We feel so lucky that we discovered Baker. When we walked into Baker for an open house, we immediately sensed the warmth of the staff and parent community. Our family is a two-mom transracial adoptive family. We were blown away with how comfortable we felt. Baker truly welcomes everyone. The hands-on learning experiences meet the needs of each individual child which has led our son to love school both academically and socially. Baker teachers and staff are flexible, compassionate, engaging, creative leaders in the field of education. Furthermore, Baker has resources that many private schools do without. There is a full-time learning specialist, social worker, and a nurse. We needed a school that would accept and embrace our son's food allergies. Baker goes above and beyond to make each student feel safe and important. Coming from a family full of educators, we realize that while no school is perfect Baker is a true gem! read more

Baker nurtures that spark for learning. We started at Baker last year. When district 65 wouldn't allow us to switch our assigned school, we realized just how curious we were to explore other options outside of district 65. We noted what we valued most in our kids schooling experience & as we heard really good things from others and read about Baker ourselves, it seemed to tick all the boxes... but on the website. And any website can say whatever it wants to say, but was there proof? Concrete proof of all the amazing claims? And tuition almost prevented us from taking a tour at all. But we had to just go see for ourselves. Once we toured, we were so excited and we just knew. The school is adorned with student creations and with self portraits and It's colorful! it's vibrant, it's lively. It's welcoming!! The energy is just good. Once we saw the classrooms, I knew I wanted my kids to go here. I wanted this to be their daily experience. The rooms have movement, they're (again) vibrant & lively. You WANT to learn in this space. I had toured our district school prior and I remember feeling anxious and so put off by how sterile and uniform and bland my sons kindergarten room was going to be. Like he's never going to sit still and shut up. And I don't want that for him. I knew if he wasn't stimulated enough & not challenged enough, he was going to act out. That his blossoming brilliance & sensitivity we see, would turn into goofiness & misbehavior. And my daughter would just be squashed & silenced by that method of teaching and atmosphere. That environment was going to kill the spark for learning for them. It would dim who they are. Environment MATTERS. The academic material is received so much better in a joyous, stimulating & nurturing environment. That is Baker. In our district school, I wondered... where's playfulness and joy and various charts and expression and tools for learning and learning through discovery and PLAY?? Baker is that. Baker values that. We value that! We have been at baker for a school year and a half now. During these extraordinarily fundamental years... the ones that shape their experience & relationship with schooling and academics for years to come , the years that shape confidence and self awareness and help establish their voice... these are the years I want them learning by exploring, by seeing and feeling and truly experiencing what they are learning vs the way I did ( and the most of us did) which was through our ability to regurgitate the material. The resources are outstanding. Our teachers have been extraordinary so far. My children are being nurtured. They're being taught well and excelling in all areas. They're overcoming challenges as well as being challenged. They are seen for who they are. They're thriving! And I see proof of that every single day. Baker is a community. I'm watching my kids cultivate community. Baker fosters that. I am proud to have my children at Baker. And I'm proud to share of my time, gifts and talents with Baker to help our school continue to grow, . I am proud to be as involved as I am. I'm invested! And genuinely interested in doing so. Despite running a small local business and having a family and all the time constraints and responsibilities like everyone else, l make time because this school matters to me. Because it matters to my husband. Because this school matters to my children. We are so fortunate to receive a scholarship to attend. So fortunate to be here. I always wanted to feel genuinely confident in our kids school and where they were going to be spending so so much of their time and who with. I love this school. I love the people who make up Bakers teachers and staff. As parents we are acknowledged and heard. As parents, we notice so many other parents genuinely involved in school. Invested in more ways than one. Again, community. A strong ever growing & involved community. I don't know what middle school is like or any of the other grades. However, I can confidently speak on our personal experience with lower school. And we have been thrilled. No school is perfect. Not even this one. But this one is really really good for our family right now. And we're so happy to be a part of it read more

My daughter attended Baker for eleven years. We love that every staff member in the building knows her, and her teachers have a very detailed knowledge of her learning style and personality/needs. Our daughter received a great education that allowed her to be accepted into the best public high school in Chicago. read more

My child went to Baker and I don't think it's worth recommending at all. What was once a very proud and positive institution of learning has become a place where bullying and harassment is an every day occurrence and tolerated by the administration, as long as tuition is paid in full. More than that Baker can't seem to get in the way of itself. Two years without a proper head of school, instead letting a parent/basketball coach run the school. Two years two principles. What does that say about the board of directors. Despite the 30k tuition, there is no hot lunch for students. Despite the 30k tuition Baker and the snowflake attitude towards education with no grades, does not get kids ready for high school or a real world scenario. Despite the 30k tuition,Baker allows unqualified parents to teach and supervise children. Carly Andrews allowed her head of school Aimee Frank to threaten and bully students, faculty and parents, There is no accountability from teachers for education or making sure kids are treated equally within the walls of the school. They will hang rainbow banners throughout the halls and BLM signs but have allowed child pornography to be video taped and released to the internet. Teachers attacking children verbally and gangs of kids allowed to belittle and threaten others. When parents complain, the threat of expelling the child is loud and clear from the administration. Do your homework, before you send a child to Baker. read more

