Hyde Park Academy High School

The principal is horrible and never takes time to meet with parents. The current principal is vindictive and unresponsive to the needs of both parents and students.

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.

Do not send your child to this school. The reputation Ray School has does not hold up to what it is today.Ignore the diversity you see on the playground. Ignore the Friends of Ray group. Ignore the Meet the Principal invites (DEFINITELY ignore this!)Instead imagine this: Imagine your child is slammed against a wall unprovoked by another child. Imagine your child being called racists names by another student. Imagine your child is jumped on school property at dismissal. Now imagine none of these children face any consequences and the victims have to look their attackers in the face the very next day. And the next day. And the next day. This is Ray. These are Ray stories. And one day it WILL be your child. There is a reason most decent families leave the school before middle school – it’s unsafe. Sadly the safety issues are now starting as young as second grade. And many of the parents are just as culpable as the principal who ignores the problem. None of them care until something happens to their child. I admit I was one of those parents, but at least I’m speaking out about it. The reviews on Great Schools do not reflect even 1% of what happens at Ray. Most parents take their children and leave quietly, doing a huge disservice to the children left behind. Very few are willing to stand up to the culture, to the principal, to other parents. I doubt my review will turn most people away from this school. White parents espousing Ray as a “good school” is hard to ignore in a school system where most schools are failing and reading and math scores are woefully behind. But if I can reach just one family, if I can save just one child from enduring what my child and many others have endured at Ray, I will feel I have done something more than look the other way like most Ray parents. Keep looking. Ray is not where you want to send your child. Your child deserves better.

I would rate this school rating 0-10 an 10.

I have compared U of C Lab school curriculum and students from grades 3-5 with the same at a Chicago north suburban public &for the price about $2500/ month/student Lab gets a bad rating. Lab does not challenge gifted math students as does the north public schools bc they did not provide different math levels at this crucial stage. I also saw the writing levels of 4th graders, was only impressed with 2 of ~ 20 students. Most students showed lack of structure, cohesiveness, spelling skills. Lab relies on the smarts of the best students and Lab will gladly take parents $ from nursery to gr8. No real assessments so no clue. By high school Lab weeds out the kids that will make them look bad when ACT test scores are used to compare them with public school kids. Lab asks the kids who will not make them look good to leave at ~high school. So In the end it's not Lab that makes the kids but the kids that make Lab. People who work at the university get 1/2 off and there are no other good schools public or private in the area. UofC Lab school is in the south side of Chicago (not good). It's really not part of the city where you could walk to rest of city. It is so far south past McCormick place that it feels like a south suburb. The children are told they are great by the school so they have a confidence but it's not grounded in reality. I am not impressed. For that same price per month for one child you can buy a home in the north suburbs and have free education that is better and have your child grounded in reality. If Lab was great then they would have their students take the same tests as the public schools so parents could very easily compare, but they do not, and that says a lot. They also have horrible security. They do not take responsibility for signing the kids out of school but let the kids out with no supervision. Because they are a private school they are not subject to state laws that govern public schools that protect the children. If your child is bright, I would not pay for them to make Lab look good. I have seen graduates of Lab who are not impressive but they sure think they are and this has only hurt them in life. They have a hard time coping with any criticism. I think this is a result of Labbies certainly talking themselves up to each other and are afraid to step out of the Lab zone for comparison. Not impressed.