Marmion Academy

A community of believers doing their best for the students of today. Teachers here help students in any way possible to achieve their goals. Every year more things are added to create a positive educational program.

I personally had a terrible time during my four years at Marmion. The major problem for me at Marmion was the immature and disrespectful students. I came to Marmion thinking the students would be nicer than at my public school, but I was wrong. It turned out that the public school kids were nicer and more respectful to each other as well as the faculty. I feel that the teachers have no passion in their teaching and it only got worse each year. Although I had an easy time with academics at the school many students that were struggling had very ineffective plans from the staff to help increase their grades. The students doing poorly would get academic recoveries which meant they sat in a classroom after school for 30 minutes staring aimlessly at the wall instead of being helped with their schoolwork. Just a plain waste of time.

As a Marine Officer going on my second tour, Illinois alum (2011), and Marmion (2007), I often point back to Marmion for both Marines returning to Chicagoland with their families as well as my friends intending on raising their boys anywhere near the Fox River Valley. Marmion's strong academic curriculum was a foundation for my success in college, in the military, and in multiple areas of my life. The opportunities provided to me by the academics, the athletics, and the many clubs and events allowed me to grow as a man, as a Christian, and as a leader. Certainly it was expensive, but now those summers spent working off tuition in the pine tree farm & all those spaghetti dinners were clearly worth it as I got a free ride through college with scholarships and opportunities to grow that I am convinced I wouldn't have found anywhere else in the area. The fraternal character of Marmion is a real difference maker and many of my fellow alumni friends are successful individuals in a variety of professions. The JROTC program is especially effective due to personalities like MAJ Mark Emerson and SGM Gissel who instill discipline in the new cadets. The support staff are particularly adept individuals who were excellent influences and the teaching staff is excellent, whether I realized it at the time or not. If you have a son who you want to have a solid Catholic education (after all many of the monks and teachers have PhDs, Juris Doctors, etc) and you want them to get involved in a community and go to a great college, here is where you make that investment. It is not a reform school, like others have pointed out, and those kids that grew up with poor influences will still have an uphill battle since you can lead of horse to water but you can't make him drink. The high ACT/SAT and scholarship awards speak for themselves, but the level of maturity, independence, and discipline that is instilled in these young men really sets this place apart from the other quality schools in the area. I'm sure your son will be concerned about the lack of women at the school, but with double the school dances, opportunities to meet the young ladies of Rosary, the sister school, in athletics, the band, the plays, clubs, and beyond; your son will find he has a network of friends and contacts spreading across many towns and plenty of social opportunities. SEND YOUR SON HERE.

We could not have made a better investment in our son than his Marmion education. We feel confident from witnessing his growth that he is not only prepared to be accepted by an excellent university, but he will also do well in completing his college education honorably. We are very grateful for the Marmion staff. Thank you for getting to really know our son and investing in him too. It is very comforting to be able to encounter a member of the staff at any time and be able to hear about our son from people who actively know and care about his progress. We are also very grateful for the detailed religious education he is receiving. This has grown him into a man who is able to speak intelligently to anyone with proper references and strong moral code. Our son is surrounded by like-minded boys of good character. There is a fraternal essence that empowers them. We are relieved to find that most of the boys are serious college bound students from solid parental involvement, not the reform school needy that public school parents warned us about. Overall, we can not recommend Marmion enough.

It's great for Catholic males of high school age. Others...not so much. Props for its JROTC.