Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Anyone familiar with Quest Academy in Palatine,IL?

I'd love to hear any opinions or experiences with this school. We are just learning about options right now. Our son is likely highly gifted. Not tested yet, but at 3 he is an excellent reader, good at math and knows numbers into the 1000s. He is in a k-6 montesorri and they have told us he is highly unusual, needs to be tested at age 6, and is mastering 6 and 7 year old works right now. (So he's 3 - almost 3 1/2 - and mastering 1st grade work...not sure where that lands him.)

We are looking for a school that is truly for gifted kids, not just bright kids whose parents have a lot of money to spend. Anyone know what Quest is like in this regard? We've even visited the school, but still can't figure out how flexible they really are. It's hard to get anything but a sales pitch from any private school.

We are also visiting our neighborhood public school next week to see what they think would be the best option. We are hoping the public school can take him on, but the Montessori told us public education would be basically impossible. (not sure if they are right, though)

Many thanks!!

It is one of the schools we have been researching. I have heard a few bad things about the school from several people. Although they taut themselves as a gifted school, I have heard that when the kids go to back public school, they are behind same age peers.

I have spoken with the dean of students at Einstein Academy in Elgin and plan on taking a tour there sometime this month. We are also looking at Davinci Academy, also in Elgin and the Math & Arts Academy in Des Plaines.

The Schaumburg public schools (district 54) has a magnet program (school within a school) that begins in third grade. We are trying to get accommodations starting in kinder.


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Thanks! I've heard something similar about Quest. I've also heard rave reviews. Did you hear this directly from parents? I've only read reviews online, I've not spoken to any parents.

Sometimes I wonder if those kids that don't even make honors classes after leaving Quest were perhaps mislabeled to begin with. Maybe Quest is too broad in their definition of gifted. Maybe some overly eager parents got their bright (but not gifted) kid's in.

I'll be very interested to hear what you think about Einstein. I don't know much about that school, or DaVinci for that matter. (Seems strange that there are two gifted private schools in Elgin!) I do like like Einstein can take them through high school. Do you know if there are nice communities to live in down there? I'm not familiar with Elgin - but it would require a move if we went there.

Good luck trying to get you K-age child into the magnet school That would be great (and save a LOT of $$). I'll be interested to hear anything you want to share about that process.

Our district has a separate gifted classroom for 4th and 5th graders. On paper, they aren't too keen on grade skipping. We're meeting with this public school tomorrow and are hoping they are just honest about what they can and can't do.

Thanks again for your response! It's great to compare notes!

I actually heard about Quest from our current principal. He used to be an assistant principal in Palatine. He said that the kids that came back to public from there in his experience were behind.

We live in Streamwood. Both DaVinci and Einstein Academy are at the other end of Elgin and would be quite a hike.I have not heard anything about either school. I might mention them to our principal as well and get his thoughts. The costs for all these schools make them unaffordable for us unless we can get the scholarships that they offer.

With his current scores, our DS qualifies for the magnet in third grade. The school district will retest him in January of second grade with the WISC again.

What school district are you in?

Thanks
S

We're soon to be closing on a house (fingers crossed) in Libertyville 70. We're meeting with the principal of the neighborhood elementary school tomorrow to get a better idea of what they could offer.

It sounds like the principal you've been working with has been helpful. You you get the feeling he wants to keep your kid in district, or has he been pretty frank about whether or not they could accommodate your child?

DaVinci and Einstein are both way too far away for us to drive from Libertyville. Quest is supposed to be just 30 minutes, but with traffic I'm sure it'd be more like 45 - maybe even an hour.

We are debating keeping the kids (I have a younger daughter too) in the Montesorri until they are old enough for the gifted program. It's much cheaper than Quest, plus the Montesorri is doing a pretty good job of working with our son right now. But free public school would be even better!!

Are you looking for a K-2 school, then plan to transfer your son to the magnet? I know Montesorri doesn't click with every kid, but that might be an option to consider. At the one our kids are at they really let them work at their own pace. My son is in a classroom with 3-6 year olds, but his teacher sometimes goes to the 7-9 year old classroom to get materials for him. It seems that Montesorri's vary a LOT in quality, which often depends largely on the individual teachers. I think we've lucked out in a getting a good teacher.

I was looking on Einstein's website, and the only thing that concerned me was their seeming lack of admission requirements. It makes me worry this is a gifted school for parents who want to pay money to say their kid is in a gifted school. (Sounds really cynical of me, I don't mean to sound so negative!) But it could be that they just don't have formal cut offs but it is still very competitive. It's a very small school, so for some kids (including my son) that could be a big plus.

It looks like DaVinci requires an IQ of 125 to enter (just like Quest) but they say they also make exceptions to this in some cases. It looks like a nice school, at least from their website. I'd be curious to know how those kids do after 8th grade, because it's just a K-8 like Quest.



