South Loop School in High Demand, but Changes are Coming

There has been a good amount of coverage about the potential overcrowding at the South Loop school (1212 S. Plymouth Court) which serves Kindergarten through Eighth grade. Today the Chicago Tribune has a good read about the dilemmas and some of the options that have been discussed to address these issues:

Ten years ago, South Loop School was struggling with low test scores and on the verge of probation. But after a staff turnaround and the addition of a gifted program, test scores went up, leaving the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school among the most coveted of Chicago public schools.

Nestled in the Dearborn Park housing development, the school is in an area that has seen explosive growth in the last decade. With some of that growth attributed to the school's success, parents and officials now face crowding because of double-digit enrollment jumps each year for most of the last five years.

It's a good read if you're not familiar with the discussion. Our favorite quote is from a parent:

South Loop parents expect the school to grow even more as families decide that private school is not affordable.

"People are moving into the neighborhood for this school," said parent Megan Madden, whose daughter is a first-grader in the gifted program.

(Hat Tip Jack G!)