We are now accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year. Plan your visit to Bennett to learn more.
Purposeful. Personal. Project-Based.
We are a private, PreK-12 school committed to advancing creativity, innovation, and the development of lifelong learners and leaders.
Project-Based Learning
Learning is driven by student interests, not textbooks.
Reggio Emilia Inspired
Our approach fosters curiosity, community, and sense of self.
Progressive Education
We focus on process and real-world problem-solving
Connect With Us.
Complete the form below if you'd like to learn more about our PreK-12 program and be connected with a member of our admissions team.
PREK-12 PreK-12 Private School in the West Loop
Competency-Based Assessment
Your student is more than a grade or test score. Our individualized assessment model moves away from the standard ‘A’ through ‘F’ grading scale to provide each learner with specific feedback based on their strengths and areas of challenge.
Responsive Advisory
Middle Schoolers start and end each day with Advisory as a way to set goals, establish a predictable routine, and build a framework for meaningful connections with peers and teachers. During Advisory, students work in small group settings structured around specific learning goals, assignments, and projects.
Project-Based Learning
Our Project-Based Learning environment not only emphasizes subject-based skills but also gives learners the opportunity to apply them across disciplines in a manner that mimics the skills necessary to be an effective citizen of the world.
After-School Programming
The goal of After-School programming for Middle School is to provide dynamic enrichment, extension, and introductory experiences for students that reflect an increased demand on attention and autonomy for the group. Clubs are developed based on student interest and leadership.
WHY BENNETT? What Makes Us Different?
BENNETT DAY We Are Bennett Day.
About Us Our Story
Co-founder and CEO, Cameron Smith, was inspired to create Bennett Day School after the birth of his first son. As new parents, he and his wife, Erica, recognized that there were few options for progressive, independent schooling in Chicago. While reflecting on his own education, Cameron thought of his time in business school at Kellogg, where the process of learning was about creative problem solving, project-based inquiry, collaboration, and teamwork. Determined to build a school that mirrors this learning experience for children, Cameron began researching forward-thinking PreK-12 educational approaches. In this exploration, he gravitated toward the Reggio Emilia philosophy developed in Italy, which emphasizes key life skills like inquiry, innovation, teamwork, resilience, perseverance, and critical thinking.
Through bold action, thoughtful leadership, community support, and commitment to the vision, Bennett Day School opened its doors in 2014 with 23 students. 10 years later, we have 350 students in preschool through 12th grade, and this is just the beginning. We hope you’ll join our community and be part of the incredible story we’re writing.