ETA: I just saw the science and arts academy in Des Plaines is supposed to only by 36 minutes from Libertyville because you can take 294. I have no idea how traffic moves on 294 during rush hour, though. Have you heard anything good or bad about them? Thanks!!!

Quest Academy is rooted in gifted education practices -- their beliefs are spelled out on their web site. Graduates of Quest Academy routinely are placed in higher-level honors courses. Each year, the school graduates several students who attend the Illinois Math and Science Academy. A significant number of theior students earn National Merit considerations in their high school years. My child graduated several years ago -- was placed as freshman in all Honors courses, including Algebra II. Has made straight A's since entering high school. Well-prepared!

Hi all. I am a mom to three and all three of my kids attended Quest. I had kids enter in K, 1st, and 4th grades. One of my kids graduated from this school. We recently moved out of state due to a job situation, so the other kids won't graduate from Quest.

This school was really great for us. We had a bad experience in public school with promises that were not kept. The faculty at Quest really "got" my kids, each of whom are very different. One child skipped a grade and they were extremely supportive. Another needed learning supports (2e) and they were extremely supportive too.

When I did my research, I visited Science and Arts and we decided it wasn't for us.

Now we are in another state. Public school teachers in this (high-achieving, NY) suburb are not engaged, and we are looking out of district again. I probably sound like a commercial but I can't imagine I would find a school that really understood my gifted kids like the one we left.

One thing you might check into is the availability of carpooling partners. I lived 30 minutes away and I carpooled with another family for one year.

We're also looking for people's opinions on these schools - my daughter is in 2nd grade right now and her public school desperately wants to keep her but I just don't know if they can give her what she needs. I've also sent in an application for SEES in Chicago.

We're willing to move to get her into a better school, but I just don't thnk we can afford any of the private ones. Does anyone know how they are with scholarships? My husband earns a reasonable salary, but we have a lot of medical expenses for my other child, and a lot of debt. Most people wouldn't consider us poor, but I don't know many people who have an extra $17k per year to throw around.

Thanks for posting your experience - it's good to know that Quest skips kids when needed. Their ability to deal with some the the challenging behavior issues that sometimes comes along with highly gifted kids is also really good to hear.

Do you mind if I ask where you lived (what town) that was a 30 minutes commute? I haven't had a chance to drive down there in morning rush hour traffic. Mapquest says the trip would be 30 minutes from Libertyville, but I'm pretty skeptical.

That's a good thought on carpooling - it'd be a good way to connect with some local gifted families too.

kikiandkyle, our district has a magnet school that begins in third grade. I have heard wonderful things about the magnet. I just wish we offered more in the lower grades.

Hey, you sound like you work for the school!

I'm glad your son had an excellent experience. It's always really good to hear about positive experiences, as those with negative experiences are more likely to post about them online. Sometimes it can give us a skewed view.

Did you sense there was a wide range of giftedness at this school? Were profoundly gifted children handled as capably as highly and moderately gifted?

Thanks for your response!

30 minutes would be an overestimate I think. We tested in Long Grove and it only took us 30 minutes to get back to Streamwood. Its a quick drive from Libertyille..

I don't know how far out from the city you'd want to move, but Barrington schools have a great gifted program (at least on paper). They actually differentiate top 5% kids from top 1% kids. There is a self-contained classroom for kids that are profoundly gifted.

I also recently discovered that Rockford Schools (BIG move, may not be possible for you) has a public gifted school that looks outstanding. Housing in Rockford is very reasonable too - much more affordable than Barrington. (Although you can find affording housing in Barrington school district too - just make sure it's district 220).

There are public school options. Of course, being in Illinois there is no guarantee that the gifted programs will continue. Illinois doesn't require schools to have gifted programs, so they are often on the chopping block if a district is struggling financially. Wisconsin, on the other hand, requires and funds gifted programs in it's public schools. We are even debating moving to Wisconsin if the house deal falls through.

Hope that helps. Sorry I don't know much about scholarships to private schools. Most financial aid seems to be in the form of loans to the parents. Scholarships exist, but I'm sure they are very limited.

I didn't even consider Wisconsin. We live in Lake Bluff, about 15 miles south of the state line. My husband has always been interested in moving there for the lower taxes! I will check it out.

Barrington could be an option, there are more affordable communities in that area (we moved here from Arlington Heights so I'm familiar with it).

(The drive from here to Quest was around 30 minutes when I was there for a lecture recently, I got there at 7pm so that should tell you about the traffic. I would count on it being upwards of 45 minutes each way in a lot of slow traffic, and closer to an hour depending on what part of Libertyville you're in).

frannieandejsmom - that would be great if it was less than 30 minutes!!

We just got back from meeting with the local Libertyville school. the principal was so friendly and helpful. You could really tell that he cared and was the type to work hard to make sure every kid has his needs met.

But... we left still feeling unsure about what the best arrangement for our son would be. We still have over a year before we need to register him for Kindergarten, so we have some time to decide.

