Benjamin Banneker Achievement Center

This is a very great school. Ms Richardson was my childs 1st grade teacher and he has learned a lot. She really tunes into the children and find out what their strength and weaknesses are. She has done wonders with my son Charles. I am happy I made the decision to have my child attend this school. Ms. Sara Givens is one of the best leaders within the educational arena. I know that once my child leaves Banneker, he is going towards the forefront of success. Thanks Banneker Proud Parent
--Submitted by a parent

Not impressed --alot of emphasis on memorization and regurgitation not learning concepts. My son was here for three years and I am looking elsewhere.
--Submitted by a parent

Banneker is outstanding. The students want to achieve. The principal, Sarah Givens, is always available and present to the students. They teach the students not only the basic, but time arrival, respect and much more. The ISTEPS scores are always in the upper 90 percentile. I am very proud that my child have been attending this school for the last 3 years, Ericka Brown, mother
--Submitted by a parent

This school has a great amount of academic programs. Banneker also has very good activities for the children to get involved in. The parents at this school are very concerned and caring.
--Submitted by dorothy spires, a parent

The school is great, sometimes i sound like my son when i say that at times there's just too much homework. In the long run, it will all be for a good cause. There's always something that my child is being exposed to, that he would have never received at another public school.
--Submitted by a parent

I am very happy that this school has had the success it has had but if you consider they only accept children who are at or above their grade level, the success is not that surprising. There are lots of gifted children in Gary and if you put them in the same school, that school's scores go up, the other school's average goes down because you do not have the high acheivers scores to balance out.
--Submitted by Roland Hayes, a parent

This school is a wonderful school. It is really like a diamond in the mist of turmoil. Nevertheless, I am not a parent but I am a former student. I graduated from this school and I am now a freshman at one of Chicago's top schools and it is all due to Banneker. I would recommend any gifted child to attend.
--Submitted by a former student

I currently have three children who attend Banneker school. The children at Banneker work at least one grade level above the grade in which they are. Academic pep rallys are held in which children receive trophies for their achievement during the year, and cheer for each other. The halls are lined with photographs of particpants in every extracurricular activity, and newspaper articles on the children. There are educational displays from the teachers' travels to exotic locations: Egypt, Japan, England and the Bahamas. Students are taught the importance of citizenship, self-esteem and hard work. The principal is a caring, workaholic who is there to greet the children when they arrive in the morning and is still at the school until 5pm or later to attend the evening events or to work on other issues. This is an excellent school. Just look at the ISTEP scores.
--Submitted by Aleisa Amos-Pony, a parent