At-a-Glance
We are an independent private high school unlike any other in Chicago.
| 2010 | Year founded |
| 7:1 | Student to teacher ratio |
| 16 | Maximum classroom size |
| 88% | Teachers with advanced degrees |
| 86% | Students receiving financial aid |
| 100% | GCE graduates accepted into college |
| 80% | GCE graduates receiving merit-based scholarship for college |
| 3 | GCE graduates earning coveted Posse Scholarships |
| $4,550 – $29,150 | Flexible Tuition 2021-22 |
Our Mission
Using the city as a classroom, we embolden a community of socially responsible citizens to respond courageously to the world’s biggest challenges.
Our Values
These values serve as guiding principles that define our climate, culture, and practice.
Real-world
Using the city as an extension of the classroom, students embrace real-world applications and connections, and understand the relevancy of their academic studies.
Global Citizenship
GCE develops a global mindset in students, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to inform our curriculum and help prioritize issues demanding our attention.
Community
Diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences is essential to our learning. GCE’s inclusive community provides a safe space for students to develop and practice empathy, compassion, gratitude, kindness, adaptability, curiosity, and risk-taking.
Agency
GCE fosters a climate and culture where students take ownership of their learning, are intrinsically motivated, learn more deeply, and collaborate more purposefully with their peers.
Laboratory
With the flexibility and structure that are characteristic of a lab, GCE’s learner-centric environment aims to further the innovation of global education and real-world learning in order to equitably prepare all students for success.
Real-world
Using the city as an extension of the classroom, students embrace real-world applications and connections, and understand the relevancy of their academic studies.Global Citizenship
GCE develops a global mindset in students, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to inform our curriculum and help prioritize issues demanding our attention.Community
Diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences is essential to our learning. GCE’s inclusive community provides a safe space for students to develop and practice empathy, compassion, gratitude, kindness, adaptability, curiosity, and risk-taking.Agency
GCE fosters a climate and culture where students take ownership of their learning, are intrinsically motivated, learn more deeply, and collaborate more purposefully with their peers.Laboratory
With the flexibility and structure that are characteristic of a lab, GCE’s learner-centric environment aims to further the innovation of global education and real-world learning in order to equitably prepare all students for success.Our Team
Board of Trustees
Board of Directors
Sheryl Curcio
Board Founder and Chair
Lisa Humphrey
Secretary
Art Andros
Director, Alumni Parent
Bill Kingore
Director
Diane Dahl
Director
Jeff Johnson
Director
Matt Prewitt
Director, Alumni Parent
Rodney Morris
Director
Rupal Dadu
Director
Stephen Wilkins
Director
Associate Board
Colin Hanner
President
Conor Durkin
Treasurer
Alexandria Wilhelm
Associate
Caitlin Hanner
Associate
Derek Hanner
Associate
Megan Felz
Associate
Myles Gage
Associate
Oliver Jackson
Associate
Advisory Board
Eleanor Nicholson
Co-Founder High Jump and Progressive Educator
Liz Dozier
Managing Director Chicago Beyond
Laura Hartman
Founder L’Ecole de Choix (Haiti), Professor DePaul University
Frequently Asked Questions
Admissions
What is the re-enrollment process?
GCE Lab School begins the re-enrollment process for returning students in January. Returning families will be required to submit the annual Flexible Tuition Calculator in early February after which re-enrollment contracts for the next academic year are distributed via email. Signed re-enrollment contracts and enrollment deposits are due in March.
What is the admission process?
Admission to GCE Lab School requires a completed online application including transcripts and, if applicable, IEP or 504 plans, an on-campus visit experience, a parent recommendation, a teacher recommendation, a student action project, and a family interview.
How much is tuition?
To ensure the accessibility of the GCE experience to all and to encourage specifically socioeconomic diversity, we have adopted Flexible Tuition. A family’s tuition obligation is indexed according to a family’s ability to pay. Families of particular means and good fortune afford tuition near the top of the scale and may contribute generously to school advancement campaigns. Other families, for whom education expenses require sacrifice, are assigned a tuition they can afford.
