5414 W McDowell Rd
Edelstein, IL 61526

This is a good down to earth school. The teachers and staff are very positive. They treat the students like human beings, and not like pescents as their neighboring district to the south does. My daughter struggled in math at another school but the teachers here worked with her one-on-one and even advised me as a parent on how I could also help her, and we all worked together she my daughter got a B. There is zero bullying here. Kids are accepted for who they are. I can't say enough good about this school, it's really the best in Central Illinois if not the State.

The school was pretty good until Summit Learning came into the picture. Summit learning is an online learning platform. Instead of everyone learning and taking a test together, it is supposed to be "at our own pace". On the Summit rubric, it is said that the teachers are supposed to give us SDL days, which are days that we can get caught up on the resources and take the test (also electronic) if we are ready. The thing is, the teachers don't give us any time in school to do this. They teach us about things that we won't really even be tested on, and also, the projects are on summit, which are very complicated. The teachers do not specify what they want the project to be, they just tell us to do it. Also, there isn't really a point of teachers, when they really don't do much when we are on summit. It is understandable that students should be responsible for their own education, but we can't really take the test (which is most of what we are graded on) unless a teacher approves it from their laptop. With the mixture of summit classes (no final required) and standard classes, where a lot of studying is required, having to make time for summit make this A LOT more stressful than it needs to be. Also, the principlal tries to make us stay after school for summit when it isn't our fault that the teachers don't give us any time. Summit is complicated to explain, but coming from a student, it's terrible. If you have the option to go to/ send your child to a non-summit school, I would do so.Bullying was never really an issue here either, and the people here are fairly nice but judgy like all high school students are. Currently, with summit, I would give this school a 4/10, but without summit I would give it a 7. Hopefully, by the time you read this, summit will no longer be in the picture.