Lincoln Park High School

I have a freshman in Performing Arts. He has had a great year and great teachers. He is getting A's and B's and is not being bullied. Being smart and studying hold prestige instead of shame. I am nervous about the wall to wall IB, bue we will give it a try and see how it goes.
—Submitted by a parent

Apply to this school, ONLY if you want to study in IB. As a student who' completed all 4 years of IB, I can say that this was the most useful learning experience of my life -- made college a piece of cake. Honestly, a lot of knowledge I've acquired in IB was more useful and insightful than in college. Although teachers vary in their skills, overall majority of them were great to excellent. I would never send my kid to LP to be in regular or even honors classes. From my years at LP, it seemed like a lot of troubled kids, were in those classes, and I personally was threatened to be stabbed for no apparent reason. IB program really is segregated, but that's what I liked about it - that there was no need to interact with delinquent students who often came from ghetto projects and had entirely different mentality. The coursework is challenging but doable and it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. You don't have to give up on social life. Quite frankly, I procrastinated a lot and did everything last minute and I graduated with good grades. If you take regular classes you'll have a more difficult time in college. IB enables you to have easier life after high school.

I graduated in 93 and my sister graduated in 97...we LOVED this school, the theater program and honors classes. It is an inner city school that faces the challenges specific to the city itself, but has always sought diversity and teachers that care.

Honestly as a student i have to agree that a lot of people are very poorly behaved, but to act as if the issues reported to the dean or teachers are ignored is bogus. Teachers have control but do take a lot of time out of their day telling kids to knock it off. it is easy to find friends at Lp so don't try and say you have a kid who has a tough time, he probably is too busy complaining about that instead of actually talking to people. LP is a great school and you can be broke or rich, you still make friends. Send your kid here this school is really great.
—Submitted by a student

This is a fantastic well-rounded school with many academic options. The IB program is top notch.
—Submitted by a parent

In reference to most recent review posted on August 4, 2012, thank you for that feedback. I have officially chosen LP as the school of choice for my son who will be starting next month. I'm the parent who posted a review on March 22, 2012 when I was close to making a decision. I agree with you in regards to what can be controlled by the student and what cannot and it seems that most of what you mentioned can be determined on the student and how they approach things and not rely or blame others for their successes. Plus as a parent I'll be VERY involved and they will know who I am in that school because I will be proactive in school visits with teachers, counselors and whomever else is involved in teachings of my son. I'm not saying that other parents weren't I'm just stating what I will be doing and I'll be the judge as to how the school really is in my eyes. If there's something I do not like I will address and make sure something is done otherwise I will report it to higher up who ever that may be if necessary. Again thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it, it has helped contribute to my decision tremendously. Because I've heard great things from others as well.
—Submitted by a parent

Look at what you're up against. To all the people complaining about how there is no spirit, no personal attention, etc, this is a school of 2100+ kids. There are 7 or 8 counselors dealing with them, how can they give individual attention to each one? LP brings kids into the real world. We have such a diverse student body (in many ways, socially, economically, academically). Of course the school is segregated, it's similar to college. You don't know everyone, and you probably never will. You stick with your group of friends and your teachers will give you all the attention you need. What's great about this school is that it's like a mother bird pushing you out of the nest, you learn to fly by making your own decisions, and they supply you with whatever you need. If you don't like the clubs, start a new one! It's high school, you're a big kid now, you need to grow up and face the real world. Don't associate with the bad people, learn to take care of yourself, and only blame your failures on yourself. LP has taught me so much more than what my IB classes have taught me, it has taught me about life and it's vast-ness. It's a breath of fresh air, even if it gets crazy some days. Lions!
—Submitted by a student

