Schools Questions (Chicago, Lincoln: how much, neighborhood, magnet schools)

[On Air]

So, my husband and I were going to check out some places in and around Chicago this weekend, but with the blizzard, our plans were ruined. So, we've rescheduled for two weeks away and decided to get some more information on the schools in the city first.

So our questions are-

What are the best magnet programs in the district? Or at least what are considered the best?
Are private schools like Latin worth it or not?
We see a lot of the smarter kids attend local elementary schools and then magnets or private schools, but what do they do for junior high/middle school?
And what are the best music programs in the district?

Thanks!

[emathias]

Originally Posted by On Air

...
Are private schools like Latin worth it or not?
...

Nancy Reagan went there.

[On Air]

Nancy Reagan went there.

But is it more of a great people will be great no matter where they go, or do the schools consistently produce excellent scholars, etc.?

[Manigault]

You don't give us enough to work with. How old are your kids and where do you foresee living? As to private schools, I prefer UofC lab, which produced Garret Utley and Arne Duncan. It happens to have a better music program than Latin.

There are also a lot of great magnet schools if you really look for them.

[On Air]

You don't give us enough to work with. How old are your kids and where do you foresee living? As to private schools, I prefer UofC lab, which produced Garret Utley and Arne Duncan. It happens to have a better music program than Latin.

There are also a lot of great magnet schools if you really look for them.

We're thinking about both Lincoln Park and Hyde Park. (I know opposite ends of the city.) I'm pushing more towards Hyde Park though because that's where I'm from, but my husband's from Lincoln Park, so it's a tug-a-war sort of thing. I think the schools will have the biggest effect on this. We have three kids that are 1, 3, and 5. None have started school yet.

[Manigault]

I suggest Hyde Park. There is great support for parents in the community. Its two magnet schools -- Ray and Murray, are really entry-ways for Whitney Young or other magnet high schools. And there is always Lab.

So there is a selection of magnet public schools or great private schools -- like Ancona or Akiba-Schechter. There are also several pre-schools for children who are pre-k.

[chicagojlo]

The magnet programs truly are lotteries, and living in a more affluent neighborhood gives you even less chance of winning. You really can't count on getting a magnet spot as your only plan.

CPS doesn't have middle/junior high as a rule.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by On Air

So, my husband and I were going to check out some places in and around Chicago this weekend, but with the blizzard, our plans were ruined. So, we've rescheduled for two weeks away and decided to get some more information on the schools in the city first.

So our questions are-

What are the best magnet programs in the district? Or at least what are considered the best?
Are private schools like Latin worth it or not?
We see a lot of the smarter kids attend local elementary schools and then magnets or private schools, but what do they do for junior high/middle school?
And what are the best music programs in the district?

Thanks!

There are a few very, very high-quality magnet high schools in the CPS system. The problem is, your kids have a better chance of walking on the moon than getting into any of them. There are other schools that aren't so well-regarded but nonetheless have an honors program so that your kids will be with other kids who value their education, and that makes all the difference. I don't know any of them off hand except Lake View High School. I believe you need to live within a school's attendance boundaries to avail yourself of its honor program.

There are a number of highly respected private school in and around the city where the quality of education, the expectations they have of the students, and the caliber of the students themselves are all quite high. Latin School is among them. But whether it's "worth it" will depend an awful lot on how much the tuition stretches your resources.