmosphere that many of the students and parents never cared for. It would be nice if the city opened another school under new management instead of approving massive additions to this place and wasting taxpayer money. Do the students and parents a favor and phase this school out, or at minimum, downsize it.

Our two children attended this school. While we did meet some good people, both our children's…read moreexperiences at the school were quite negative. There is a small but influential group of parents who essentially run everything and if you or your children cannot break into that circle your children will likely suffer. Sports is the key focus at the school with parent socialization a close second. Parental cliques dictate whether your children will have friends and many of those parents are intimately involved in the administration, social events and are even teachers and aides. Unfortunately for our children we were not well connected and they suffered, our daughter in particular. If you are able to break into the fraternity-like parent social structure and your child is an excellent athlete, your children may thrive. But most people don't and you will have to try and find small niches of other parents who are similarly situated. Scholastics are sub-par so you will have to supplement your child's curriculum. Teacher turnover is high. They resort to hiring parents to teach on occasion. The focus here is not a Christian education but an institution dominated by self-serving parents who have managed to use the structure to their own children's advantage. Before enrolling, conduct your own research and try to speak with parents of students outside of those who run the school. Not worth the risk given the strong public system and other larger private schools in the area where your kids may have more options for friends and activities other than sports.

I have 2 children who currently attend SMG and will soon have a third! So far we have had a great…read moreexperience! I am in education myself and have high expectations for my children's education. We toured several schools before deciding on St. Mary's. I am confident with our decision and can see that our children are excelling academically and spiritually. SMG focuses on educating the whole child! I appreciate the values that the school instills in the children and the support that I have received from all levels (support staff, teachers, aides, and administration). I'm not sure why it is saying I am from San Fran. I do live in Downers Grove, IL!

Wonderful school and environment! Fantastic staff that want to bring out the absolute best in your…read morechild.

Many years ago, we moved to Lisle for our children's education sake…read more When they were old enough, we started attending high school open houses. First open house ~ some woman thinks SHE can determine where we can sit. I DON'T THINK SO. I later learned that this "Entitled" attitude runs rampant. Principal is extremely proud of their "legacy" policy. Let me get this straight ~ you would rather accept an "F" caliber student who has siblings attending or parents who attended rather then a "B" student with NO previous ties to this school? The resounding "yes" sealed the deal. Get the picture? Our education dollars were spent at another private school.

Other than academics, the school was not good. I do not miss this school at all. Starting off with…read morethe staff, they were a hit or a miss. Judy Bretl (Consumers Education) was not that good of a teacher. She would get mad if you asked her a question about a recipe we making, (for example, a friend asked her if there was already water in the kettle, she responded with "you should have been paying attention" when she was just double checking.) She would waste a lot of class time talking some how connecting what we're doing to her grandchildren, and also threw a marker at my friend once. Just going through staff more. Good - Mr. Little (7th Grade Social Studies), Mrs. Mixon (7th Grade English, literally an angel), Mrs. Lovarato (8th Grade English), Mrs. Grove (6th Grade Science), Mrs. Horeni (The Social Worker) Bad - Mrs. Snodgrass (6th Grade Math), Mrs. Focken (7th Grade Math, which we will also get into later.), Mrs. Bretl (Consumers Ed), Mrs. Hayes (8th Grade English). With Sarah Focken, She was the worst teaching wise. She wasn't always the nicest, she couldn't teach math for the life of her, and she just wasn't a good teacher. Our entire grade failed 3 tests over the entire year, what does that say about her teaching. With Shannon Hayes, She had the biggest grudge against me. She tried lying to my mother (who very quickly caught her in it), She yelled at me several times for no reason, and she absolutely hated me. She was probably the worst teacher I had of my 3 years there. With Gina Horeni, She was THE ABSOLUTE BEST. She helped my friends with mental help so much, she helped me personally with my own problems. She was literally an angel and probably one of the best workers In that school. Actual school wise, it was so small. There was probably around 100 kids were grade. The school was kind of run down and just overall not a good school. Academic wise may be different but environmentally I do not want to associate with the school. It sucks my face and all my friends are now stuck on their wall with all the classes.

Glenbard South is the smallest Glenbard, but they are an amazing school…read more I transferred there in Feb2013 and I just graduated this June. They offer a variety of classes for being such a small school. The teachers really know what they are doing and are very knowledgable on their subject. My favorite part about South is their special education program. They are a small school, and they do a great job integrating the kids into the school by having them walk the hallways to class instead of keeping all the kids hidden away in a far-off hallway. They accept special needs kids from outside of their district and can take in kids from neighboring Glenbards. Also, GBS has a variety of sports (their football team is something to brag about) and extracurriculars for kids to do, and many kids do more than one thing. I personally was on the dance team, key club, spanish club, and best buddies and had a great time on all of them. As for the kids, I'd say MOST of them are nice. It's such a small school, so there will be a lot of cliques. Coming in the middle of my Junior year was not ideal, but the kids in my grade were really welcoming and I ended up making a lot of friends that year and even more in my senior year as I got to know everyone. Overall a good school to go to. GO RAIDERS

I just graduated from here There are great academics here, at least for honors/AP kids- the Regular…read moretrack is mediocre. It helps that the school is so small, so classes are a bit more cozy and personalized. There are lots of active extracurriculars in a variety of fields, including some (not sports) which regularly make it to State competitions. It is a bit clique-filled, but if you went to Glencrest (as 95% of the population here did) it shouldn't be a problem, as you'll have found a group to talk to already. Even if that isn't the case, it's not that difficult to fit in with a little effort, as the many extracurriculars can help you find people with similar interests. One star off for the administration- they started off not so bad, but now they're cracking down on harmless senior pranks, eliminating traditions because there's the slightest hint of danger, and pushing kids into AP classes they aren't prepared for and not letting them drop the classes when there's a problem. The missing star's also because the college advising is mediocre at best- if you want to go to U of I or COD, you're set. If you're interested in other state schools, or a few nearby privates, they can help. Otherwise, the counselors are clueless. Overall, though, this place was a great fit for me.

Glenbard East High School is the local HS, for which I am happy to contribute my tax dollars to…read moresupport. I am child-free by choice. I have no issues with any of the students at Glenbard East. I placed a general inquiry call and spoke personally with the lovely Mr. B. He is in the Office of Operations. I am very thankful for his time. Unrelated to my call, I was informed that they are staffed with 11 Security Guards, and over 200 Security Cameras. As I went to HS back in the day of Typing Class for females only, and an outdoor smoking area for students and teachers, this was all very pleasant to learn. If you are curious about thos High School, especially if you are considering this area for your child, please read all of their information on their website.

4/2021 Only been here for a Football game. Stands were nice. Facilities were nice. Parking was…read morenot close. And there were no signs for things. As an outsider, we all found it very confusing to find our way. But we did eventually get there.