Walter L. Newberry Math & Science Academy, Chicago | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I attended this school from the years of 2012-2021, from Kindergarten to Eighth Grade. I now attend George Westinghouse College Preparatory Highschool, an excellent selective enrollment school on the Westside of Chicago.

As a sometimes angsty student/alum I had a lot of things to say about Newberry when I graduated. However, I think with an added three years of emotional maturity and knowledge, I can write a well-written, comprehensive review that may differ from what 8th grade me wrote so many years ago. To really demonstrate this, I will explain the impacts the 7 Habits have on me in Highschool and briefly talk about teachers, the building, curricula, etc:

Teachers: There are excellent Teachers and Staff at this school. The teachers I had who still teach at the school will not allow you’re child to give up on themselves. Sure, some of them are strict, but they do not come to they’re jobs genuinely wanting to hurt you’re kids. They care a lot. If they did not care, they would not push you’re child to be the best they can be. Furthermore, they are reasonable people. If you have an issue, they will listen to you and work something out.

The Building: The Building is above average for the average CPS elementary schools. Most elementary schools, especially ones built at the time Newberry was built, do not possess cafeterias. Most food served at public elementary schools is not the most appetizing. But, this does not mean the school does not have good facilities. The classrooms are clean and in good condition, the kitchen is solid for the amount of food they must produce in such a small area, the gym has a great floor and is good for the fact it must serve as both a cafeteria AND a Gym. The auditorium is above average for an elementary school auditorium. There are schools in the CPS system that have MOLD on the ceiling. The building is not that bad and it serves its purpose. Also, the fact that it is a good size and shape means that floors and halls can be separated by age and grade level. The school has ramps in the building which is not common for most schools.

Curricula: The Curricula at Newberry is rigorous and appropriately challenging. What you will learn at Newberry will be VITAL for you’re time in high school. There is no busy work at Newberry. You will do projects, papers, etc. Taking Algebra 1 as an 8th grader prepared me better for Highschool and exposure to challenging coursework will allow you’re child to be more confident in Highschool. The classes I took at Newberry allowed me to be more confident in my high-school level classes, especially in 7th and 8th grade where you learn skills like grammar, essay writing, etc. I cannot say most of my classmates have those skills.

School Culture: The school culture is excellent. The entire school is brought together through schoolwide tradition and Leader in Me. You will have a home somewhere in this school. We went on a good amount of field trips, etc. We went to Michigan, Museums, Navy Pier, Hockey Games, etc.

Rebuttals (?): I see a lot of negative reviews here from people similar to how I was as an alum. Most schools are not perfect. Sure, there’s a trough instead of urinals. Yes, you’re child will probably disagree with there teachers at least once. This is not 1999 (like I saw in one comment) or 2016, or 2019. You’re child will gain an excellent education here and will have a bright future ahead of them if you send them to Newberry.

Go Bobcats!

I’m a current student at Newberry, I’m in 8th grade and to be honest this school is amazing, of course this school has a few ups and downs and there are some teachers that act out of place but there is also a handful of teachers that make your experience at Newberry fun. As an 8th grader the events are the best. We went to Wisconsin, DC nd we have a lot of field trips such as six flags. I do recommend this school middle school and up

Oh Newberry. Where do I even start. We had no cafeteria; we had to eat in the gym, there were pee lagoons in the bathroom, fights every other week, and some teachers act biased toward kids of color. The admin did not even do much to help. I remember, when I was in third grade, a sub watched and saw a kid get beaten up in the classroom. One star doesn’t do Newberry justice. I wish I could rate Newberry zero stars.