Poor experience with the school. Purchased private classes for 30 mins and got unqualified " trainer". The place has none or just a few people who know how to work with the kids and teach swimming, the rest are just for a quick cash. If you decide to sign up your kid, ask what qualification they have and how many years of experience. Pity because it is a good location and facility. Would not recommend. read more

We love Evanston Goldfish! The atmosphere is amazing and the staff are wonderful! They have been so flexible with her growing family! my husband and I cannot thank them enough for helping teach my kids to swim and love the Water! read more

My child has had a great experience overall at Goldfish Swim School. The facility is clean, the instructors are engaging, and my child looks forward to every lesson. I truly appreciate the structure and the progress my little one has made in a short time. However, I'm giving 2 stars because I had a very valid concern regarding my child's privacy, and it was completely dismissed. During class, other parents were taking photos and videos that included my child. When I respectfully brought this up, the manager told me it "shouldn't be a problem" and offered no support or solution. Actually made me feel bad about brining it up. and i was also told that they encourage taking pictures and posting them for marketing. smh As a parent, I feel it's reasonable to expect that my child not be recorded by strangers, especially in a private facility designed for children. I wasn't asking for anything drastic--just basic respect and maybe a gentle reminder to parents to be mindful of others. It's disappointing that my concern wasn't taken seriously at all, and I hope Goldfish Swim School reconsiders how they handle privacy issues moving forward. It would go a long way in making all families feel safe and respected. read more

Honestly the entire staff is amazing and patient! Our boy has ASD and they have been super accommodating to him, they make it super easy to reschedule classes, and even when I rescheduled a class for 6pm and it flew over my head thinking it was at 7 they where understanding and they where able to accommodate my boy (s/o to Ms. Kayana You were amazing) and also to Ms. Lisa the lifeguard that thought a class on Labor Day !! Our boy looks forward to going to the fish school to swim! read more

Evanston Goldfish Swim School is fantastic! My granddaughter is progressing quickly and loves her lessons. Coach Joe, the manager, is so kind and helpful. This experience has exceeded my expectations. Thank you all!! read more

I did not have the greatest experience here in goldfish swim school with my three year old. As a beginner he has no skills in the water and requires extra attention. We signed up for the trial for him to see if it was something he was interested in. My son liked the swimming class. But my son was very preoccupied with the children around him causing him to be a disruption to the children in his current lane. Day one it was suggested that he signed up for private lessons. When I go online to look into it private lessons, he didn't meet the criteria for private lessons therefore forcing us to do the group sessions. Fast-forward my child still being difficult with excessive splashing and kicking in the water because he's mimicking the older child in the lane next to him was taking away from the attention for the kids and his current. One of the instructors/guard in particular a Caucasian redhead lady was less than enthusiastic to work with my son when she had to fill-in one day until David arrived. This was a turn off, she made it very obvious by her facial expressions her disdain for having to work with my child. After that experience with her, I brought my child back for two more sessions with David who was great by the way, he has the patience of the saint. I chose not to bring my child back after that because I feel he's not ready to continue lessons. What is disturbing is that I look at my portal and see that there is a record of results for sessions we never showed up for. When I check my credits it says zero as we have showed up for every session that we paid for and we have not we have at least four sessions that we did not attend. When I called the school back in July to ask what happens for sessions I do not attend. I was told my child would have a credit on his account. As of this morning he has zero credits because in his portal it looks as if he has showed up to every session. read more

After a not so great experience with another swim school here in Chicago, we were so glad we found Goldfish last year. We love it here. Clean, organized, and well managed. Jovan, the manager is excellent and involved. Jose, Kevin, and Katherine are also so warm and kind. the temperature in the building is perfect, not too cold when you get out of the pool with your little one. Today we participated in the baby brunch which was an awesome plus (and free -limited space though!) Thank you for a great experience we'll see you very soon ! read more

My son absolutely loves swimming here at goldfish, we've been going here for a lil while now and Maddy has been amazing at teaching him swimming, we always look forward to go have classes done by her she is great with kids. Thank you Maddy, Angad loves it. read more

Our kids have been going here for a little over two months. They have great coaches and curriculum. Great to see even with your kid may have a rough day, their shift managers step in to give individualized care for each child. We have loved having Coach Tavis and Coach Miranda. Highly recommend them!! Just to note, you have to give 30 day notice to drop a class. So be sure you plan accordingly! read more

I appreciate their willingness to be open during Covid. I wish their communication with parents was better regarding policy changes.

