Gifted Schools – Oak Crest Academy

We drive 120 miles every day (two roundtrips at 30 miles each way) so that our son can attend this wonderful school. We searched for three years before finally finding Oak Crest, which is now fully accredited with the highest possible score. The only thing wrong with it is that it is not closer to us!
The curriculum is perfect for a child who needs to go deeper and is excited by learning. My son particularly loves History class and Latin class! The teachers — who are all experts in their fields — are so thoughtful in how they teach, how they interact with students, and how they facilitate the students’ interactions with each other.
Other things we like are: Engaging after-​school classes are offered at reasonable rates. The administration takes the opinions of parents and the student body very seriously and is extremely responsive in every way. The children are encouraged to think for themselves and follow through on ideas they come up with, such as planning fundraisers and writing their own holiday play!
My son looks forward to school every day, comes home (after a long drive) energized and excited about what he has learned, and has become more independent and mature in the few months he has been attending OCA.

This is an adorable little private school tucked in the family-​oriented city of Oak Park. The students are very keen in learning all manner of subjects, know each others names and personalities, and are always generally eager to be in school (and sometimes even after school!). The teachers are knowledgeable, experts in their field, and really make the whole learning experience fun and interesting for each student.

Formerly Community Schoolhouse — a homeschool based program. We attended this school for about a year. I can say they do have a wonderful math teacher (Ms. Muki) and my kid learned a great deal from her. Not sure about other teacher as they are different each semester. However, more and more people are leaving next year. Director/​Owner (Jeannie) only interest is in expanding the school and truly hands OFF with students’ progress and cares little about their well being. Doesn’t bother to resolve conflict between students (6−9yrs old) were left to resolve conflicts on their own. Classroom teachers are like contractors which has little involvement beside lesson time. Gifted kids has no emotional support or guidance. Once you enrolled, you are just a number $$ to her. Progress report are distributed every semester but test /​assessment are only done Once a year. Although, my kid is very happy that there is no homework.
Warning — don’t believe everything you are being told, teacher turn over rate is very high, within the last school year– 3 teachers have left in this small school with about 20 kids.(again don’t believe the reasons you are being told)
Also, only few teachers have prior experience with gifted and talented kids and this doesn’t includes the director.

Excellent academics and a variety of stimulating enrichment classes included in the curriculum. There are no limits to a student’s learning at Oak Crest Academy.
Ms. Mukherjee, the math teacher, has relit my son’s passion for word (logical reasoning) problems and arithmetic. He delights in learning new operations daily.
In language arts, the students are given assignments from a chosen piece of literature rich in vocabulary and highly thought provoking. Ms. Bello has her students write and revise their essays to the best of their ability.
The testing is minimal and does not inhibit their learning. There are weekly spelling tests and occasional subject pre/​post tests which are just enough to prepare students for the future without stressing them out.
Homework is project based. The focus is on learning new and challenging material. There is no routine drilling in class or at home.
Each subject is taught by a different teacher/​professional specialized in that field. Students rotate between classrooms for each subject. This change of scenery helps to captivate my son’s attention throughout the day.
My son’s love of learning has increased since being at Oak Crest Academy. He loves his chess, drama, and in-​depth art class. We are also happy that he is learning quite a bit of Spanish in his foreign language class.
The school is located in a peaceful area across the street from Oak Hills Elementary.