Clapham School - Wheaton, Illinois

Lisa B.

We have had a phenomenal experience at Clapham. Our kids absolutely love going to school and we continue to be impressed by what they are learning everyday. They are being taught not only an amazing curriculum but also habits of excellence. Our whole family has been incredibly blessed by the community at Clapham.

Michael W.

Clapham is a school where children fall in love with learning while experiencing our wonderful God in all the different areas of study. Our children attend Clapham and have grown in their love of reading! There is a joy my son has as he shares what he discovered in his hand work activity that day. The intentionally smaller class sizes bring the teachers closer to the students personally. The new facility downtown Wheaton is an excellent space for students to learn in a great location!

Lauren W.

Clapham School has been the best choice for our kids and their education. I really value the smaller class sizes, the Charlotte Mason method of teaching and the care each staff member has for my kids. Truly a gem of a school!

Adam B.

We have two children at Clapham and our third child will enroll next year. We tried other educational environments before coming to Clapham. We have now been a part of the Clapham community for four years and have been very pleased with our experience. We find much continuity between the Christian classical education that Clapham provides and the kind of learning and formation we foster at home. Indeed, this is our favorite part of Clapham: the meaningful partnership we have with administration, faculty, and other families. Together, we are cultivating our children’s love of all that is good, beautiful, and true. We see so much excellence at Clapham, including leadership, curriculum, faculty, community, resources, generous financial aid for those in need, extracurriculars, character formation, a joyful and diligent learning environment, community service, and thoughtful scheduling. We encourage you to visit and see this distinctive school for yourself!

Whitney L.

This school has been an incredible experience for my child! We have one child who has been enrolled for 3 years now and one child who will start this Fall. The education is incredible and is based on a Charlotte Mason classical model. My child is learning about so many classic books, learning to love God’s word, use foundational concepts to build up to the next level of learning, to do all things with excellence and careful consideration, and thinking logically. The staff cares deeply about my child, both her learning and her heart. They are well trained and versed in classical education. The community is very welcoming and there are numerous ways to get involved. It has been easy to get to know other parents just by serving alongside of them at school events, etc. Overall, such a positive experience and happy to invest our time and money here!

Dennis F.

What a tremendous opportunity Chapman offers our four grandchildren. Their pride in the school and friends is awe inspiring.

R A. V. A.

We are the parents of a student who is almost finished with Clapham’s kindergarten program (known as Explorers 2, or EII). We see that all the reviews of the school are from four years ago or so. Here’s a 2022 perspective.

Clapham has transitioned to a new facility on Front St that is beautiful and the students love. Security is very strong and the issues mentioned at the previous post are essentially resolved. The students do leave the building for PE and recess, as many other students do at public and private schools everywhere.

We can’t say enough how impressed we are with the academic programming at the school. We are amazed at what our child has achieved. However, here are some other benefits:

— The Clapham emphasis on virtue development in pedagogy is a huge distinctive. The development of charitable reading and listening starts in the littlest years. Reading skills and comprehension, and attending to author’s language and intentions are prioritized. Not only is our kid reading, but our kid is reading with correct prosody, pacing, and understanding.

—A no-phone culture. Students don’t use ‘em, faculty don’t even have screens in their rooms. As a millennial parent I’m highly aware of the Pandora’s box of evil that a phone can be in a persons life. I’m thankful my kid doesn’t have to deal with this at school. I’m thankful he gets a break from the relentless presence of the Internet.

—Very very generous financial aid. We are a scholarship family. We were so sure Clapham was out of the realm of possibility for us until a friend who was a faculty member and another parent encouraged us to apply. We were astounded with the deal we got. If you feel like private education is just a dream, try applying and see what financial aid you can get. You will be encouraged!

—Everyone has been kind to us and to our kid.

—Finally and most importantly, if you are a Christian and desire your kid to have the foundations of a Christian worldview, you can be sure that the community at this school, from the students all the way up to the administration, are completely and wholeheartedly dedicated to the authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Christ. For us, this is our true priority. Everything else is gravy, but what a lot of gravy there is.

Kathryn I.

We have three children at Clapham school and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! We love the faculty, curriculum, and Charolette Mason ethos!