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“Love is shown more in deeds than in words.”
–St. Ignatius of Loyola
Why
is Chicago Jesuit Academy an all-boys school?
Since the creation of the first Nativity-model middle school
in 1971, we have found that our students find success more
easily during the middle-school years when they can learn
in a single-sex environment. Parents and community leaders
from the neighborhoods Chicago Jesuit Academy serves have
requested that the Academy begin as a single-sex middle
school for young men. We hope to one day open a second campus
of Chicago Jesuit Academy for young ladies.
Who may apply for admission to Chicago Jesuit
Academy?
Chicago Jesuit Academy serves students with a wide range
of skills and capacities. Some of our students found success
in their prior school, but they were not being adequately challenged
or prepared for the rigors of a college prep high school.
Other Academy students were not finding academic success
in their previous schools.
To be considered for
admission to Chicago Jesuit Academy, a young man must have
successfully completed the 4th grade, be entering the 5th
grade, and qualify for the federal free/reduced lunch program.
Strong candidates have the support of a family member who
shares their desire to succeed. The Academy's Class of 2009
entered the Academy with standardized test scores that spanned
the 2nd to the 99th percentiles.
Can a student with an Individualized Education
Plan (IEP) attend Chicago Jesuit Academy?
Students who are currently well served by Individualized
Education Plans are not eligible for admission to Chicago
Jesuit Academy; however, an IEP alone does not disqualify
a student from admission. We encourage parents to speak
candidly with the leadership of Chicago Jesuit Academy about
the individual learning needs of their child. The Academy
is not the best fit for all children.
What does it mean that Chicago Jesuit Academy is a Jesuit
faith-based school?
Chicago Jesuit Academy is a Jesuit, Roman Catholic middle
school that admits students of all faiths. We enroll students
who are Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim as well as
students whose families do not participate in any organized
religion.
Chicago Jesuit Academy does not proselytize, but the Academy
does bear witness to the idea that we find God in and through
each other and all things. Our actions are inspired by our
faith. We believe that every child is sacred and made in
the image and likeness of God. For more information about
the Jesuits and their commitment to living a faith that
does justice in the service of others, please visit: www.jesuits-chi.org/resources.
What does it cost to send a child to Chicago
Jesuit Academy?
Each year, parents contribute $120 and 8 hours of community
service toward the cost of their child’s education.
Each student also receives a $12,000 annual scholarship,
which is paid by an individual, corporation or foundation.
As a full-scholarship middle school, Chicago Jesuit Academy
succeeds because of the disciplined and generous sacrifices
made by our students, parents, faculty, staff, volunteers
and benefactors.
Why does it cost $12,000 to educate a student
at Chicago Jesuit Academy?
Chicago Jesuit Academy provides a suite of services that
are unavailable in traditional middle schools. We keep our
class sizes very small to address the learning needs of
each of our students. No grade level in our Academy has
more than 24 students. Prior to the seventh grade, our students
attend classes in learning groups of twelve. This individualized
attention produces incredible results. It also increases
the cost of educating our students. In addition to benefiting
from small classes, Academy students
participate in mandatory extracurricular activities and benefit from an extended school day that includes three meals and a mandatory evening study
hall. These resources are available to our students throughout
an eleven-month school year and
are included in our $12,000 per-student operating expense.
As a cost comparison, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) spent
$8,482 per student in Fiscal Year 2002. North suburban public
elementary schools regularly spend in excess
of $11,000 per student. Both school systems have school
days that are approximately 3½ to 4 hours shorter
than a school day at Chicago Jesuit Academy. Their class
sizes are more than double those found at our Academy, and their
school years are also nearly 2 months shorter than an Academy
school year.
Who are the students at CJA?
At Chicago Jesuit Academy, we serve motivated students regardless of their academic history. Our current students spanned the 2nd to the 99th percentiles on their standardized basic skills tests at their prior schools. Some students come to us unable to read. Others are ready to learn Algebra. Most fall somewhere in between. On average, our fifth grade students arrive at the Academy testing at a mid-third-grade
level in Reading and Mathematics. All of our current students transferred to Chicago Jesuit
Academy from the Chicago Public Schools except three students who transferred from private schools due to a school closing or financial hardship.
While our students are very diverse academically, their socioeconomic backgrounds are fairly uniform.
Our student body is now 95 percent African American
and 5 percent Latino. 97% of our students were
eligible to receive a free or a reduced lunch in fourth grade. Most of our students come from single parent
homes, and almost all of our students have an adult in their life who desperately wants them to receive a
better education and a chance at a better life.
Will new students also come from Chicago Pubic Schools or closed Catholic schools?
We expect that all of our future students will come from Chicago Public Schools except for a small handful of students who might be recommended to Chicago Jesuit Academy by their Catholic school principal due to special needs. Chicago Jesuit Academy was designed to be an additional Catholic educational resource for young men who could not otherwise access a high-quality, faith-based education.