Great place! I love that the instructors do a great job teaching and making the kids feel comfortable. I also love the management team. Jay is a gem, always going above and beyond to make sure the kids are having fun and staying safe. Lizzy is amazing, always so sweet and the gm Jovon is great too! Highly recommend read more

People are nice and facility is fun and clean. But the turnover rate for staff is not good. Every few weeks, my daughter has to start getting used to a new instructor. Usually my wife takes my daughter, but one time I took her and it wasn't great. She got about thirty minutes in the water, but most of that time was spent waiting around for the instructor to finish with other kids. She spent about two minutes actually learning in the middle of the pool with the instructor. Granted, the instructor was dealing with a different kid who didn't want to get in the pool, so maybe this is unusual. But if that's so, after 5 minutes of not being able to convince the kid- just move on! Say, sorry I got other kids to teach. Or at least tell me this is a one-time thing, or offer me a refund. Anyway, my daughter is still struggling to learn the same darn skill 6 months later, which tells me the instructors are nice and friendly but not very effective, at least as regards my child. read more

Great! We had teacher Kenyana, so energetic, so passionate about her job! Absolutely fabulous! The school is really good, they separated the room where the pool is,and turned the heat on, so babies don't get cold when they get out of the water. read more

I went for a free trial class on Sunday with my 21 month old. When we walked into the room with the pool, a customer informed me the class was canceled. I informed the receptionist and she forgot to tell me. She scheduled us for the next time slot 30 minutes later. Then as we are about to go in, I was informed that they have to shut the pool down because I child pooped in the pool. Meanwhile my son is in a swim diaper which doesn't hold in urine, so he has urine dripping down his legs. The next day a different receptionist calls me about never coming to the class. I guess no one communicated this mishap to her. I will not be coming back and will be giving my business to another pool who values my time. read more

My oldest had a negative experience elsewhere, so we had an uphill (or upstream?) battle. Goldfish offers a trial lesson which we used for both boys (now 5 and 7) and it was comfort at first swim. Over a year in, they have had multiple instructors and while they have their favorites, all have been caring, supportive, and patient with the boys. That oldest swimmer is now confident in his abilities and he swims like a fish. The younger one is having some challenges but we are confident that his instructor will coax him through. Bonus tip is that you can reschedule lessons (up to a certain amount of times) online through their website. Shout outs to Lizzy, Shannon, and all the instructors! read more

We love Goldfish! Our toddler has had his ups and downs and he gets comfortable in the water, but the staff have been amazing with him--going at his pace and making the water safe and fun for him. The facility is wonderful (especially during the winter months!), with warm 90F water, sizable changing rooms and bathrooms, as well as showers/hair dryers so you don't have to go outside with wet hair. Family swim is also such a fun resource for our family. read more

I came here from Foss in Lakeview which was both pricier and further. This location is cheaper and closer to home. My daughters and son did learn a lot from Foss but the price and distance were too much. I had to try something else and Goldfish fit the bill perfectly they have small groups of 3 children and life guards patrolling the perimeter as an extra layer of security. Made me feel a lot better this is my new go to spot for my kids read more

I love this place! We've been to a number of swim schools in the area over the years because our 9 year old has been taking lessons year round since he was 4 years old. I have to say that this place is my favorite because it is a dedicated facility just for lessons and the viewing area is separate from the pool, so I'm not sweating the entire time and trying to keep my toddler from jumping into the pool. The changing facilities are really nice as well and the class sizes are small. The only thing I don't like is that the lanes are pretty short, which is fine for children just learning, but for my tall 9 year old, they aren't really long enough for him to really practice each stroke or to build up endurance. However, it has been great for really working with the instructors on refining his strokes, which is something he needed to focus on. He just graduated from the top level and started on a swim team recently, but my 2 year old has started to take some lessons here now. She took an independent class this week (Mini 3) and I was really impressed with how well the staff watched her during the lesson since I was very nervous about leaving her alone with them. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for quality lessons in a very nice facility. read more

I love the staff's friendliness, and how they accommodate to your needs. I would love that all instructors are louder during lessons. We're happy with Mitri, but sometimes we are disappointed when taking make up lessons. Husband says he can barely hear some of them. read more

We love the flexibility for a younger child's schedule (if we need to reschedule because a kiddo is sick or had to have a nap). We love all the teachers, the facilities and atmosphere and most importantly the swimming skills my 3 year old (and now 9 month old) are learning there. Great work!! read more

