World Learner Charter School

112050 Hundertmark Road

School District

World Learner Charter School
Grade

1-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

charter

School Map for World Learner Charter School

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 20, 2025

World Learner School is basically a business that only cares about looking good on the outside. Their values are not carried out in the classrooms. I won't use any names because this is not a personal attack. It is an attack on the school organization, staff, and school communication as a whole. They claim the students are performing service by doing jobs around the school. My child who already loses valuable class time to his disability should not be cleaning the school. The reality is that they have students doing jobs the adults who work there and get paid should be doing. There special education department is a joke! I challenge you to look up the statistics on kids who go to Montessori schools and how many of them have disabilities. Rather than hire qualified staff. They use a consultant company to avoid liability for their shady practices involving IEP'S.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2024

We used to love this school, but the experience in the last few years has been terrible. Changes in the administration have caused the school to slide. The school doesn’t have any checks and balances for their rookie administrator who runs the school according to her personal ideology. Bullying is rampant. Some teachers are good and some are terrible - and with the structure of the school, you have the same teacher for three years.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2024

I'm a parent to a 2nd year student. Our experience at WLS has been nothing short of amazing. What we love about WLS is the multi-age classrooms, freedom of movement and lots of outdoor time with lessons and play in nature, outdoor classroom areas, field trips to get kids into the community, the amazing music program, all the animals (chickens, birds, dogs, turtles, bearded dragons), hands-on learning/academics with materials and personalized learning to meet each child where they are at. WLS does an incredible job at instilling self-motivation in the students by having them a part of creating their own work plans, holding themselves accountable and then rewarding that behavior. We love that our child can expand their learning through additional work of their choosing which reinforces learning and keeps them motivated. We also love the community that is created at WLS - kids of all ages including middle schoolers are incredibly supportive and kind to the younger students - even showing up at their programs to demonstrate support. We love that at WLS kids learn how to not only be a part of a community and thrive (conflict resolution skills and working together to solve problems, grace and courtesy) they learn to take care of the community they are in. So many life lessons kids are exposed to that will help them thrive in the world and be great humans. The teachers and school leadership are passionate about the school and students, I'm excited for when my youngest is old enough to also attend WLS as it's truly a gem and we are thankful to be a part of it!
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2024

Both of my sons attend WLS. I recommend if you are on the fence, to come and tour.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2024

We have three children at this school and have been a part of this school community for six years. I wish every child could experience a learning environment like World Learner. A Montessori education affords kids the time to be curious, self-directed, and responsible. Every kid gets to excel at their own level. Multi-age classrooms mean kids are never stunted and they have long-standing relationships with fellow students and teachers. Plus, this is a close-knit and welcome school community. We are so thankful for this school in our family’s life!
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2024

This school is special. It’s a free charter school. The Montessori style learning is hands-on. They have great outdoor spaces and my daughter’s teacher is really wonderful.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2024

This school changed our life. We had terrible experiences at two public schools in the western suburbs and when we found World Learner School we moved across the cities and have been here all year. My son went from being bullied and slipping behind in his math/reading and had limited friends to World Learner where he has flourished. Their approach has helped to bring the bright light back into my son’s eyes. He loves his teachers and has a great group of friends and his grades have dramatically raised and are continuing to improve!! The great classrooms and playground and (chickens!) and yards/gardens for every class to have an outdoor space….its an amazing place. And it’s free! It’s a charter school that costs $0 to parents/families! I can’t recommend this school more. It changed my son and made our whole family grateful!
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2024

My son had an incident of being choked and punched in the back on the playground by several children. The school did not inform me and I went in the following school day. I was “corrected” and told that it wasn’t bullying if it was a one time occurrence, that it was “physical harassment”. I was also told I am “not privy to know how they handle the situations”. Being resourceful, this conversation was recorded. My niece was also assaulted by classmates and made to sit down with the girls who did it. The school’s director of 2 yrs, Melissa Bulletman, is inexperienced and was placed in the position by friends. Certain children there have had no recourse for assaulting and harassing victims. This is not a culture of safety for all the students and I will be doing what I can do to get my son out of that school as soon as possible. The redeeming quality is his teacher Allison. She has been wonderful, but cannot be everywhere, all the time. The director there needs to step down for the safety of the student body as a whole.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2022

It sucks you learn nothing the last time h learned
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2017

We have been attending this school for 3 years. My child's confidence has grown and she has really grown as a person. Her teacher, Ashley is an amazing teacher. The staff work together and are very supportive.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2012

The principal of WLS is an absolute rock star. She and the dedicated board have the school on solid financial ground, with money in the budget not only to maintain quality programs, but also to make improvements to the physical building each year. The Montessori method allows children to work at their own pace, rather than "tracking" kids into high, medium, or low groups depending on a single test score or small body of work. If kids go through a "learning spurt"," they don't have to wait for the teacher to decide to move them up to a different group--they can just move right into more challenging work. Likewise, if a kid is slower to catch on to a subject, they can take their time without being shamed. Kids are encouraged to focus on tasks for as long as they need to, not drop what they are doing at the end of a 40 minute period. This encourages deeper thought and concentration. They can move around and work with other classmates, which encourages social development and creativity. There is no "teaching to the test" at WLS. If you see lower test scores, it's because the kids spend all day actually learning, and not regurgitating.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2012

Our children have been at WLS for the past four years. It has been a fantastic experience. I cannot recommend this school enough.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2012

This school has been wonderful for my daughter who has language processing disorder. She is very visual and hands on. This school caters to her needs perfectly. The teachers and staff are very supportive, they go on awesome field trips learning OUTSIDE the classroom. The key word is they LEARN not MEMORIZE the subjects. The school is small as well, which I like! Love this school!
Submitted by parent on November 28, 2011

Our family has been at WLS for almost 5 years now. After reading through some of the reviews posted on this site, I would like to stress to parents who are considering WLS, that WLS has gone through a lot of changes over the past few years that have had a hugely positive impact on the quality of the school. The current administration, school board and teachers are all superb. Both of my children have very different learning styles (one is self directed and the other not so much) and both are thriving at WLS. For our family, there is no other place we would like to send our children and we always recommend WLS.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2011

We love World Learner. After a horrible kindergarten experience in public school we were concerned about our son. He was so unhappy. At World Learner he is blooming. He is so excited about school. In third grade he is reading at an eighth grade level. He is so interested in learning new things and exploring the world.
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2011

We have been thrilled with the level of attention our children have received at this school. The Montessori method worked absolute wonders for my children's confidence and their love of learning. They will research the answers to problems on their own and are always excited to try new things. I have three children and they are all scoring above average, their reading and vocabulary is high, and their math skills are deeply intuitive. I wish there had been schools like this when I was a kid!
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2011

My kids attended the school for several years and they are so far behind, so we are moving to another school. Each classroom is an island and there is no integrated curriculum. So, you might get a good class or you might struggle and administration is no help when you are in a bad situation. Your only choice is to leave.