Flexible Tuition in 2020-2021 will range, $4,550 – $29,150.
Does GCE Lab School require standarized test scores?
GCE Lab School is test-optional. We do not require applicants submit ISEE, STS, or SEHS standardized test scores as part of the application process.
Does GCE Lab School offer financial aid?
GCE Lab School offers a sliding scale tuition model (our Flexible Tuition plan) that ranges from approximately $5,000 – $29,000 annually based on an individual family’s financial circumstances. To qualify for the Flexible Tuition plan families must submit the Flexible Tuition Calculator along with their application for admission.
Scholarship and Tuition Assistance
Why do I need to input my spouse’s information if I am remarried and they are not legally responsible for my children?
To be considered for tuition assistance, GCE requires all parents and all adults contributing to the household of the student to file completed tuition assistance applications. GCE considers aggregate financial information. Our system, however, also takes into consideration your spouse’s expenses as well as their income. It is important to list all expenses that are asked of within the application.
Who should complete the financial aid form?
To be considered for tuition assistance, GCE requires all parents and all adults contributing to the household of the student to file completed tuition assistance applications. GCE considers aggregate financial information. There is a section within the application where you can enter contributions from non-custodial parents and relatives.
What is the maximum income to qualify for tuition assistance?
There is no maximum income to qualify. All applications are considered. However, our resources are limited, so awards typically go to those who demonstrate the greatest financial need. We encourage all families to plan carefully for funding their child’s education, and this includes considering all financial resources available to them.
What if my child’s other parent is uncooperative — will that affect our chances of securing a scholarship?
A parent may submit to GCE a written request for waiver in the event the other parent(s) is not in contact or will not contribute to tuition or file a financial aid application. Any such waiver request must include all pertinent information and documentation (including, as one example, any court orders).
How much is tuition?
To ensure the accessibility of the GCE experience to all and to encourage specifically socioeconomic diversity, we have adopted Flexible Tuition. A family’s tuition obligation is indexed according to a family’s ability to pay. Families of particular means and good fortune afford tuition near the top of the scale and may contribute generously to school advancement campaigns. Other families, for whom education expenses require sacrifice, are assigned a tuition they can afford.
Flexible Tuition in 2020-2021 will range, $4,550 – $29,150.
Does applying for scholarship affect my child’s chances for admission?
No. Admissions decisions are based on a student’s abilities, readiness for learning, motivation, and potential to contribute to their classroom environment and the school generally.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes, we have multiple payment plans available for tuition.
As a returning family, can we apply for a scholarship even if we haven’t applied before?
Yes, of course. All awards are need-based, and we understand that family circumstances change. Applications must be renewed each year.
Curriculum
Who created our curriculum?
Our curriculum is powered by Global Learning Models and continues to be updated and revised by our entire faculty, staff, and administration to ensure it is relevant and meaningful to our students.
What standards is our curriculum aligned to?
Our curriculum is aligned to Common Core State Standards and to United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals.
What is a project-based curriculum?
Project-based learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge.
Is GCE Lab School accredited?
General
Where is GCE located?
GCE is located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood at 1535 N. Dayton St.
When was GCE founded?
GCE was founded in 2010.
What type of school are you?
GCE is a private, independent high school.
What does GCE stand for?
Global Citizenship Experience
Is GCE Lab School accredited?
Yes. We are accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED). We are also a member school of NAIS and registered with ISBE.
How much is tuition?
To ensure the accessibility of the GCE experience to all and to encourage specifically socioeconomic diversity, we have adopted Flexible Tuition. A family’s tuition obligation is indexed according to a family’s ability to pay. Families of particular means and good fortune afford tuition near the top of the scale and may contribute generously to school advancement campaigns. Other families, for whom education expenses require sacrifice, are assigned a tuition they can afford.
Flexible Tuition in 2020-2021 will range, $4,550 – $29,150.
How is GCE funded?
GCE is dependent on tuition revenue and other revenue sources, such as annual giving, to support the faculty, staff, and broad range of programs that are offered.