Most inconsistent teachers ever. My daughter's last 2 teachers are young kids that don't understand you can't leave 3 year-old unattended. My daughter ended up falling into the water because the teacher was giving poor instructions and wasn't watching what the kids were doing. The terrible part is that you can't quit the place without a 30 day notice. So we are stuck there with unsafe instructors. We asked for private lessons but they gave us the run around and then finally refused. They have us the option for a Saturday and then someone else came back and took away the Saturday option. I'm frustrated that I can't trust this place with my daughter. We initially loved it here until instructor Julie was no longer available there. read more

Disaster waiting to happen !! Don't get your Kids here at all !! Seems like you'll get stuck here as they don't want you to leave as their 30 day notice is a Joke. when I asked to cancel the service and filled out the cancellation form, they didn't even take it. Following week when I called to reschedule, they said they don't have the membership cancellation request. That means the unprofessional employee just took my request and threw it in the trash! and again I had to again place the membership cancellation request again. read more

We love the small classes and thus, more individual attention!

I have very mixed feelings about this place. My 3 year old had 6 months of lessons. The teachers are nice and the facility is clean but for the price I would expect my child to be further along. Pros: Clean, Warm, Nice Teachers, Flexible Cons: Turnover, Poor communication, Little progress The front office staffing seems to be a bit of a mess. Nobody seems to be able to navigate the computer/scheduling system. The sign-up should have been a red flag when the person didn't know how to do a six month membership or what it was. This turned out to be a problem later when I was told that we had been cancelled in the system after 5 months but charged for the next month anyway as I had not provided one month written notice. I hadn't cancelled and was not notified until the end of my child's class so it was a bit of a surprise. Luckily there was still the spot available and I filled out the cancellation paperwork and finished out the month as I was already on the fence about cancelling anyway. On the last day, my child was once again not in the system as the cancellation was still on file from the previous month even though we had been to two other classes that month. In addition the holiday/make up policy is inconsistent. In one case, for Halloween, I was told that there was no makeup and that the monthly charge would be prorated. I was charged the same amount as usual. Another time, due to maintenance issues, the pool was too cold and the class was cancelled. I was told that a make up class would need to be scheduled. I never got it with all the cancellation issues as I was just ready to be done. Also one time, the class was cancelled because someone had puked in the pool prior and I was not notified until after we had arrived for our class. The manager did contact me after that one for an additional free class but honestly, I simply didn't feel it was worth it. read more

I am appreciative of the safety measures implemented and the instruction provided to my two youngest and the consistency of having the same instructors for them. I am; however, frustrated that after three months of consistently raising at almost every lesson significant issues associated with scheduling and billing related to my three children (i.e. accounts not linked, third child not in system, incorrect billing and make-up lessons not listed) these issues have still not be corrected. This despite assurances each time that such issues would be corrected. I did speak to a manager this week who was great and so I am hopeful that this may finally be corrected. Also the instructor for my oldest son has not provided any instruction nor feedback about what is needed to continue to progress even when participating in the "conferences." There has been no progression at all for my older son. Again, the manager has agreed to address, but left lessons tonight frustrated when two of the three children in his class were given specific feedback and when I inquired as to my child, the person shrugged and said I can ask. He came back with nothing. Sadly if things don't improve we will need to cancel all three boys' lessons. read more

I love the place so far . I sign up 2 of my boys . One is 6 month another 9 years old . Stuff are very polite and informative .. Place is very clean and need .. read more

My son is 3 1/2 and just started lessons. He loves the staff and enjoys going each week. They have turtles to admire, a snack bar and free balloons. It's new so everything is very clean. read more

We have had our 5yr old daughter enrolled in classes since the early Summer. As far as extra curricular activities goes, this has really been the best bang for our buck as my daughter has really made a lot of progress in her swimming abilities given that when she started.. she was a newbie to the water and she has only been coming once a week! She really loves her teacher Itzel who has a very friendly charismatic disposition toward her students... I really appreciate that they have a forgiving policy when parents cannot bring the child to a class and the times we have had to miss, they have never made it cumbersome to make up a class. I also like that they have a very broad schedule to choose from as some other places seem to cater to schedules for stay at home parents only which is very frustrating. But here, they are very accommodating and if a certain time doesn't work for your schedule, they try to accommodate YOU instead of the other way around. The people who work at the front desk are also very professional and easy going and are always happy to answer any questions you may have. read more

I just registered my 17th month old for her first swim lessons here last week. She absolutely loves it! This place has friendly and professional staff, clean facilities, and is very cute and colorful. Also, family swim is currently being offered six days a week (minus Saturdays) and is included in the membership. read more

