Love this little school. Teachers and administrators go above and beyond serving my children's…read moreneeds, and genuinely care for their wellbeing at school and at home.

Don't get fooled by this schools name, its not as IDEAL as you might thing. Absolutely do not go to…read morethis school if you don't want trauma. The Principal does nothing at all if there are any problems/issues. The fourth grade teacher, (will not name) died blonde hair, about 5"4, and is polish, please do not put your child with her. She gaslighted me into thinking I forgot my homework even though she just tossed it. She dumped my backpack out in front of the whole class to "search it", just because she didn't believe me. The sixth grade teachers are awesome! But if you get on one of the teachers bad/angry side... Along the sides of the sixth grade teacher , My friend brought her phone to school (LIKE ALL THE OTHER KIDS DO) for safety reasons, and because she felt uncomfortable and unsafe. The sixth grade teacher saw it in her back pocket and took her out to the hall for a talk. She understood but, she was in the library with me when the teacher went up to her and yelled and asked if she has her phone. She didn't but instead of answering she just smiled, this angered the teacher so much that she yelled "S/A THIS ISN'T FUNNY! DO YOU HAVE YOUR PHONE OR NOT!?" The student then answered "no" she was so unbothered and calm about it. The teacher looked at her angrily and just stomped off. But what didn't make the most sense. There would always be this one student who would have his AirPods in, his hoodie on, and have his phone out and about. No teacher would stop him because he was/is "depressed". He also offered 2 student his vape on the bus. (they sat away from him and declined).. We were all so happy when we finally left this school. Although the art, music, pe, advanced reading, front desk, are all super nice!!!! But the janitor Jose, is so creepy and is always around the girls of this school (1st-6th graders) he's so unnecessarily uncomfortable. This is only a fraction of what happened towards the end of the year. If I wrote all of my 8 1/2 years here at this school I would might as well write a book.

I'm a McAuley mom, but I admit I had serious misgivings when my daughter--after shadowing at a…read morenumber of other schools--insisted that she felt McAuley was "exactly right." McAuley was our rival school (I'm an AOL grad) and was, back in the day, noted for being snobby, clique-ish, and "fast." (But one never says nice things about one's rival, does one?) My main concern was that McA was so BIG and I felt--from hearsay--that its athletics program was its focus and my budding actress/writer/academic nerd would be lost. I am happy to say that I was WRONG. My daughter immediately found a group of very nice kids who were also grade-conscious. The drama dept (and this is coming from a Longwood alum, now-closed Longwood having had an A-one drama dept. for generations) put on professional productions. My daughter was nurtured and challenged and she found mentors who truly cared about helping her meet her goals, including a close friendship with a retired Sister of Mercy who has been a great emotional support to her. She loved every minute of her high school experience. Best of all, for my husband and me, is that McAuley reinforced our Roman Catholic values. Our daughter was given service opportunities and got a lot out of her Kairos retreat. The theology department is traditional in the best sense of the word: they demonstrate to the students how to live as followers of Christ. My daughter thrived at McAuley. She got into the college of her choice, and is starting this next phase of her life with humor, self-confidence and optimism. I am sorry that one of the other reviewers had such a bad experience at McA. I know that since she attended, the administration has changed, so maybe a lot of graduates made the same complaints which the new staff/admin has tried to address. But at least the reviewer will have some insight when she helps her children pick a school. I hope her kids have the same experience my daughter had, albeit at a different school.

I'm well out of high school but I still look back bitterly at this school. My parents have actually…read moreapologized for sending me to this school. McAuley claims to teach women how to be independent but it does the opposite. The girls are told they don't need men for anything! Well, except to go to prom..then you need a male date. The school is much more concerned with their image than they are with the students. Yay volleyball! What about academics?

As a former student, There are good and bad things about…read morethe school and parish. Pros: School and parish have lots of fun activities, examples being: carnival, sports, theater, Vacation Bible Camp, fish fry There are devout Catholics, with school Masses prayed each week and many more Catholic devotions. Most of the teachers will want to inspire your student to be a better version of themselves. The teachers usually listen to parent complaints and try to stop bullies, The teachers usually get along with the students, except for the ones who act up. Mostly accessible. The church has a ramp going in and out of its doors and they also have an elevator. Most people will help others. Cons Some of the students aren't the nicest, but that should be expected of any school. Not all pros and cons listed, just the ones I thought of off the top of my head

