Francis W. Parker School | |
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Francis W. Parker's main entrance in 2007 | |
Location | |
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330 W. Webster Ave. , 60614 United States | |
Coordinates | 41°55′22″N87°38′16″W / 41.9227°N 87.6379°W |
Information | |
School type | Private school |
Motto | Everything to help and nothing to hinder [1] |
Established | 1901[1] |
Founder | Francis Wayland Parker [1] |
Status | Open |
CEEB code | 140830 [2] |
Principal | Dan Frank [3] |
Employees | 265 |
Grades | Pre-kindergarten–12 |
Gender | Mixed-sex education |
Age | 4to 18 |
Enrollment | 940 (2025–26) |
Student to teacher ratio | 6:1 |
Education system | Progressive education |
Campus size | 6 acres |
Campus type | Urban |
Colors | Blue and white [4] |
Song | We Thy Children |
Athletics conference | Independent School League |
Sports | Baseball, Basketball, Cross country running, Field hockey, Golf, Robotics, Scholastic bowl, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track and field, Volleyball |
Mascot | The Colonel The Eagle |
Team name | Colonels [4] |
Rival | Latin School of Chicago |
Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [5] |
Newspaper | The Weekly |
Yearbook | The Record |
School fees | $520–$3,690 [6] |
Tuition | $43,070 (Pre-kindergarten–5th) $47,400 (6th–12th) [6] |
Website | www |
The Francis W. Parker School is a private school in Chicago, Illinois, serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, the school is based on the progressive education philosophies of John Dewey and Colonel Francis Wayland Parker, emphasizing community and citizenship. [7] Tuition and fees range from $43,070 to $47,400. [6]
In 1899, Anita McCormick Blaine, interested in the unconventional education philosophy of Francis Wayland Parker, convinced him to establish an independent school in Chicago's North Side with her financial backing. [8]
Founded in 1901, Parker boasts the first official parents' association as well as one of the first school newspapers to be written, typeset, and printed by students: The Parker Weekly, which began publishing in 1911. [9]
Parker has 946 [10] students, and has undergone considerable physical renovation between 2000 and 2009. Parker added an AstroTurf field which started construction in June 2012, and it was finished in September 2012. During the 2008–09 school year, the Auditorium was completely renovated, with new classrooms, more seating, office space and a balcony. In the 2016–17 school year, renovation began for the new Kovler family library. The new library includes a balcony, reading nooks, a Lego table, and movable bookshelves. [11] [12]
Parker school formerly published Schools: Studies in Education, a national education journal featuring the narrative and analytic reflections of educators and students nationwide. [13]
Parker is part of the Independent School League (ISL) athletic conference, [14] [15] and its team name is the Colonel named after the school's founder, Colonel Francis Wayland Parker. In addition to Parker's colonel mascot, a new eagle mascot nicknamed "the Eagle" was introduced as an additional mascot as a way to better connect with younger students. [16]