It is a beautiful facility. Friendly staff and very clean. Swim teachers are super duper nice and give 100% attention to the kid's need and comfort. Would definitely recommend to try it out. read more

I have a baby girl who I signed up for swimming lessons since she was 5 months old. LOVE THIS PLACE! Her teacher is awesome. The swimming pool is clean and water temp is warm. Very family friendly, the staff here are wonderful! She is getting quite comfortable in the water...and she loves going in the pool! Highly recommend this place for swimming lessons. read more

We love Goldfish Swim! I love that classes are small, I don't have to get in the water w/ my son and teachers give us updates on his progress. Only knock: it is a teensy bit expensive, but I'm willing to pay it b/c I think I'm getting a good service/lessons. read more

I've spent the last hour going round and round with their website and it's pretty frustrating. Class schedules are unavailable unless you create an account. As a prospective patron, I shouldn't have to create an account just to make an informed decision about whether this program fits my families needs. If crucial information like class times and dates aren't readily available I have a hard time buying into this being an organized and professional establishment. Beyond that, even after creating an account in search of said class schedules, there was no additional information available. No class schedules are listed period. Not a single class. Literally no information outside of how to select payment options. read more

This place is wonderful. I called them to see if I could sign up my daughter for 5 or 6 swim lessons in a 2 week period as a refresher before she went to summer camp. While they have jump start program, it did not work for our schedule. They worked to slot her into their regular classes so that she could come evenings and weekends. Every conversation I've had with the staff has made it clear that their focus was not on whether or not we will be regular customers or if they will make money from us but only on how to get her ready for camp. She loves this place, and so do I! read more

It is wonderful! Justin was an amazing teacher, and Thomas learned so much from him. It helped our son learn faster and look forward to class that he also loved his teacher so much! read more

I love this place! My three year old enjoys each and everyone of his swim lessons! And all the birthday parties we have attended there!

In the interest of full disclosure my kids LOVED the lessons here. The instructors were great. My complaint is regarding the annual fee to join. We did the one week jump start clinic last spring with our twins. It was one week of classes every day for five days. The fee was $100 per child. A total of $200 for twins. I spoke to two different people from Goldfish Evanston (on the phone) and both told me there would be no annual fee for the jump start clinic. $200 was it. Jump start clinics did not require the fee. My husband takes the twins to the first class. The front desk tells him he has to pay a $40 fee. What???! The kids are excited he coughs up the money. Sure we could have left and asked for a refund....... I subsequently complain about this issue to management. They tell me that I have a year of open swim and two passes for family swims. The open swim times are during the day when the kids are in school and I work. We can't use that benefit. The family swim times are fine but I don't like being told one price and then being shook down for more money. Management also told me my kids got two free tee shirts for the $40. Great. We would rather have the $40. Management admitted that the people who told me there would be no $40 fee were "new." I'm frustrated because I wanted to love Goldfish. Had Goldfish been upfront about the $40 for the jump start clinic I would have been able to make a decision. Do I want to pay $240 for five days of classes???? I wanted to love Goldfish. I did. But I have a hard time reconciling this. Had they offered to refund the $40 I would have enrolled my kids in swim lessons there. I felt uneasy after this. Uneasy as in: there is no way I am trusting you to bill me correctly each month for swim lessons. read more

My daughter has only been taking lessons for a few months and it's amazing how much her confidence has grown in the short time. The teachers and staff are all wonderful as well. I would definitely recommend Goldfish in Evanston if you're looking to reach your child to swim. read more

Goldfish Swim school of Evanston has a very unfriendly policy regarding lesson termination. Any enrollment or change can be done over the phone, with immediate effect. However, cancellations cannot be done over the phone, or by email or fax. They can only be done by physically going to the facility. In addition, it cannot have immediate effect. They require a 30 day advanced notice. I did all that, and filed a paper request on-site on 10/27/2018 effective 11/30/2018. They also sent me an email showing that the classes finished ended of November, which showed that my request was entered into their computer system. They later (on December 1st) charged my credit card for December classes. I called to ask them to reimburse me and stop charging me. At first, they said they would do so. However, they then called back and informed me they could not find my paperwork, and would need me to fax them a copy of the paper slip for the cancellation (now the fax was allowed even though it was not allowed to file the initial request). They are trying to take advantage of customers by making it nearly impossible to cancel classes. read more

This place & these people are fantastic. Your child will feel welcomed immediately. Very friendly & fun. And super knowledgeable & helpful. I would recommend Goldfish Swim to anyone. read more