Courtenay Elementary Language Arts Center

Dear parents, please stop opting your kids out of the IAR test. The low IAR participation rate is what is leading to such a low score for Blaine on this website. This website's scores are used on the redfin website (and probably other similar sites) so these low scores could impact your and my house value. My two kids are proud alums of Blaine, and we all know this isn't an accurate representation of the quality of our school.

This school is not recommended. Don't risk your child growth and development by taking them to this school. Horrible

As a new parent to the district we were incredibly happy to see how warm, engaged and helpful the teachers and teaching support staff, are with each child. While I am not sure administration supports the teachers/staff as much as they should, each teacher we have worked with goes over and above for their students. The kindergarten class reached 32 students before it was split. As parents we were unsure how a teacher would be able to effectively educate and why administration allowed this to happen without adequate support in place. Ms. Aragon handled the situation with grace, kindness and professionalism. She truly cared for and fought for what is in the best interest of each of her students. Ms. Aragon is a 10-star teacher in every possible way! The entire preK/K branches staff is the best elementary experience we have ever encountered. A few excellent educators; Mr. Kyle, Mr. JB, Ms. Moloney, Ms. Koloba, and so so many others that unfortunately I don't know their names. Also the security team in both buildings are phenomenal and greet children by name with excitement. I do believe that the upper administration are good people however it seems apparent that in every school it is parents/teachers against administration instead of working together. Budgets and policies seem to rule upper administration instead of the best interest of each student.

I’m speaking for my sister and me. I am a regular student who had already graduated 2 years ago, this school is amazing. My teachers were great, really did try they’re best to give advanced education to us, they kept us on check, while also having some fun, yes of course some teachers were strict and not fun, but they really did prepare you. Likewise, My sister had some trouble with all the subjects and had to have individual classes to help her keep up. Which I found very great. She told me how the classes helped her, along with some books I gave her, that fit her interest, she grew well alongside supportive teachers. They gave her weakened work as well, and supported her all the way through. Great teachers, with great patience. The safety and diverse community is great, they have a lot of opportunities to be out and social, clubs and afterschool programs, a great park, and a great school ground with a safe community. Though, the counclers do need some work with keeping everything fair from a problem I had with another student. They do care about every student, adress problems the parents have, give meetings and try to keep the students comfortable. Other than that, the school is fine, and well. I’m saying this as a graduate from 24, and my sister just graduated. It was a good time in that school. I recommend putting your student in!!

School places strong emphasis on academic excellence, including regular homework assignments, weekly quizzes and tests. Teachers are involved and very supportive,. New principal - Mr. Guerrero is successful in promoting academic discipline and parents' involvement. There is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. My two children attend Ravenswood Elementary and I have seen steady improvement in school's academic ranking over the years.

I am thrilled to recommend NPES to families as it is a place that really centers and cares about children. As a small, independent school it is able to be responsive and nimble and I have seen so many excellent additions to the program in recent years. This is truly a gem of a school in a challenging chicago landscape.

If you’re looking for a welcoming, inclusive community where your child will have personalized attention from teachers who care about your child, then Pilgrim is definitely the school for you. We were not happy at our previous CPS school. Our daughter wasn’t happy, she felt ignored, the focus on timed tests (in 1st grade!) made her anxious and she started to not like school. Since we moved to Pilgrim, she has absolutely thrived. Her love for learning is due to the amazing teachers at Pilgrim. She’s a straight A student, scoring in the 90th+ percentile in both reading and math. She’s in her 8th grade year and Mrs. Andreen works one on one with each student to prepare them for the high school application process. She’s been a lifesaver! Our younger daughter loves her teacher as well. I love the care and support she has provided to my youngest and as parents we love the fact that we can communicate easily with teachers. They are very supportive and responsive (which was not our experience at CPS). It is also by far the most affordable private school option. There’s no way we could have afforded the other private options on the north side. Pilgrim’s like a hidden gem. I can’t say enough good things about our tiny but mighty school community!