Downtown schools (Chicago, Ogden: neighborhood, middle school, to live)

[Hinameher12345]

Can you please tell me about the elementary schools in downtown chicago.
Is it advisable to live with family in downtown area?
Are there enough activities for kids age 7 years?

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

You'll save some time if you define "downtown." Do you mean the Loop? Or the greater CBD? Or just within city limits?

[Hinameher12345]

Originally Posted by UnderTheLiveOaks

You'll save some time if you define "downtown." Do you mean the Loop? Or the greater CBD? Or just within city limits?

West loop.

[nonnieparent]

There are lots of activities for the under -7 set in the W Loop area. Run like hell from CPS.

[Hinameher12345]

Originally Posted by nonnieparent

There are lots of activities for the under -7 set in the W Loop area. Run like hell from CPS.

Sorry didn't get the last line

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by nonnieparent

Run like hell from CPS.

Why?

Despite Its Reputation, CPS Is Outperforming Suburban Peers


https://www.wbez.org/shows/morning-s...b-491fdaadf138

[Vicman]

The northern part of the Loop is zoned to Ogden International School for K-8 and Wells High School

Most of it is zoned to South Loop K-8 and Phillips High School

I think nonnieparent's post is an over-simplification. While I'm not from Chicago, I understand Ogden performs very well (it is the zoned K-8 for the Gold Coast) and has a high school division (you're not automatically zoned to it but you can apply to it). South Loop K-8 apparently is a good school as well (Greatschools.net indicates its test scores are also high). It's my understanding that Phillips and Wells don't do as well.

So you should be good for elementary and middle school, but you may need to apply to other schools for high school. Be sure to enter the street address of your house/complex in http://cps.edu/ScriptLibrary/Map-Sch...tor/index.html to determine which schools your residence is zoned to, and call CPS's registrars to confirm

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by Hinameher12345

Sorry didn't get the last line

BTW CPS is Chicago Public Schools, the municipal public school system.

A point I would like to make is that many/most of its schools have had issues with academics and school safety, but the elementary schools serving the Chicago Loop (South Loop Elementary School and Ogden International School) are highly ranked.

[nonnieparent]

Originally Posted by Vicman

The northern part of the Loop is zoned to Ogden International School for K-8 and Wells High School

Most of it is zoned to South Loop K-8 and Phillips High School

I think nonnieparent's post is an over-simplification. While I'm not from Chicago, I understand Ogden performs very well (it is the zoned K-8 for the Gold Coast) and has a high school division (you're not automatically zoned to it but you can apply to it). South Loop K-8 apparently is a good school as well (Greatschools.net indicates its test scores are also high). It's my understanding that Phillips and Wells don't do as well.

So you should be good for elementary and middle school, but you may need to apply to other schools for high school. Be sure to enter the street address of your house/complex in CPS School Locator to determine which schools your residence is zoned to, and call CPS's registrars to confirm

CPS has a resources problem. Instructional spend is about $4K per student. Test scores are really a marker for high SES. The WBEZ story above makes note that black and Hispanic kids do not perform as well as white kids. I don't think test scores are the sole good marker of a good school. I say run like hell from CPS because its got serious resource problems, which shows up in important ways that affect students: class sizes, teacher mobility, teacher experience, physical activity time, non-core subject classes (art, music, language, tech, etc.). It also affects the district's ability to meet its legal obligations for SpEd (identification, aides, case management, etc.)

To my point above, Ogden is a good school because it's the neighborhood school for Old Town, which is a high SES area. It's also merging with Jenner in fall 2018. But it still has problems caused by lack of funds from the central office. All CPS schools do. As a city, Chicago doesn't care about or value public education.

[chicagobear]

Originally Posted by nonnieparent

To my point above, Ogden is a good school because it's the neighborhood school for Old Town, which is a high SES area. It's also merging with Jenner in fall 2018. But it still has problems caused by lack of funds from the central office. All CPS schools do. As a city, Chicago doesn't care about or value public education.

Ogden has a lot of affluent white parents who send their kids there. I literally see them dropping their kids off in Range Rovers in the morning as I walk by. Isn't merging that school with Jenner, which appears to have a mostly black, welfare population, going to cause those white parents to leave CPS?