Northside College Preparatory High School
Northside College Preparatory High School | |
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Mustang | |
Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools |
Newspaper | The Hoofbeat |
Website | northsideprep |
Northside College Preparatory High School (commonly referred to as Northside College Prep, Northside Prep, NCP, or simply Northside) is a
In 2014, it was ranked #3 in the nation by Newsweek.[3] The school's establishment, part of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's plan to reinvent the city's public school system, generated controversy in the city and in the education community. The facilities were built with a $44.7 million budget that critics said could have better served other schools in the city.[4]
History
Founded in 1999, it was the first new Chicago Public School (CPS) high school to be built in 20 years. It is a selective enrollment school, and teaches only at the Honors and AP levels (excluding the P.E. department). Northside has earned a reputation for academic excellence, and has been consistently ranked as the #1 high school in Illinois.
The school's establishment, part of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's plan to reinvent the city's public school system, generated controversy in the city and in the education community. The facilities were built with a $52.5 million budget that critics said could have better served other schools in the city.
Admission
Admission to Northside Prep follows the selective enrollment application system. Factors considered in the application include a student's grades from 7th grade, standardized test scores, entrance exam scores, and socio-economic status.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown by race/ethnicity of the students enrolled for the 2019–2020 school year was:[6]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
School Year |
American Indian / Alaska Native |
Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander |
White | Two or More Races |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011–12[7] | 0.7% | 24.4% | 6.3% | 22.6% | 0.4% | 42.6% | 3.1% |
2014–15[6] | 0% | 17% | 8% | 27% | 0% | 38% | 9% |
2015–16[6] | 0% | 19% | 9% | 28% | 0% | 32% | 13% |
2016–17[6] | 0% | 19% | 8% | 29% | 0% | 30% | 13% |
2017–18[6] | 1% | 20% | 7% | 30% | 1% | 29% | 13% |
2018–19[6] | 1% | 20% | 8% | 27% | 1% | 30% | 14% |
2019–20[6] | 0% | 20% | 7% | 20% | 1% | 32% | 11% |
College admissions and rankings
Northside College Prep is well known for the success of its students in the college admissions process, with over a quarter of the senior class gaining admission to the nation's top universities. Over 99% of the graduating senior class matriculates to college. In addition, the student body as a whole earns a large amount of financial aid from various sources.
- In 2018 Northside was rated #2 in Illinois and #82 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report[8]
- In 2016 Northside was rated the #8 high school in the nation by "Newsweek" [9]
- In 2014 Northside was rated the #3 high school in the nation by "Newsweek" [10]
- In 2013 Northside was rated #1 in Illinois and #33 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report[11]
- In 2011 Northside was rated #1 in Illinois and #24 in the nation by Newsweek
- In 2013 Northside was rated the #2 public high school in the nation by "The Best Schools"[12]
Curriculum/scheduling and colloquium
With the exception of physical education classes, all courses in Northside are either
Northside also offers special education services for incoming students with diagnosed disabilities. The school's Office of Specialized Services helps to arrange appropriate accommodations.[13] Given its extremely competitive academic environment, Northside successfully lobbied the Chicago Board of Education to eliminate class rankings. This effort was led by former principal Dr. James Lalley.
Northside's classes run on a block schedule. Classes meet twice a week: on Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays. The school day used to start at 8:16 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. until the 2014–15 school year when the school day at Northside now starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:04 p.m. (except for Colloquium schedule where it ends at 3:00 p.m.).[14] Each block is 100 minutes long with an 8 minute passing period between blocks.[15] During five-day weeks, Wednesdays are reserved for an approximately two-hour non-credit class called Colloquium. Dozens of colloquia are offered, with a wide range of interest such as motorcycle repair, computers, robotics, consumer-education, sewing, quilting, art, photography, paper craft, and Asian calligraphy. Classes are chosen by students twice a year (every semester, or otherwise it is year-long); availability is dependent on popularity and student's year ranking: seniors get first pick, then juniors, sophomores, and lastly freshmen. Colloquium options vary from year to year.