We strive to work in careful partnership with the Archdiocese of Chicago and long-standing Catholic elementary schools on the West Side like St. Malachy, St. Catherine/St. Lucy, Our Lady of the West Side and the San Miguel Schools – Gary Comer Campus in order to increase access to excellent, faith-based education on the West Side.
What is the Nativity model and how does it work?
CJA is modeled on the 35 year-old Nativity model of middle school education, a model which has proven
to be incredibly successful in preparing children from modest economic backgrounds for the rigors of
college prep high schools and, later, universities. Nativity model
middle schools use small classes, longer
school days and a longer school year to help children from modest economic backgrounds break the cycle
of poverty. Ninety-four
percent of Nativity alumni earn their high school degree. Eighty-nine
percent of
those who earn their high school degree enroll in a college or university. Within the Nativity model, the
Jesuits have been able to work in partnership with Catholic dioceses across the country to replicate this
innovative model of urban Catholic education.
In 2005, the Archdiocese of Chicago agreed to partner with the Jesuits in Chicago to create Chicago Jesuit Academy – the sixteenth Jesuit Nativity school in the country – as a demonstration project in urban Catholic education on Chicago’s West Side. The sixteen Jesuit Nativity model middle schools operate throughout the country in cities including New
York, Boston, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Baltimore and Washington, DC. Nativity alumni have earned
admission to outstanding universities including Boston College, Brown, Georgetown, Holy Cross, the
University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins and Marquette University.
What are the benefits of attending Chicago Jesuit Academy as opposed to one of the many other options available for students?
This is a very exciting time to be working in education in the City of Chicago. Both private schools and Chicago Public Schools have taken on many new and creative initiatives to better serve the children of
Chicago, and we are honored to play a role in strengthening the network of educational resources in the
city. At Chicago Jesuit Academy, we strive to give each of our students an outstanding faith-based
education that they would otherwise be unable to access because of their families’ limited financial
resources.
We are honored that Chicago Magazine recently recognized our Academy as one of the Top 25 Private Elementary Schools in the Chicagoland Area because of our small class sizes, longer school day, extended school year and outstanding teachers. Based on the feedback we receive from our parents, they value the faith-based, college prep education their sons are receiving at Chicago Jesuit Academy, and appreciate that this opportunity is available to them regardless of their financial resources or their sons’ previous academic success.
Does the Academy pay its teachers the same as Chicago Public Schools? If not, what do you pay?
Chicago Jesuit Academy teachers make 60-65 percent of what they could make as a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. Our teachers are extraordinarily gifted people who make tremendous sacrifices in the service of our students. They choose to teach at CJA because they believe in our unique mission.
Are Academy teachers state certified?
Chicago Jesuit Academy teachers have all been certified. All of our teachers have also earned or are currently pursuing a Master degree in education.
How is CJA funded?
Chicago Jesuit Academy relies entirely on the generosity of benefactors in order to cover our operating costs. The majority of our funding comes from individuals and families, foundations and the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus and other Jesuit Communities.
Why did CJA move facilities? Why was this location selected?
Marillac Social Center provided the Academy with startup facilities that served us well during our first two years of operation. Knowing that we would quickly outgrow the space available at Marillac Social Center, the Academy has carefully looked to identify a permanent home that would serve our students for years to come. The Resurrection Campus was identified as an ideal home for the Academy. Located in the southeast corner of Austin on Jackson Blvd., the location is centrally located for the young men the Academy serves. Only a few blocks from the Eisenhower Expressway, the Academy is easily accessible by car and public transportation. The building provides enough classroom space to serve all of our learning groups and allow space for tutoring, counseling, and special pullout instruction. Additionally, the building has the resources we need for our extended-day programming.
What neighborhoods do most of your students come from? Will the move affect their attendance?
Approximately 80 percent of our students come from the neighborhoods surrounding our new home, including, Austin, Garfield Park, and North Lawndale. The feedback we have received from parents is that the new location is convenient, and for many, more convenient than our old location.
Catholic schools around the city are closing and relocating to the suburbs. How is CJA able to remain open?
We have been very fortunate that generous people who have had the benefit of a quality, faith-based education want to help make that same education accessible to children on the West Side of Chicago who come from modest economic backgrounds. Our benefactors want to make certain that the same opportunities they had at places like St. Ignatius College Prep, Loyola Academy, Fenwick, Resurrection and Loyola University will be available to the young men we serve if our students choose to work hard to earn an education. Our benefactors see this as a justice issue. They want to make certain that no child is kept from a great education simply because of where they happened to be born. We are grateful to these benefactors and the Jesuit communities throughout Chicago who have made Chicago Jesuit Academy a reality.
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