Northside Catholic Academy

6216 North Glenwood Avenue

Chicago, IL 60660

7 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 22, 2023

The teachers and staff at this school care so much about the students. There's a great sense of community and lots of opportunities to meet other parents.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2019

much work to be done....students are leaving
Submitted by parent on July 09, 2018

This school has a strong, solid community and it shows through our children. Everyone looks out for one another and we feel very safe here. They also have strong academics and have small class sizes. My son loves this school and has made many friends here as well as I. I also love they have 2 campus to sperate the middles schoolers from the young ones. If your looking for a safe and a strong community with strong academics. This is the place for you. We love this school!
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2017

Terrible experience. My kid's preK teacher teased him daily, in class in front of other children. I often heard her yelling at him by name from outside the school before & after pick-up. There were repeated group emails re: my child's behavior (not misbehavior, just what he was up to) to all parents in the class. She would often ignore me when trying to ask a question, and seemed to encourage cliques among very small children --this was a concern shared by other parents in the class. I definitely got the impression that she "gave up" on him and then just wanted him to be quiet. She and the assistant teacher played "good cop/bad cop" with students, using emotional manipulation to discipline young children. I'm all for play-based schooling, but my kid became suddenly shy and scared to go play with other kids after being told he was not allowed to touch anyone in class (this was not a rule for the class, just for him). As far as formal education goes, it consisted of copious worksheets about Jesus. We aren't particularly religious but didn't mind a preK level of religious education --my son forgot most of the pre-reading skills we'd been working on casually at home and he would often break down crying because he was so sad about her descriptions of Jesus' death --not just at Easter time. This was all year. The administration was only concerned with fundraising for their annual Gala, trying to get free office work out of parents via obligatory "community service" ( I don't mind community service, but I do mind doing all your office work free of charge, school I'm already paying. Maybe a soup kitchen next time? That was never an option). My only interaction with the principal was when she screamed at me in the street because I accidentally parked in the wrong place. I cannot communicate how strongly I regret sending my child here. That is money I will never get back, and it took a solid year to get my kid to not be terrified of school and his teachers.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2015

I think it could be more academically rigorous but is otherwise a good school. The teachers are engaged and there are opportunities for parental involvement at strategic levels.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2013

Northside Catholic Academy is not only an excellent academic institution, it is a nurturing and enlightening environment. The teachers and staff are like family - they really care about each students. From my first encounter with the admissions office, I could feel the staff's deep committed to the school and the children. The learning envirornment encourages girls and boy to challenge themselves. NCA has wonderful school programs including physical education, music, art, foreign language, as well as an athletic program. Graduates of NCA go onto top high schools and colleges but the environment is by no means stressful. Northside Catholic Academy is outstanding and I am so grateful my children are learning in such a phenomenal environment.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2011

We have been parishioners at St. Gertrude for 5 years, and it was a natural choice for our first child to attend the preschool (enrolled this past fall). As others have mentioned, the sense of community is great. I have three friends/colleagues (everyone I know whose older children have graduated from the program) whose children have gone on to be accepted at their first choice CPS magnet high school, so I can't imagine that the academics are anything but stellar. We have no complaints so far with how our daughter is treated and taught, and she will be attending NCA, no doubt about it, from K-8. Her teachers are warm, compassionate, and very capable, and the whole place feels like an extended family. I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to become involved in more of the arts and civic activities.