Before and after colloquium on Wednesdays, Northside College Prep has Flex Blocks. Flexes 1 and 2 meet in the morning before Colloquium; and Flexes 3 and 4 follow Colloquium. Typically, Flex Blocks are classes that students can re-pick every week to meet their own needs. For instance if a student needs help in math homework, they can choose a math tutoring class for one of their Flex Blocks (each block is 45 minutes long[14]). Due to CPS vendor issues, the websites used by Northside students to pick Flex Blocks couldn't be used. Students instead chose eight Flex Blocks each semester which rotated Flexes 1-4 and 5-8 by week. Northside is working on creating their own website that will bring back week-by-week options.
Sustainability
In the summer of 2010, Northside installed a 105-panel solar thermal system on the southern half of its roof. These solar panels work to heat the school's pool and have the capacity to provide hot water to the entire school.[16] This project was head by Northside science teacher Mr. Mike Coy, and Alexandra Rojek, Northside's 2011 valedictorian.
Located behind the school is the Joy Garden, a continuation of Northside's efforts to become a more sustainable institution. The Joy Garden is 10,000 square feet and situated adjacent to the eastern front of the building. It was built entirely through the efforts of students with the help of Urban Habitat Chicago. The garden is equipped with the latest in green technology, including a self-sustainable storm water management system and permeable concrete. However, it is more than just ecologically functional and friendly. This garden was built with a particular emphasis on providing a stimulating environment for special needs students. It extends from a traditional garden environment to one that is accessible to all students.[17]
Athletics
Northside competes in the
- Fall:
- Men's and Women's Cross Country
- Men's and Women's Golf
- Men's Soccer
- Men's 16" Softball
- Women's Swimming/Diving
- Women's Tennis
- Women's Volleyball
- Women's Flag Football
- Winter:
- Men's and Women's Basketball
- Men's and Women's Bowling
- Cheerleading
- Chess
- Pom-Pons
- Men's Swimming/Diving
- Wrestling
- Spring:
- Women's Badminton
- Men's Baseball
- Men's and Women's Lacrosse
- Women's Soccer
- Women's Softball
- Men's Tennis
- Men's and Women's Track & Field
- Men's Volleyball
- Men's and Women's Water Polo
Notable alumni
- Miss Alex White - musician [19]
- Eve Ewing - author, poet, and sociologist [20]
- Minhal Baig - film writer and director [21]
- Tasha - musician[22]
References
- ^ a b c d "Search for Public Schools - Northside College Preparatory Hs (170993003481)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Faculty". Northside College Prep. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "America's Top High Schools". Newsweek. September 13, 2014.
- ^ "HIGH SCHOOL JEWEL UNDER LOOKING GLASS". Chicago Tribune. August 5, 1999. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Selective Enrollment". Chicago Public Schools. Archived from the original on August 27, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Northside College Preparatory HS | Racial/Ethnic Diversity". Illinois Report Card. Illinois State Board of Education. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "2012 Illinois school report cards". Chicago Tribune. 2012. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- ^ "Best U.S. High Schools".
- ^ AM, On 8/11/16 at 9:00 (August 11, 2016). "America's Top High Schools 2016". Newsweek. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "America's Top High Schools 2016". Newsweek. August 11, 2016.
- ^ "America's Best High Schools". US News.
- ^ "Best High Schools in the US". TheBestSchools.org. February 11, 2017.
- ^ "Special Education Information". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "2023-2024 Northside Block Schedule". Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). northsideprep.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The top ranked high school in Illinois chose CES. Needless to say, it was a smart decision". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- ^ "Northside College Preparatory High School Joy Garden". Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
- ^ "Athletics Dept || Home". Archived from the original on May 1, 2007.
- ^ Mehr, Bob (July 14, 2005). "Goodness Gracious . . . This great ball of fire goes by the name Miss Alex White". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Borrelli, Christopher (September 22, 2017). "Chicago renaissance woman Eve Ewing is a poet, sociologist, closet 'Star Wars' fan and local Twitter celebrity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Metz, Nina (November 13, 2019). "'Bojack Horseman' writer Minhal Baig's coming-of-age film from Apple TV Plus centers a Muslim teen caught between two worlds". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Gan, Michelle (April 20, 2016). "Love Light Divine". South Side Weekly. Retrieved December 8, 2020.