School Picture

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

On behalf of the faculty and staff, we welcome you to Alain Locke Charter School! Our extended day, year round school is located in the heart of Chicago’s West Side, serving 430 preschool through 8th grade students. Named after the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Alain Locke Charter School is committed to absolute excellence and ensuring that our students are globally competitive.

Alain Locke is one of the highest performing charter schools in Illinois. The U.S. Department of Education recognized Alain Locke as 1 of 7 schools in the United States most successful at “Closing the Achievement Gap.” Our results prove that all children with access to the best educators and resources can perform at the highest academic level by any measure.

Instructors at Alain Locke use a combination of instructional strategies to meet the individual academic needs of each student. In addition to our focus on core subjects, students participate in a wide array of meaningful enrichment programs (technology, art, music, library, and physical education) that promote academic achievement and social growth.

A commitment to absolute excellence is unwavering and present in every element of day-to-day life at our school. We not only want our students to be the best on the West Side, but more importantly we want them to be globally competitive. We are appreciative that our families entrust us with the opportunity to educate their children and look forward to another great year at Alain Locke!

Regards,

Patrick Love Principal
Alain Locke Charter School

HISTORY

Alain Locke Charter School, founded by brothers and former teachers Pat and Rob Ryan, opened its doors in September 1999 to provide world class educational opportunities for children in high poverty, high crime areas where traditional public schools fail most. Named after the first African American Rhodes Scholar, Alain Locke is guided by the principle of absolute excellence and dedicated to producing globally competitive students.

Alain Locke, the first African American Rhodes Scholar

MISSION

The mission of Alain Locke Charter School is to serve as a demonstration for urban charter schools by exemplifying excellence in academics, the arts and personal and social development. In doing so, Alain Locke produces students who are globally competitive.

Alain Locke Charter School is one of the country’s most high-performing charter schools. Since 2006, it has been named a Spotlight School by the Illinois State Board of Education, a distinction which is given to schools serving a population of at least 50% low-income students with 85% passing state reading and mathematics tests. In 2007, the school was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as 1 of 7 schools in the United States “Best Closing the Achievement Gap.” This recognition was earned by having Alain Locke Charter School’s students achieve the greatest test score gains in Chicago in the history of Illinois’s State Achievement Test (ISAT). During the 2012-2013 academic year, the ISAT, along with standardized tests throughout the country, incorporated Common Core questions into their testing. While scores dropped nationally, Alain Locke continued to see growth, even with the more challenging test.

Alain Locke Charter School is part of Accelerate Institute, which maintains the singular focus of closing the education gap by creating high-impact school leaders who accelerate student achievement. The innovative programs at Accelerate Institute make this possible: The Principal Fellowship, which identifies and selects the most highly-qualified educators and prepares them through a yearlong fellowship to become transformational leaders for urban charter schools nationwide; The School Accelerator, which trains sitting principals alongside Principal Fellows; The Ryan Award, a national award recognizing principals who have accelerated the results of underserved students to create high-performing schools. To learn more about Accelerate Institute, please visit accelerateinstitute.org.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

PATRICK LOVE

Principal

VONYELL FOSTER

Dean of Students & Operations

JEANETTE PORTER

School Manager

TIFFANY HARRELL

Higher Education Counselor

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CLAIRE HARTFIELD

CHAIR

NORA LIGUROTIS

VICE-CHAIR

Chief Executive Officer, Accelerate Institute

MEMBERS

PAT RYAN, JR.

Founder, Accelerate Institute

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, INCISENT Technologies

SUSIE CUMMINGS

Principal & National Leader IT Services

BDO Digital

NOSA EHIMWENMAN

President and CEO

The Bowa Group Inc. | Bowa Construction

ROBERT HORNE

Founder

Dodge Capital

LAURA HULCE

Partner

Jenner & Block

JOHN (TINY) MCLAUGHLIN

Vice President, Social Infrastructure Funds

Tortoise

Shavada Newman

People's Gas

JIM PALOS

Executive Director

Hyde Park Institute

STEVE PERLMAN

Marketing Director

The Marketing Store

BRAD SULLIVAN

Managing Member

Broken Dice Trading & Research

ROB RYAN (ADVISORY DIRECTOR)

Executive Vice President

Interactive Metronome

ASSOCIATE BOARD

SARAH ANDREWS

UnitedHealth Group

CALLAGHAN COMMERS

The Alexander Group

MATT LIGUROTIS

LRW Financial

BLAIN ROSE

Efficio

TYRA SEARCY

National Basketball Association

MARK WEIR

Kelso-Burnett Co.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ENROLLMENT

Apply to attend Alain Locke. 

Simply complete the online APPLICATION or download the form.

(Filling out an application does not ensure admission.)