I just wrote to Quest to ask them a few more questions. The woman I've been in touch with there has always been very helpful and friendly. Honestly, the administrators at both Quest and Libertyville public schools seem really great.

One question I asked of my contact at Quest is about testing. I wonder if we should test our son now and get a better idea of just "how gifted" he really is. If is highly or profoundly gifted, it would make me more inclined to think the gifted school might be better.

But we also saw the Northwestern as it's Saturday gifted program out of Quest. It looks like an awesome program! It's available to kids as young as 4, so we could start it next year. We wonder if maybe we should start him off in the public schools (because, hey, they are free! Well, paid for with our taxes.) and do the Saturday enrichment.

I seriously think my husband and I are starting to drive ourselves crazy over-thinking this "where to send him to Kindergarten" question. At this age, it probably matters less than what we think it matters.

*sigh* Ok, that was just a little vent in the midst of this thread. Thanks for listening!

Property taxes are a bit lower in wisconsin (or a LOT lower, depending) but the income tax is higher. In general, though, we really love Wisconsin too. Not all the schools are great, though. Kenosha schools are struggling, from what I understand. If you're willing to make a big move, up into Milwaukee suburbs or even Madison you'll find some really high quality public schools. (All my knowledge of these schools, though, is just on paper...er screen. I don't personally know any gifted children working with these school districts.)

Good luck! I know how difficult these decisions are!!

Yes I've heard great things about Madison but its too far for a daily commute to Lake Forest. Milwaukee would be our limit.

I'm still holding out hope for something down in Chicago (kids can test without a Chicago address for SEES, but you have to have an address to register by the time school starts). I hear that they get more spaces opening up in 3rd grade than 2nd.

I think I'm going to get on one of the upcoming Quest tours too though.

sweetpeas, I lived east of the school, but I know parents who live in Vernon Hills, Mundelein, etc.

We have attended Northwestern CTD classes at Quest in the summer and the kids have loved it. Our current school started offering CTD classes, so we'll be doing there from now on.

I have a friend 3rd grader attends Quest and she loves it. She's moderately gifted.

Another friend had two kids at Quest and didn't feel her kids were being challenged enough. She moved them to public school gifted program in Palatine and thinks the education is much better.

A friend with 2 profoundly gifted kids who attended Science and Arts Academy, but she said the differentiation that sounded good in theory didn't play out in reality.

We visited DaVinci twice. It looks like a good school, but we couldn't get over how small the building and campus was.

We have 2 PGs and wanted to send them to Avery Coonley in Downer's Grove, but it's too far from our house. We currently send our kids to Elgin Academy and supplement with Stanford EPGY classes and CTD classes, but my kids are still under challenged and bored. We're not sure what we'll be doing next year.

As for public schools, I've heard the best feedback from friends in the Park Ridge and Schaumburg gifted schools.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

Thanks for sharing your experiences, JediMom! (Great name, btw!)

We are going to take our son in for a screening at Quest in March. We're all but sold on them for now, as a place to send the kids. We just aren't sure when. We may try to start as early as the 2013-2014 academic year when DS will be in Kindergarten and DD will be old enough to enter their preschool.

The other house fell through, so we are looking now to move to a place in Lake Zurich. It also has pretty good public schools (Actually, even though their numbers are lower than Libertyville they have a gifted program that starts earlier and it sounds like the are more flexible with skipping.) So the public schools might work there too. Time will tell.

On paper, and from our tour, we do like what Quest has to say. They confirmed that they skip, they are flexible in their curriculum, and I feel in general that they "get" gifted kids.

We'll just have to see how the screening goes and if we still feel good about the school after our second visit.

I thought The Elgin Academy was a high school. We will be touring The Einstein Academy in Elgin next week. We have been waiting until after dd tests tomorrow. DS already qualifies for any of the schools based on his testing from December.

Thanks Jedimom. That is a really useful summary of all the area options!

We were also looking at houses in Lake Zurich last summer, the public schools do look great there.

Quest has a very good math team. That is the extent of what I know about them.

Schools that feed into Stevenson High might be worth checking out as well. You can find info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevenson_High_School_(Lincolnshire,_Illinois)

Elgin Academy is Pre-K - 12th grade. They only accelerate in Math starting in 7th grade unless it was done in a previous school.

Northwestern CTD is in the process of making them a host site for most programs from K-12 for the Northwest suburbs for AWE and summer camps. They have been hosting the Explore ACT for several years.

I know many Quest students filter into Elgin Academy for high school and seem to be successful there.

I have two friends who started at Einstein Academy this year and absolutely love it, but their kids have not been identified as gifted. I've been on their campus for basketball games and the students there are very polite and courteous.

Einstein Academy accepts students in the 80th percentile and above from what I have read on the website. I want to find out if the accelerate or what because 80th percentile is very different from 98th and 99th (my kids)