I'm writing this for both the school and the church because they really are a single institution…read more The school is K through 8. The staff is good overall but I know they have a difficult time finding and keeping talented teachers. Most of the really good teachers gravitate to public schools with higher pay. The biggest problem is that some of the math teachers are terrible. It will be interesting to see if any changes are made to personnel in the future. The school has a high enrollment. With this high enrollment comes problems though. The school has some cliques. I know this is a problem at many schools also. There are some families that have taken over all of the parent groups. Whether its the Family Board, the School Board, the Athlete Board, Carnival Board, Facilities Board, the same people are holding power and doing favors for each other. It's nauseating. I suppose if you are in the right clique then everything will be fine. If you are not in the right clique then your children will be treated as second class citizens. I've seen alumni of the school get blackballed because they did not play nice with the power families. Maybe I'm getting carried away but it can be unnerving. The church is nice. It's not the fanciest church in the area but it is clean and inviting. The pastor is always asking for more money but name me a church that isn't asking for money. You can get married, baptized, and have funerals here. There is a big parking lot and they installed a playground which looks really nice. So here are your choices: Send your kids to public school, St Catherine, St Linus, St Gerald, and St Germaine. The good thing is that there are many choices in the Oak Lawn area for elementary education. You will do good with any of them.

Mission presentation at St Symphorosa church for Our Lady of the Broken. Inspiring address by radio…read morepersonality Kevin Matthews about his renewal of faith and rediscovery of redemption. Interesting, informative, and entertaining, with plenty of encouragement to practice the faith.

Our son is in his second year of pre k here. The change in how much he's learned since starting is…read moreamazing to see. The teachers are wonderful, caring, supportive, and genuinely invested in his growth. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing he's in such a positive, nurturing environment. We couldn't be happier with our experience.

We have been through multiple day cares over the last three years, and both of our children (1 and…read more3) love this daycare, as we have been here for about a year. We plan on bringing our future child to Cadence as well. The teachers are fantastic. Jen truly cares about each and every family that goes to Cadence, and it cascades down to their teachers. Our children come home happy daily. They offer multiple extracurricular activities including soccer, karate, and music classes which is a great feature for the children.

My daughter started in the pre-k room just short of turning four and she would do anything to get…read moreout of "learning and working on letters." Within the first week of her being back at school she was writing letters in her name and now can write her full name and asks to go to school each day so she can learn. She loves Ms. Tait and i couldn't be more appreciative for her patience while working with my daughter on her level to help her excel. She sat with her and helped correct her pencil grip then did different fun and exciting activities to teach her letters and sounds. My daughter is always excited to show me what she did when i pick her up. Please keep up the excellent work! I'm proud to have my daughter in Cadence Pre-k.

Everyday after school I ask my son what he did, his response is always the same, "I played today…read moreand had fun", to me the best way to teach preschoolers is though play and making a fun environment where they don't realize they are in school learning. The school has a great curriculum and the teachers are great, my son has learned so much this year and never 'dreads' going to school, which has set him up for being excited about starting kindergarten next year! We like this school so much that my soon to be 3 year old will be attending next year.

Grand Avenue has been a great fit for our son since we moved here a year ago. He likes all the…read moreteachers and they truly care about him. They not only help him with his schoolwork but also socially to make good choices. I would recommend Grand Avenue to other families in the area.

The school is run by a principal who lives in the neighborhood and who has children at the school,…read moreteachers that live in the neighborhood and have children at the school. The children who attend the school are from people who never left the neighborhood. If your child or you yourself are not from the neighborhood and do not drink the kool-aid you and your children will be treated poorly and graded poorly. The school does not encourage diversity, the staff is not diversified. The staff is comprised of mostly people from the area. Many parents are entitled police and fireman with the gangsta in a uniform mentality, which in turn the children mimic. This in turn makes the school environment hostile for children, who are learning intolerance for people different than them. Instead of being sensitive and aware of the problem, the leadership is more concerned about their hyper inflated ego and the fact responses are to conflict are threatening to you and your child's education. The best one I heard was "I am responsible for the largest school in the Archdiocese" and I personally, and I..I..I. No addressing situations that cause concern for your child. Just I..I..I. There are a few great teachers who do not deserve this review. There are others that I question their mental fitness to work with our youth. In one instance I questioned a grade for my child who loves school, and my child was torn down, made accusations against, and our family was torn down with my child. All for noticing a grading discrepancy. Don't expect anything less than South Side drama here.

Unbelievable school lead by competent staff and teachers. If you put in the effort and work hard…read moreyou will be rewarded. Highly recommended this great school.

Great school with great teachers. The school school definitely has alot of history to it as it's…read morenamed after Luther Burbank of which is the name of the town. The school has some great and beautiful architectural designs most buildings don't have. but poor maintenance and school budgeting has left this building to suffer such as : Out of date piping, flooding in the basement and of course as crumbling infrastructure. This building will soon be demolished and replaced with a new Burbank school that will cost taxpayers millions that will alleviate these issues.