We feel so lucky that we discovered Baker. When we walked into Baker for an open house, we…read moreimmediately 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!

Baker nurtures that spark for learning…read more 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

BEST SCHOOL EVER* great school, yelp. Good teachers good brothers good…read morestuff.Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Great school good cub scouts

I was raised in traditional schools and had no prior experience with the Montessori approach, so I…read morewasn't sure what to expect when we first joined Chiaravalle Montessori. But after four years at the school, I can confidently say that I am amazed by how effective this method is and how well it supports my child's individual growth. Our child is now in kindergarten, and one of the things that continues to impress me is the sophistication of the curriculum. Every day, he brings home work that I would have been doing in second or third grade--adding and subtracting fractions, solving word problems, and even working with four-digit multiplication. The school's approach really allows children to progress (and f accelerate) at their own pace. It's incredible to see how engaged and excited he is about learning. Even more importantly, he is thrilled to go to school each morning. Knowing that he wakes up eager to learn and be part of his classroom community speaks volumes about the environment Chiaravalle has created. Another standout aspect of Chiaravalle is the extraordinary educators. Over the past four years, our child has had three different classroom teachers, and every single one has been a true education professional, deeply dedicated to their students. They don't just teach; they observe, adapt, and create a learning experience that meets each child where they are. Their ability to recognize strengths and nurture individual potential is remarkable. Beyond academics, Chiaravalle is an incredibly close-knit and welcoming community. The relationships our child has built--with peers, teachers, and other families--are meaningful. It's a place where children are treated with dignity, encouraged to explore, and supported in becoming confident, engaged learners. We truly believe that Chiaravalle is giving our child the best foundation--not just academically but socially and emotionally as well. We feel incredibly grateful to be part of this school.

My son transferred to Chiaravalle during the fifth grade because his learning style wasn't…read morewell-suited for public school. His math scores were lagging and didn't improve despite trying things like teacher conferences and outside tutoring. After visiting Chiaravalle, my son was immediately attracted to the welcoming community and the modern Montessori learning approach, where students are allowed, encouraged, and trained to take responsibility for their own learning and community. He still doesn't love math (Chiaravalle can't perform miracles!) but he's back on track with what he needs to know and has much more confidence about his math aptitude. He's also learning tons of other great stuff--not just academics but also leadership skills (and the resilience needed to be a good leader) as well as executive functioning skills like how to keep up with his assignments and plan his own work schedule. He's in seventh grade now and in middle school they are doing such a great job getting him ready for ETHS. He's a social, outgoing person and we were not sure how he would do with the smaller class sizes. This turned out to be no problem, especially because students of different grades work together. He's friends with students who are a year older and a year younger than he is, in a way that I think would not be the case in public school. Overall, Sending him to Chiaravalle significantly and positively changed the trajectory of his education and development.

I enrolled my son in the Toddler 2 community when he was 19 months old. Prior to enrollment, my son…read morehas been in Early Intervention since he was 7 months old, working with both an Occupation and Speech Therapist. He was speech delayed and developing areas of concern within his development, along with his emotions surfacing = very tough time! Transitioning from his sitter 5 days to Montessori setting 5 days was certainly an adjustment for him. It took my son a few weeks to stop crying at drop off, and months to get acclimated to the routine, work periods and the environment, and even then, still working through normal toddler behavior ie. biting, hitting pushing. As a single mom, with an only child, it was important to me that my child become independent, resilient and was within a supportive environment where his development can continue to progress regardless of the phases he is experiencing. By far, this was the BEST DECISION I have ever made. The Lead Guides and Leadership team work super hard to invest in training to ensure the classrooms are lead professionally with love. It genuinely warms my heart to know that my son has developed close relationships with his teachers and has learned to really care and love his classmates. My son was diagnosed to be on the Autistic Spectrum right around 2yo, which increased my concerns for him to develop emotional connections. I deeply know that if my son was not supported in the way he was at Guidepost, he would not have developed his emotional muscles as strongly, and build true personal connections like he has. I believe in Montessori philosophies and approach, and with the school's help and practicing this approach at home, has made me believe that my son will have equal opportunity in the world and positively make a contribution, (ok ok I know he's only two :). ) All this to say, if you're looking for an extension of your own home, where structure, community, kindness, genuine care and development opportunity is present, this is THEE PLACE. The experience is truly invaluable, no amount of money can actually repay the hard work these teachers put in every single day. Genuinely, you cannot put a price on, peace of mind, circle of community, support and programming. You will not be disappointed. Shout out to Carolyn, Sam, Taylor, Ms. Jenny, Ms. Carmen, Ms. Mariela, and Ms, Dono (many others who's names I can't spell I am so sorry). Chauncey and I will always have a special place in our hearts for you all.

We have been so happy here! The whole team from Sam down feels deeply invested in giving our child…read morethe best possible experience she can have, and the moment you walk in you can feel what a happy, thriving community they've built. They go above and beyond to keep the children engaged, happy, comfortable, and active - proactively identifying any concerns and raising them to parents to ensure their little ones live their best lives and get all their needs met. The facility is attractive, clean, well run, and always filled with laughter. And our child is absolutely thriving. We could not recommend it more!

Best school so far,we moved from city to Skokie last year and my son use to go to Middleton…read moreelementary as he moved in 6th grade he is going to middle school at and my daughter is still at Middleton elementary as she is in 2nd hrOliver McCracken Middle School yesterday was the first day of school and he already loved it, hopefully It will be a great year for my son

My kids went to Middleton and Oakview many years ago and I still have friends whose children go…read morethere...I think it is a top-notched school. Teachers are concerned about each child as a person not just a student to cram things in their brain but how they feel and how they learn is important!

An amazing school that graduates smart, confident, and well-balanced students. It's been an…read moreunexpected gift to be able to send our child to Chicago Friends School. Being from the east coast, I'm aware of the values of a Quaker education - observing my child's (and other students') growth only highlights its impact even more - I wish more people knew about it. The classroom environment and skilled, caring faculty provide individualized learning rather than the tug and scrum between discipline and attention we've experienced in other schools. If you are searching for the right school for your K-8th grade learner, give Chicago Friends a go. Now more than ever, our kids need this kind of education. It's a great place.

We are new to CFS this year. Our child is in the 6th grade. From day one, the whole community have…read morebeen welcoming and the experience have so far been amazing for our child and our family. We were initially unsure about the pacing and whether the academic rigor will be there due to the smaller class sizes. But it hasn't been a problem. Our child comes back each day and tells us that he is being challenged in his classes and that he is enjoying the "difficulties" because it's "fun" which tells us the he is on track. He also tells us that the kids has been welcoming to him as "the new kid" and that he is free to be himself and make friends with kids both older and younger. We think CFS is perfect for anyone who is looking for a nurturing environment socially with a more individualized learning based of each child's needs.