Why CSN?

Selecting the best school for your child is one of the most important decisions a parent can make. CSN has a reputation as one of the finest independent schools in the country. See what our parents have to say about their Community School experience -

• Outstanding, Caring Teachers: "If your child is having difficulty academically or socially, there is no way they will "fall through the cracks" at CSN.  The family atmosphere and care of all teachers would not allow it.  The teachers and staff know each child so well and will do anything to help your child succeed. The low teacher:student ratio is one of  the most important things an independent school can offer." - Middle School Parent

• Co-curriculars: "Even though this was a great time for our daughter to start at CSN, we keep asking ourselves--'Why didn't we do this sooner?'  One of the things we like most about CSN is the number of extra classes she has the opportunity to participate in.  This school is  everything we could have hoped for." - Intermediate School Parent

• Teachers Know Their Students: "As a parent, I have really been impressed by how much each teacher cares about the students. They not only want each student to be successful academically, but they also want to know them as 'people' (read: complex adolescents!)".- Middle School Parent
  

• Challenging Curriculum: "Our kids feel challenged, and we feel they are getting a well-rounded education.  It's great to be at a school where the students enjoy the challenge.  Originally from a suburb of Chicago, we had always been strong public school advocates, but now are so glad to be part of Community School and only regret that we didn't send our kids to CSN from the start." - Upper School Parent

• Parental Involvement:  "I have been impressed with the number of opportunities for parental involvement as well as the number of parents who are involved. That makes it very easy to stay involved in your child's education.” - Upper School Parent

• Communication:  "Communication between teachers and parents helps me feel I know what goes on in my child's classroom and to feel very comfortable approaching the teacher with questions or concerns that I may have.  There is an open line of communication and she is always willing to help out." - Lower School Parent   
  

 "I have been so pleased with the personal communication between the teachers and me -- their commitment to provide home and cell telephone numbers as well as email addresses coupled with their encouragement to call or email at any time has been a wonderful surprise." -Upper School Parent

• College Counseling:  "We have attended "college nights" arranged by the CSN college counseling department with our high school-age daughter.  These in themselves are an advantage; yet, it was what many, if not all, of the admission directors from the visiting top colleges and universities said that reinforced our CSN commitment - that they recognize the CSN student as academically prepared, and that the CSN student has an advantage in the admission process." - Upper School Parent

• Strong Values: "Good values start in the home, and it is nice to see they are enforced at school.  While they are learning to read and write, more importantly they are learning values like kindness, good citizenship, how to interact with other children and adults, good citizenship etc." - Lower School Parent

• Sense of Community:  "One of the most surprising things was how quickly our kids fit in.  We wondered if the social transition was going to be hard for them as some of their new classmates have been at CSN since kindergarten.  While we knew that the faculty and staff would do everything possible to make our kids feel at home, we couldn't help but wonder about the other students.  Well, we couldn't be more pleased at how well the student community welcomed our kids.  The feeling of "community" at Community School is wonderful and we know how hard the faculty and staff work to foster this feeling." - Middle/Upper School Parent