Curiosity, Creativity, Community, and Engagement

North Park Elementary School is a non-profit private school (prek3 - 8th grade) nestled in the beautiful, culturally diverse, vibrant North Center neighborhood in Chicago.

Our teachers cultivate intrinsic curiosity and motivation in students, and NPES students take pride in engaging in the life of their school with their full hearts and minds. We teach children to question, explore, think critically, listen deeply, collaborate, empathize, and create. We teach them to read in search of understanding, to write in order to share their thinking and feelings with the world, and to solve problems in STEM together, achieving flexibility in thinking and depth of understanding over memorization and rote processes. Students express themselves authentically as they innovate, write, construct, brainstorm, design, problem-solve, strategize, act, paint, experiment, and sing, finding inspiration, forging connections, and building self-confidence.

NPES students are curious about perspectives and cultures beyond their own identities and stories, and we help them learn how to find meaning and joy in the rich diversity of our school and city. Parents are involved as partners in their child’s education, classrooms and advisory groups become trusted circles of friends, and students develop a sense of belonging to a school community in which they are known, understood, and valued. NPES students learn the social-emotional skills and cultural competency necessary for their well-being and success, today and in the future.

Our Guiding Principles:

• Through small class sizes and an authentic, experiential education, our students build academic mastery and learn essential life skills.
• Art, music, drama, Spanish language and cultures, and athletics are central to the experience and give students important opportunities to develop and excel.
• Social-emotional learning supports and enables personal growth and full usage of our academic curriculum.
• Diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are a critical source of strength in the community.
• We value each student and focus on the habits of heart and mind together to develop resilient and confident learners.
• Our students are good citizens who demonstrate kindness, openness, respect, and responsibility.
• Through a commitment to service, our students learn to see beyond themselves and understand the value of being part of a larger community.