University of Chicago Laboratory Schools — Local services in Hyde Park Township

I went to Lab from Kindergarten through the 12th Grade. This school lacks the basic needs for a truly successful school. The phrase one will hear throughout this school is, "Kindness, Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion." It is all fake. There are hundreds of adults in this school and not a single one cares. First of all, there is no discipline for anyone! I witnessed a child choke another child for sticking his tongue out at him and the consequence was going home early and a talking to. During my Middle School years I heard children screaming slurs in the hallways in front of teachers and no one cared. The School holds assembly about mental health almost every other week and yet no one cares if an Individual has depression, suicidal thoughts, or anxiety. They make zero effort to check in with the students that clearly are struggling. If you would like your child to be stressed to the point of getting 3 hours of sleep then send them here. The harassment and bullying at this school is unbelievable. During my Lower School and Middle School years, children went around calling each other emo, gay, stupid, and making fun of the way they dress. The ONLY reason why this Schools stats are so high for Standardized Testing is because they kick out the students that are doing below expectations. Probably THE MOST important thing for a child at school is safety, which Lab fails to do. The security there is useless. There is no form of identification besides tapping your ID in which does nothing. If a shooter was to come into the school there would be no protection. The students are gaslighted every day from the Staff and Teachers. This school has failed me, it has ruined my motive to learn as well. I did not go to college because of this School, I cried every day and complained that I wanted to be homeschooled. This school is now making me rethink about having children because I do not want to put them through anything like this School. I reiterate this because it's important, if you want your kids to have depression, suicidal thoughts, and many mental health problems, then send them to this school! Other than that this is a bad school and should not be...

Don’t bother applying here if you don’t have a connection to the university or you happen to be an alumni. We live and work in the community but that didn’t matter and it’s clear they don’t value diversity. Just money. We applied to have our daughter enter the nursery 3 program. The two things that were especially frustrating about the admissions process were 1. They require you to fill out a ton of paper work including providing all of your personal financial information BEFORE making a decision on acceptance. 2. Dr. Irene Reed is extremely unprofessional. She didn’t have the decency to show up to our parent interview and we waited nearly a half hour in the lobby for them to come up with a reason why she wasn’t there before they handed us off to the assistant director Lynn. She didn’t even send her apologies with a follow up call or email. That should have been a clear sign how this place operates. My husband works as an educator (school principal) so our daughter will be fine on her future education journey at a place that actually...

This has been a really supportive school for both of our children. Elementary school is outstanding for social and emotional learning. Middle school is very supportive. Homework and academic intensity is intense and, in my opinion, over the top. We are worried about high school but cautiously optimistic. Don’t expect the school to be responsive to parental concerns in general, but do expect teachers and support staff to be responsive to your children’s particular needs or difficulties. Finally, the politics of the school is tolerable, but at times extreme. As a center left person, the political indoctrination of children is a little cringeworthy even for me, but that’s the country we’ve been living in the...