Chiaravalle Montessori School

My daughter is currently in fifth grade and she loves it at Chiaravalle. It has helped her become strong in all subjects and learn at her own pace. She is going to seventh grade next year to accommodate her needs, and the principal was supportive and also realistic. The environment is great and she met two of her best friends at Chiaravalle. She is extremely exited to have more homework, and I think this is because of the way they teach there. She started here at Pre-K and fit in right away. The teachers treat everybody equal and keep the drama under control. I would definitely recommend this school to any parent.
--Submitted by a parent

The strengths of this school are individual attention to each child's learning style, needs and interests. learning happens in a natural way that children find interesting and meaningful. Children are respected and by this example learn to be much more respectful of others than many children in their age group. The school is beautiful, clean and well-lit. The school welcomes all kinds of children and families, has a higher level of racial diversity than most private schools and makes significant efforts to welcome an economically diverse population. As a lesbian family, an interracial family and an adoptive family, we have felt not just welcome, but understood.
--Submitted by a parent

Chiaravalle is a wonderful school. My son was in the toddler program last year and is now in 3-6. Above all I was looking for was a Montessori program. We live in Andersonville and looked into Rogers Park Montessori and Near North Montessori also. Frankly, both of those schools did not have a space for us because of siblings and limited space, so we enrolled in Chiaravalle. I may have chosen Chiaravalle anyway because it felt more welcoming than the others even though one of the other schools was literally 3 blocks away from where we live. First, it is accredited by AMS, meaning it sticks pretty closely to the Montessori philosophy with some flexibility, which is important to me. Second, they have wonderful teachers and staff. Everyone who works there seems to take ownership of the school environment and are consistent in how they respect the children. Third, the learning environment is beautiful. The school has recently gone through major renovation. The early education rooms are very clean and orderly, and the elementary spaces are amazing. The parent community is great. And finally, most importantly, my son loves going to school every day.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is currently in first grade at Chiaravalle, and both she and I couldn't be happier with the curriculum, teachers, and community. All of my daughter's teachers (and the whole staff) clearly care very much about her (and every child) as a whole child: they are nurturing, encouraging, spend lots of time and energy determining and providing just the right level of challenge for her as an individual learner, and are passionate about learning themselves and help to instill a life-long love of learning in all their students. My child is not just thriving academically at Chiaravalle but learning skills that will serve her well throughout her life.
--Submitted by a parent

We were at Chiaravalle for 2 years. We had a wonderful first year. However, the second year we discovered that the school is ill-equipped and unwilling to handle differently abled students. The teachers were wonderful, but the resource/special services staff and principal were dismal. Once our child began to experience difficulties at school, we were treated so poorly. The lack of communication and respect was appalling. For example, the principal called us to meetings to discuss our child's functioning and educational placement -- without the teacher's presence or involvement (even though we continually and vehemently insisted that the teacher's presence was essential)! I could go on and on, but I will spare you the details of our horrendous experience. I loved the community and teachers at this school, but this experience broke our hearts. Please beware of Chiaravalle if your child is different in any way.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has eaten up the education offered at Chiaravalle. He started as a 3 year old and is now in 5th grade. Along the way, he learned to add & subtract positive AND negative numbers (as a 4 year old), write a research paper on Nuclear Physics (3rd grade), and perform in MacBeth (5th grade). The teachers are wonderful at nurturing each student's interests and also at guiding them to areas that don't come as naturally to them. The school listens to feedback from parents and has easily accessible administrators. Twice yearly parent-teachers conferences, sports teams for the older kids, and a great facility complete this exceptional school.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has been going here for 2 years now. I will say that this was not originally my first choice (because of distance) but he is doing well, he is happy and I can't help but notice how well the children behave and interact with one another (older grades with younger). The daily commute is well worth it.
--Submitted by a parent

We are wrapping up our second year at Chiaravalle (our daughter is currenty a 1st grader "first year") and we couldn't be happier with the teachers, curriculum, class size, community support and friends we have made Chiaravalle. Our daughter started at Chiaravalle as a Kindergartener for what we thought was going to be our first and only year at Chiaravalle. However, the richness of the curriculum, materials available in the classroom, committed staff and dedicatation to providing a true Montessori education has been exemplary. We investigated many options, but nothing has come close to what Chiaravalle offers. Our daughter and family will be at Chiaravalle for many years to come.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at Chiaravalle for four years and it's been a wonderful experience for our entire family. The school is remarkable and its faculty and parent community are passionate, strong and supportive. The mixed age classroom is nurturing and teaches empathy and citizenship at an early age. (My daughter was so excited and proud the first time she helped a younger student button his jacket.) She has truly blossomed at Chiaravalle. It's a very special place that has provided her the perfect balance of independence and guidance to learn with vigor and confidence. I highly recommend this amazing school that will teach your child a love of learning that will last their lifetime.
--Submitted by a parent

We have two boys at CMS, ages 5 and 9. While we have tried another, there is no finer school for the education of our young boys.
--Submitted by a parent