I'm a current student here and to be honest this school isn't as great as I thought. I'm in the double honors program and it isn't actually rigorous at all. The regulars classes here are a joke. Many of the teachers seem to be under qualified and I only feel I had about 2 or 3 really good teachers. The only "cool" students here are the ones that do drugs or have a lot of money. There's almost no school spirit. The school administration seems disorganized. There's not a lot of extra-curricular activities and most clubs don't really do much to get involved/recognition from the school. The only thing I really like about the school is the location; that's it. I'm considering about transferring to be quite honest.
—Submitted by a student

Part 3 of 3 I endured all four years of program, lonely and sad and felt like a failure the whole time. I still shed a few tears while writing this. I wonder how many students that graduated actually felt glad about the program. So, if your child is applying or get accepted. Prepare you kids of what he or she will face. (Unless your kids look like they are going to ivy-league at 3rd grade, by all means, go to IB and get challenged and be the star!) Oh and school spirit! I almost forgot about addressing that, because there were none. Think about it, there are four programs, with double honors, honors and regular like a 2nd class, 3rd class and 4th class. They were pretty much segregated, how can there be school spirit.
—Submitted by a student

My brother is a freshman here and I have watched him go from a happy teenager to a miserable one. Ive been to this school a few times and the staff is extremely rude. No one seems to care about the kids. Ive made calls to his counselor and she has never bothered to get in touch with me. My brother hates the atmosphere here and it seems like it's just not a very welcoming place. We are all very upset that we sent him to this school but fortunately, we are working on transferring him over before things get worse. I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone. Many other people that went to this school either transferred or just hated it. Don't the scores and reviews fool you. This school isn't worth anyone's time.

I have difficulty getting anyone to pick up the phone at any department in the school. My daughter's counselor does not answer her phone and returns messages days later. By the time she called me the issue had been resolved and she argued with me about why I emailed my daughters teachers telling me that was not necessary. I found the whole conversation bizzare and wonder how she even keeps a job there. I drove to LPHS immediately after that conversation to talk with Mr. Boras about it. Things got worse...he sat there and did not stand to greet me or attempt to shake my hand. I shook his hand and introduced myself. I went on to expalin a pretty serious situation happening with my daughter at the school while he stared out the door, which he did not have the manners to close. I finally stopped and asked if someone was standing outside the door and did he need to go talk to them. He said "No, I am just watching the people walk by." I wish I was kidding but that's what he said. Then, he continued to stare out the door and space out while I tried to have a conversation.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a sophomore here at Lincoln park so I'll b graduating in 2014. I can say that I have learned alot. From booksmarts to street smarts. My grade school had a graduating class of 24 when I was in 8th grade so attending a big is school is really interesting because it's new to me. I've met soo many different people. I've seen soo much in and outside this school that I never thought I'd see. but every experience here so far has been a learning experience. I've learned what to say in certain situations, what to do, what not to do, and just how to make it in general. I've also learned a whole lot academically as well. When I was accepted into this school I was accepted into the ib program but I chose to do double honors instead because I didn't want to work to my full potential. But my teachers know my capability and they always try to get the best from me. I had an amazing set of teachers freshman year and I like alot of my teachers this year too. Along with that we have a wonderful principal. He isn't one of those principals that you never see instead Its crazy that I see him quite often in a school of 2200 kids. I have had a great experience here so far and I can't wait to.....
—Submitted by a student

Unlike most magnet schools, LPHS has multiple programs, (International Baccalaureate, Double Honors, Honors, and regular), so the educational experience can be tailored to suite the need of individual students. As an example, my son found the IB program too rigorous and transferred into Double Honors for his junior year. Further, there is a separate freshman building so students can transition into high school without a lot of the anxiety that goes along with being the 'low man on the totem pole'. The teachers are engaging and responsive, as is the new principal, which has led to more parent involvement and increased school spirit. You would do you child a disservice by overlooking LPHS in your high school search.
—Submitted by a parent

