Our Mission

Chicago Jesuit Academy is a loving and academically rigorous tuition-free Catholic elementary school for students and families from resilient communities impacted by historical disinvestment. We accompany our students and alumni from enrollment through the start of their careers as they develop their gifts and grow as men and women for others.

Our Approach

Providing rigorous lower and middle school education with holistic care.

Supporting our alumni on their educational and career journeys through the age of 25.

Actively seeking to collaborate with our greater community.

Our Story

When your family joins the CJA community, we hope you will be part of it for life. We begin with a strong academic foundation that includes a low student-teacher ratio, an extended school year and added layers of support from our Learning Resource Center Team. We care for the whole student through our team of social workers, a full-time school nurse and 2.5 nutritious meals per day. And after graduation in 8th grade, we support alumni through the age of 25 as they navigate the transitions to high school, on to post-high school options and ultimately their careers.

We’re Expanding!

In August of 2023, we completed a 50,000 square foot addition that enables us to serve young women in addition to young men.

During the 2022-2023 year, we enrolled a cohort of third- and fourth-grade girls, allowing us to begin building a foundational culture for our girls' program. We added a 5th-grade classroom in the 2023-2024 school year and will continue to add one grade per year until, in the 2026-2027 school year, we will serve girls in grades 3-8.

CJA uses a co-institutional model, meaning our students have single-sex academic classes while sharing communal spaces and certain experiences including co-curriculars, project-based learning and social events.

CJA At-A-Glance

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Tuition-Free

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Extended School Day and Year

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Now Accepting Applications for Boys and Girls

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12:1 Student-Teacher Ratio

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Student-Centered Responsive Classrooms

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Full-Time Social Work Team

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Full-Time School Nurse

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Catholic School Welcoming All Faiths

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Robust Support for our Alumni Through the Age of 25

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97% of Alumni Graduate High School in 5 Years

Our News

Growing and Thriving at CJA!

Chicago Jesuit Academy is continuing to grow – read about some of the wonderful things our students and alumni are accomplishing.

Ribbon Cutting: Celebrating Our Growth

In the November CJA eNews, we highlight our October 28th Ribbon Cutting ceremony where over 450 members of our community gathered to celebrate our campus expansion and the creation of our new girls’ program.

Upcoming Events