At A Glance

• Preschool (starting age 3) through Grade 8 (referred to as Group 8 at ACS)

• 331 students from 40+ different zip codes 

• 55% of students identify as people of color

• 20% of students receive need-based financial aid

• A multitude of ethnicities and religious backgrounds

• Experienced in gifted education

• 72% of faculty and administration hold an advanced degree

• PreK3 and PreK4 play-based academic program

• Gifted education for all children, all day, beginning in Kindergarten

• Student–teacher ratio of 9:1

• All students work at least 1 year above their current grade level

• An enriched, project-based curriculum that allows for individual exploration

• 20+ clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities

• A beautiful, historic campus with 11 acres of inspiring learning spaces and state-of-the-art technology

• Adjacent to a forest preserve in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove

• Classrooms equipped with interactive response systems, touchscreen high-definition displays, and an intranet system for digital collaboration

• Flexible space for individual and collaborative work, from the courtyard of the original 1929 building to the modern library 

• 21st-century Middle School wing with state-of-the-art science labs, computer labs, conference rooms, and classrooms

• New Makerspace with 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, and computer-aided design (CAD) stations, as well as an annex with traditional crafting tools

• Performing Arts Center, expansive art studio, music room, and orchestra room

• Nearly 9,000 square feet of outdoor play areas with new play equipment and space for sledding

• A Challenge Course, outdoor swimming pool, soccer field, and gymnasium

• National Association for Gifted Children
  • https://www.nagc.org 
• Illinois Association for Gifted Children
  • https://www.iagcgifted.org 
• Northwestern Center for Talent Development
  • https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu 
• National Association of Independent Schools
  • https://www.nais.org 
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States
  • https://www.isacs.org 
• Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools
  • https://www.lmais.org

The Avery Coonley School elevates high-achieving and gifted learners through immersion in a mutually talented community where intellect, curiosity, and creativity are enhanced by optimal challenge.

We believe that the joy and excitement of learning must begin early in life. We place a high premium on developing the desire in our students to become critical thinkers and independent, lifelong learners. 

We assist our students in realizing their intellectual, emotional, social, creative, and physical potential by promoting academic achievement, character development, self-reliance, self-confidence, independent thought, and personal fitness.

We recognize and are sensitive to the unique needs of gifted children. Within a traditional structure, we provide acceleration and enrichment and foster a supportive atmosphere that provides opportunities for creativity, problem solving, and risk taking.

We believe that diversity is the foundation for a strong, competent, and compassionate community. 

We strive to build a community that encourages understanding and mutual respect and nurtures appreciation of the individual, civility, gratitude, honesty, kindness and consideration, responsibility, and volunteerism.

Seeking to expand the educational opportunities for her four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, Queene Ferry Coonley establishes The Cottage School on her estate in Riverside, Illinois. Lucia Burton Morse and Charlotte Krum work with Mrs. Coonley; all three women are proponents of Froebel’s kindergarten principles and the precepts of the progressive education movement. As Elizabeth grows, more classes and teachers are added.

Frank Lloyd Wright finishes the now-famous Coonley Playhouse to accommodate the growth of The Cottage School. Mrs. Coonley also helps to establish kindergartens in other Chicago suburbs, including the new Kindergarten Extension Association School in Downers Grove. Miss Morse moves to Downers Grove to direct the school.

John Dewey and his daughter Evelyn publish Schools of To-morrow, which describes the successful implementation of new educational theories. The Cottage School is highlighted in the Deweys’ book. The next year, in response to increased local interest, a first-grade class is added to the Downers Grove school, which then changes its name to the Junior Elementary School. Several additional grades are added in subsequent years.

With space at the Junior Elementary School severely limited, Mrs. Coonley purchases an 11-acre tract of land next to a forest preserve for a new school setting. Waldron Faulkner, her son-in-law, designs the building, and Jens Jensen, one of the country’s greatest landscape architects, plans the grounds. Together they create an open, flexible, comfortable learning environment that is in harmony with its natural setting. The school is renamed The Avery Coonley School in honor of Mrs. Coonley’s late husband, and over 100 students attend opening day, September 30, 1929.

Gertrude Hartman’s Finding Wisdom: Chronicles of a School of Today details life at Avery Coonley, and becomes a classic in the education field. Hundreds tour the school during its first decade to see progressive education in action.

With Mrs. Coonley’s passing in 1958, and John Malach’s assumption of the role of headmaster in 1960, a symbolic torch is passed. During the next decade, Mr. Malach leads the school’s transition to gifted education. The new mission is a logical and successful next step, building on the traditions, passions, and educational theories that have been present since the school’s inception.

Recognizing the central role that drama, music, and the visual arts have always played in the school’s curriculum, a wing dedicated primarily to the fine arts is added. With the additional space, Avery Coonley is also able to add a preschool program for three year olds; true to the vision of Mrs. Coonley and Miss Morse, the new program is designed to be a comfortable bridge between home and school.

The school has much to celebrate—the centennial of Mrs. Coonley’s first educational endeavor, the opening of a brand-new Middle School wing, and the addition of a full-day Kindergarten program. And, as part of the centennial celebration, archival and historical research documents the school’s storied past, and Avery Coonley is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The factors that make the school historically significant—the educational principles, the building and grounds, the traditions, and the wisdom and passion of the people who brought these things to life—continue to be the heart of The Avery Coonley School.

After an 18-month collaborative process including all stakeholders—parents, teachers, staff, alumni, students, Trustees, and friends of ACS—The Avery Coonley School launched a comprehensive strategic plan. The 2018 ACS Strategic Plan was designed to ensure that Avery Coonley will continue to be the best possible choice for gifted children now and into the future. The four main goals include: “deepen our commitment to our gifted mission and program; strengthen our identity as a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural school community; expand our platform of programs, partnerships, and expertise; and enhance our long-term sustainability.” 

The Avery Coonley School continues to guide children onward and upward by encouraging intellectual curiosity, fostering individual talents, and providing a strong foundation to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. Much has changed since Mrs. Coonley first began this journey, but we continue to follow her ideas and her ideals, and remain steadfast in the effort to provide the best possible education for each student. We are confident that our second century will bring with it the same level of commitment, excellence, and innovation that has characterized our first 100 years. We invite you to be part of our story.