about us
For over a century, Baker Demonstration School has been a nationally-recognized leader in progressive education. But Baker isn’t just a school; it is a community reflective of the world we live in.
Since our founding in 1918, we have pioneered an innovative, student-centered approach to learning. A Baker education is centered around three building blocks: empathy, curiosity, and excellence. We believe that learning should be hands-on, experiential, and cross-disciplinary, emphasizing our "whole child" approach.
Today, we honor the vision of our founder, Clara Belle Baker, by delivering a dynamic, experience-based curriculum that celebrates the individuality of every Pre-K through 8th-grade student.
10:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
%
of Faculty Hold Advanced Degrees
26%
of Students are Multilingual
95%
of Students Report Being "Known by Faculty"
3
Outdoor Playgrounds
Chicagoland Zipcodes Represented
Our Mission
At Baker, our mission is to champion an exemplary progressive education, which cultivates an intrinsic motivation to learn, values differences, nurtures the whole person, and encourages courageous choices.
By engaging students in inquiry, purposeful play, cross-disciplinary work, and intentional community-building, we help them develop self-awareness, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills so they can move into the future with confidence.
The Baker Difference
Our roots are in the progressive education movement, which began over a century ago during a time of dramatic social and technological change. We know that childhood is the most critical period for the development of attitudes, habits, capabilities, and skills. We believe the most powerful preparation is not simply teaching children what to learn, but how to learn: through experience, reflection, and active engagement.
"Always remember that we cannot stand still. It's a world of change, and we're going to have to do our best to give young people what they need to meet this change."
- Edna Dean Baker, Co-Founder
Native Land Acknowledgement
Baker Stands on the Traditional Homelands of the Council of the Three Fires:
The Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi Nations.
In January 2020, one of our 8th grade social studies classes, in collaboration with the 2nd grade class, led an all-school ceremony to introduce Baker’s Land Acknowledgement Statement to our community.
Students shared their knowledge about the native people who lived here before us. They explained why it is important to honor the people and the land and presented the following statement, which Baker has adopted as our official Land Acknowledgement Statement.
native land Statement
Our school, Baker Demonstration School, is located on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of the Three Fires: the Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Tribes such as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, and Sac & Fox also called this area home.
This land was a site of travel and healing for many Tribes. Today the Chicago area is home to the sixth largest urban American Indian community in the Country. The Native people here still practice their heritage, traditions and care for the land and waterways.
We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it through the generations.