This school turns a blind eye to bullying. The kids are allowed to run the show. Didn't do an exit interview with me because I don't think they wanted to look at their lack of ethics or academic rigor. Save your money. Not in any way worth the outrageous tuition. read more

My family loves Baker! We switched to Baker from another private school five years ago and it was one of the best decisions we have ever made for our family. Our children have really thrived here. The teachers are the best I have seen (and over the years my children have attended four different schools from pre-K to 8th grade). Teachers are given freedom to be innovative in the classroom while adhering to clear learning objectives for each grade and subject. They have gotten into teaching for the passion of education, and it shows. The children are seen and known by faculty and staff, and they feel safe and accepted. Children are able to be themselves without judgement. Baker's middle school does a great job of keeping the kids young and also preparing them for rigors of high school. My daughter is now at Evanston Township High School and doing really well in an accelerated program. The hand-on project based learning is amazing. Concepts are really brought to life. A couple unexpected bonuses: Baker has a swimming pool and swimming is part of the regular curriculum--so no extra outside classes are needed for that. The parent community is amazing, full of opportunity for new friendships and enrichment. read more

I have had children at Baker for over 20 years...all 8 of my children have attended and they have had nothing short of exceptional experiences.   All of them have grown into the dynamic individuals they are in part due to their experiences at Baker. It is hard to encapsulate exactly why Baker has left such an imprint on my children but a significant contributing factor would definitely be the experiential learning - the students in every grade are immersed in hands on learning in a way that they are able to retain and carry with them and they make meaningful connections allowing them to not just to memorize info to take a test but to learn in a way that grows their overall knowledge enriching them as dynamic individuals.  This is done in an environment where each child is validated for who they are and encouraged to explore and challenge themselves in a multitude of ways. The unit studies are one of my favorites -  a theme is chosen by the teacher and the whole class is immersed in this unit for weeks and every facet of learning is achieved through this in hands on ways that leave the students with a unique concrete understanding of the concepts taught and insatiable enduring curiosity and enthusiasm.  The excitement the students have for these unit studies is boundless.  All of that is enhanced by the exemplary specials/arts programs (including swimming) and unique school wide traditions like the 5K, sunrise breakfast, Baker bonfire, cardboard challenge and outdoor ed trips to mention a few.  The overall sense of community is warm and diverse and welcoming - the bottom line is children thrive within the walls of Baker and beyond.  There is a complementary dynamic of academic rigor along with the edification of the whole child socially and emotionally providing students a foundation to succeed in life.  I cannot say enough about how positive of an experience Baker has been for my children. read more

We love Baker. I have two daughters, a 7th grader and a high school freshman, who both started at Baker as toddlers. My freshman's experience has confirmed what I've heard over the years from HS teachers: they recognize Baker graduates because they are good self-advocates, ask questions, have great executive function skills, and are curious learners. My daughter is excelling in high school so far, in no small part due to her 12 years at Baker, which prepared her well. Her teachers taught her to be confident, whether by showcasing her art or by taking on challenges in math (she's navigating advanced HS math with ease). She thrived at Baker as a student and a human being. My 7th grader is surrounded by a community of kind, caring, supportive friends, a middle school rarity--Baker kids care for and accept and appreciate each other for their differences. At Baker, children are both nurtured and challenged to be their best selves academically and socio-emotionally. read more

Baker Demonstration School is an outstanding school. I learned about it after teaching several incredible high school students who had attended Baker. The students go on to amazing schools such as Oxford and Northwestern but also are so grounded and unspoiled. We are thrilled with Baker. read more

Located on Sheridan Rd, at the Evanston/Wilmette border, Baker is easy to get to - and is a great place for little ones (toddler) up to 8th grade. The teachers' role is to bring out the best in each child - it's called teaching to the "whole child". Art, Music, Math, Science, Literature, Drama, Foreign language - all are thematically intertwined. And their P.E. program is the best on the northshore, and arguably best in the whole Chicagoland area. No slouch in the academics dept., Baker regularly takes home the regional Midwest trophy for their students' performance in Latin competitions. Kids are excited to go to school, and the parent community is welcoming. We have 2 children there, and we love it. It's the kind of school we wish we could have gone to when we were kids... read more

Please do your research before enrolling. We left last year after a very mixed bag of experiences. It started out fine, but then we realized that all that free flowing education-ese about thinking outside of the box also meant no accountability for the teachers, no grades, no testing and no way for parents to see if they were getting what they were paying for. The tuition is high and you'd be wise to talk to lots of people --current and past--before signing up. There was a lot of turnover of experienced teachers, too, which makes you wonder. read more

This school is called "academically rigorous and emotionally gentle" by North Shore Magazine for a good reason. It is fabulous--they have a thriving arts program and children learn in integrated units of study. The teachers are passionate about excellence and they take the time to know and appreciate your child. I have two children there and I am thrilled with the place. read more