Northside College Preparatory High School

I am currently a senior at Northside and will be attending the University of Southern California in the fall. First off, it is definitely not true that everyone who goes here can get into an Ivy League school. Year in and year out, most (actually a majority) go to UIC or U of I, which is better than a lot of city schools where kids have dropped out or do not go to college, but is no more impressive than where suburban schools send their grads. That being said, I am a strong believer that what you put in is what you get. I feel like the people that complain about teachers acting cocky and not delivering on promises they make expect their hand to be held thru the whole 4 years. That's not going to happen at any school. Students that actively seek out the amazing resources at this school will be rewarded. And if everyone did that here, probably a lot more people would be going to Harvard (not that Harvard is the school for everyone anyway; it's all about fit). The biggest knock against Northside is its incredibly awful math curriculum, IMP. It leaves all but those whose brains are hard-wired for math unprepared for college, a great irony at a college "prep" school.
--Submitted by a student

I am extremely happy with my child s experience at Northside College Prep. She is a junior and since her freshman year she has been heavily recruited by top universities nationwide. The opportunities that this school has opened up for her are unlimited. Although she works hard, she has been able to balance her academics with her social life and maintain a high grade point average. What I like best is that unlike many other public high schools, there is very little negative peer pressure to distract her. At Northside, it is o.k. for academically talented girls to shine and not feel afraid of how they are being perceived by others, because studying hard and getting good grades are the rule and not the exception.
--Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed in this school. While their staff is decorated with awards and degrees, it seems some have missed the point of teaching, the students. Most of the students attending Northside have no problem managing the content and workload, but what happens to the few students who struggle at this school of over achieving staff and students? Nothing...The teachers do not seem to attempt or even care that some students may struggle in a certain subject or may be missing some key skills to help them become successful. Why are teachers at this school not expected to meet the needs of every student? Will this tarnish the image of Northside? How do the teachers differentiate their instruction? I am not impressed with awards and degrees I want to know how the teachers teaching and how students are learning.

I currently attend Northside College Prep and can honestly say that if I could go back in time and reject my acceptance to the school I would have. It is definitely overrated and just because you get accepted there does not mean that it is the right school environment for you. The staff constantly acts as if it is such a privilege to be at Northside when it is a privilege for them to have us NOT the other way around. The school itself is very rigorous and I learned a lot thus far being at Northside but I cannot wait until I am officially transferred out of this school! I only rated this school 4 stars because of its rigor and so that people don't think it is horrible academically but if you want a social life DO NOT GO HERE.
--Submitted by a student

I am currently a Junior and I moved out to the Northside of Chicago just to go to school here and there was no better decision in my life. Northside College Prep is a beautiful school with superb teachers that care for each individual student. The school is the top of the line with its cirriculum and it is a challenging school that makes students think about the process. This school is no breeze. But is without a doubt, the BEST!
--Submitted by a student

I went to Northside for my freshman year, and transferred out because i had to move. If not, there was no way i would have left. I've been to 9 schools in my entire life, because my family moved around a lot. I had to say, Northside was the BEST school I've ever been to. Usually i would have a hard time adapting to a new school and meeting people, but there I made so many great friends and memories. When i heard that I had to leave, I just couldn't stop crying. Going into NCP was totally worth it. NCP is a great school! As far as I know, all of my friends love it as much as I do.
--Submitted by a student

I am a parent of a sophomore and she absolutely loves Northside. I believe that students who do not like the Northside environment are those that are not willing to put sufficient effort into their classes. It is natural that Northsiders are proud of their status- as well they should be, they are some of the best students in Chicago, and they work hard to achieve their goals, but they are by no means pretentious. My experience is that the students like to succeed and enjoy the challenge Northside presents. The only students who tend to have negative experiences are those who are not properly suited to the the school's environment, and want something less selective or rigorous. Yes, Northside is difficult, but it is a wonderful environment, and I would recommend it to any parent.
--Submitted by a parent

I think Northside is a terrible school. I went there for one year and was disgusted with the conceitedness of th school. Its teachers are always saying things like you're so lucky to be here and you're so ungrateful. Its a terrible place and unless you want to end up on the streets, conceited, and thinking you're better then everyone else I suggest not to go there. I transferred to Niles West. I love it here. Go Niles West!!
--Submitted by a student

I went to that school for one year, and personally I didn't like it. The excessive school pride was something I could never get into, and blatantly, I thought it was overrated. However, I will not deny its academic achievements. The average act score is pretty high there -- about a 27. Additionally, it is much better then stereotypical cps schools. People really care about academics there. The only thing I want to warn prospective students about it the cockiness of the school, and the consistent overselling of the schools greatness. People seem to assume it is the hardest school in the planet, and that everybody that goes there will get into Harvard. In reality, its classes are just about as hard as honors classes from most surrounding suburban schools. The reason why i'm saying this is because the school is not for everybody. I know plenty of people who love the school; I also know plenty of people who hated it. My advice? If you really want to go there, go. Don't just go there against your gut feeling because you are being pressured to. People make it out to me much harder academically, and more difficult to get into then it really is.
--Submitted by a student

at first the school seemed really nice due to colloquium and the fact that you get more time to do your hw, but the one thing that really got me angry about northside was the way they present math. They have this program IMP which is to my opinion pointless and also doesnt teach the student much besides formulas.
--Submitted by a student