Some mere facts for the IB program, the implementation of the program in this school defeats its purpose. The students have to complete busy work in all courses that allows no time to think and develop. Many blogs and websites exist with answers to recirculated homework. 130 students are accepted in LP IB annually, less than 80 graduate, 30 of them drop from the program the first year (only those with ISATS > 90% percentile are can apply, out of more than 2000 applicants choose 130 are selected) 85% of the 80 who graduate complete their IB diploma. This is merely 68 out of 130 capable students and this is around 50% success. Each student is required to take the 6 IB and around 5 AP courses. The teachers are not up to PAR with the students, recently the program lost its best Math teacher, while the only option for a student to take Physics is to take double Science in sophomore year. The program doesn't provide IB Physics class. To the question if my daughter could take a drama class as elective the coordinator answered with pride that Students in our program are not interested in drama This is a 4 year bootcamp. The number of kids who annually go to IVY schools is not published
—Submitted by a parent

In hind site having two students in LPHS was wonderful. They chose this school for the theatre program and the reputation. After attending Cornell on scholarship as theatre majors they both realize what a great experience they had. After the independent training and rigorous expectations they were well prepared for college life. Our children have reached back to visit and continue relationships with teachers and peers thoughout college. They walk proud when they say they are a student from Lincoln Park high. The school is well regarded in acedemic circles. Our first graduated Cornell in '07' and our second is set for '10'. We are pleased with LPHS.. Well rounded grads are all you can ask for and we recieved this here. Were there bumps here and there? 'Yes', as in all schools, its rare that schools measure thier failures.We spoke up and were heard. Since '03' we remain happy.
—Submitted by Maggie Czerwionka, a parent

My daughter is in the double honors program. I am sorry I let her stay at LPHS. If you are ever in the halls, there is no respect, the kids sound like they are on the street, swearing and yelling in the halls. I spoke with the counselor and was told they have too many students and the student should seek them out if they need help. I am am very sorry I sent her to this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son waas accepted into the IB program, and he's learned so much. It's performing arts and IB program rank top in State. It's IB program is best in state and top in the U.S.A. It's an amazing program and we couldn't turn it down. It's very diverse and it's located in one of the best neighborhoods in Chicago(Lincoln Park). The students are academically challenged. Students are pushed to do their best. They are accaepted into Ivy League schools. It was also listed inthe Top 100 high schools in the U.S. Only two schools from Illinois were listed their, Northside College Prep and Lincoln Park. It's IB program really caries the school. If it was only IB, it would be listed alot higher but the school gives opportunites to all the students.
—Submitted by a parent

Very pleased at first when my daughter was accepted to the double-honors/Fine Arts program at LPHS. Her freshman year, she was struck by the lack of community/caring; this past fall we pulled her from LPHS. Her grades were good, she had friends, but the school is not a nurturing academic environment for the vast majority of the 2400 students. I fell prey to the Newsweek Report that put LPHS in th top 100 high schools. While I cannot dispute the test scores, I have to wonder how much is extracted from and exacted on the kids to make those scores. With the exception of a very small percentage - not a lot of school spirit; not a lot of enthusiasm from the students not directly involved in a sport, production, or IB. If you/your child is looking for a good overall highschool experience and not just test scores, look elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

Student here for two years so far and the biggest problems so far are the lack of understanding and communication between students and administrators, punishments that are disproportionate to the crime, a principal that is rarely seen by students, and very low funding. Half of the bathrooms close after 8th period, the price of IDs and temporary IDs doubled since last year, the business office has closed during the school year, and class fees are for things like printer paper. Discipline is horrible. Since when has it been sensible to end off campus lunch for an entire grade because some abused the privilege? Since when starting a new policy of 'no ID= automatic detention' without telling the students and still expect few to no tardies, which can severely affect grades, make any sense? Why is it that the known pothead gets in less trouble than someone that copies homework?
—Submitted by a student

I live closer to the northwest side of chicago and live quite a ways away, but I really enjoy the education I'm getting, I like most of the people that go to my school.
—Submitted by a student