Beacon Academy

Beacon Academy seeks to create a student experience that holistically addresses adolescent needs, focusing not only on academics, but also nurturing imagination, creativity, and ethical development. We value independence, passion, and effort as the hallmarks of our students. Our program merges Montessori principles with independent school best practices and culminates with the IB Diploma Programme, an interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes self-directed learning, strong writing skills, and an international mindset. Beacon's curriculum embodies the principle of "learning by doing" by affording students abundant opportunities for hands-on investigation, student-centered discussions, experimentation, critical thinking, and fieldwork. Moving beyond the traditional conception of a "classroom," students at Beacon Academy engage with experts in the community with whom they can problem-solve, collaborate, and contribute to ongoing projects of far-reaching significance. Beacon is a community school in the strongest sense of the word with Evanston and greater Chicago serving as our extended campus.