5604 W Hawthorne Ave
Berkeley, IL 60163

i currently go to this school, so this is just my honest experience. it’s not some chaotic place where fights are happening all the time. it’s a regular public high school in the chicago suburbs. you’re not going to get anything fancy, but it’s also not as bad as some reviews make it seem. i’m going to try and format this in a way to find what people may be looking for, so bare with me pleaswsecurity is pretty strict. you go through metal detectors every morning, and your bag goes through an x-ray, usual high school stuff.yes, some students smoke in the bathrooms, and sometimes bathrooms get locked because of it, but there are multiple bathrooms so it’s not really a huge issue during the day.teachers really depend on who you get. some are actually really good and care about helping you, and some are just okay. from the teachers i’ve had so far, i’ve been able to learn what i needed, and i’ve had a few that stood out in a good way.the school is structured, but does need improvement. passing periods are 5 mins, and staff do enforce rules, especially with tardies. if you keep being late, there are consequences, so they do take it seriously.lunch is decent for a public school. it’s not amazing, but it’s not bad either. like we be getting wings and pizza and even panda express-type meals, they serve cultural foods too sometimes! the lunch staff aren’t rude, they just get overwhelmed sometimes.the school does have support if you need it. counselors, social workers, and a psychologist are available, and from what i’ve seen, they actually try to help students. the special education staff also seem like they care and put in effort, which i find very important, but they do need MORE special education teachers/assistants in my opinion.fights happen sometimes, but not every day. the environment isn’t hostile. there are always going to be students who don’t care about school, but that’s normal anywhere and doesn’t stop you from doing well if you try.classes are decent, especially if you take honors or ap. there are also college and career options like dual enrollment, and programs like cosmetology and barbering with transportation provided.there are also activities like national honor society and njrotc if you want to be involved.it’s just a normal public high school. it has good and bad parts, these 2014 reviews make it sound like it’s hell.

I am writing this review to express my severe disappointment with macarthur middle schoo. As a current student, I feel compelled to share my experiences, which have been overwhelmingly negative.First and foremost, the teaching quality at this school is dismal. Instructors often fail to engage students or offer meaningful support, and many lessons feel like an endless lecture of irrelevant information. When students struggle, teachers provide little to no help, merely offering a vague set of rules without any practical guidance. It’s infuriating to see the same problems rehashed without any real explanation or assistance.Bullying is another serious issue here. It is utterly disappointing to witness the rampant disrespect among students. Unfortunately, when bullying incidents occur, the response from teachers and administration is lackluster at best. In my personal experience, I have faced bullying multiple times, only for the teachers and vice principal to side with the bully rather than support the victim. This creates a toxic environment where students feel unsafe and unprotected.Additionally, the cafeteria food leaves much to be desired, with some items being almost rock-hard and inedible. A nutritious meal is essential for students, and it’s disheartening to see such a lack of care in this area.Lastly, the grading system at macarthur middle schoo is absurdly inefficient. It’s like trying to hit a moving target; assignments often take an eternity to be graded, making it feel as though getting feedback is nearly impossible. The chances of receiving timely grades are so slim that the process feels more like finding a million dollars than an educational institution fulfilling its duty.Overall, I cannot recommend macarthur middle schoo with the way things are currently. It is essential for schools to foster a supportive, respectful, and engaging environment for students, and this school unfortunately misses the mark on all fronts. I sincerely hope for positive changes in the future, but as it stands, my experience here has been far from satisfactory.

We have our son in kindergarten at Sunnyside and the experience has been great. The teacher communicates with us about our son's progress, the environment feels safe and fun, and there are plenty of opportunities for parents to visit kids in school. The teacher uses an app to keep us informed on our child's progress and the classroom activities and even shares photos with us. It's great! The principal Ms. Tortora constantly sends out voice messages to keep parent's updated and is very approachable and kind. The district is reorganizing the grades among the school buildings for the 2017-2018 school year which means our 1st grader will now need to go to Jefferson. We'll see how that goes.