2017 E 67th St #2
Chicago, IL 60649

My kids have been at Harte for the last several years. We've had other options but chose to stay at Harte because our kids have had an overall great experience. The principal at this school is the most helpful and engaged school administrator we have ever come across. Problems will arise with students and staff, like any school, but Mr. Bright is always available to listen and remedy the situation. Between my kids we have experienced every grade between pre-K to 6th, and so far my kids have loved their teachers, made great friends and progressed academically above their grade level. Bret Harte faces the same challenges as all the neighborhoods schools in the area, but it's small size and great leadership make those challenges much more manageable than at their peer institutions.

The administration is simply negligent. From misappropriation of school funds to exploitation of surrunding communities. What do I mean? Last year the athletic director was found to have misappropriated over a quarter million dollars ($285,000). in terms of academics, Out of 160 senior students only 30 are set to graduate this year. Less than 6 percent. LET THAT SINK IN. they also HEAVILY infringe upon the rights and privacy of their students for example: extensive checks and limited access to any contact with the outside world. meaning no phones, no water bottles, No stanleys This is not a typical nor productive environment for encouraging development in children. Compared to other schools in the area this place is practically a jail primarily pushed towards POC and as a youth who VERY actively participates in implementing local public policy It's saddening to say the least. The worst of all this is that with addition of the Obama library the students who attended before its construction are the same ones being used for diversity photo ops and then being told that they have eesentially no access to the facility. To further push the current students out they then decided to make this the first year that Hyde park will be selective enrollment. Meaning that it's no longer a default neighborhood school and the current residents are not automatically enrolled. TRULY I wish I'd gone somewhere else. A waste of four years.