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    • Who We Are
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    ABOUT US

    CJA is a loving and supportive life-long community for our students and alumni. We are a tuition-free, Catholic lower and middle school for students and families impacted by historic disinvestment. We also accompany alumni as they transition to high school, post-high school options and on to the start of their careers, and we engage with the larger community to support creating access to better educational resources.

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    ADMISSIONS

    CJA accepts 3rd-5th grade students first come, first served and we are not academically selective. For 6th-8th grade applicants, academics and willingness to partner with the school are taken into account. We accept students in all grades without regard to race, ethnicity or religion. Learn more about our school and see why your child belongs at CJA!
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    SCHOOL PROGRAMS

    At CJA, we believe in caring for the whole person. We provide rigorous academics in a loving and supportive environment but we also support our students physically, mentally and spiritually through a dedicated school nurse, a team of social workers, a faith-based education, enriching co-curriculars and a nutritious meal program.

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    ALUMNI SUPPORT

    After students graduate from CJA, they work consistently with their College & Career Persistence (CP) counselor until age 25 and they and their families are considered part of our community forever. Our dedicated team of CP counselors accompany students and alumni through the transition to high school, post-high school and ultimately careers.

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    IMPACT

    When children are given the resources they deserve in order to thrive in and outside of the classroom, they can reach their full, incredible potential. We see the impact each day in working with our students, alumni and partner schools. Their hard work, dedication and resilience demonstrates what can be achieved when obstacles to educational equity begin to be removed.

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    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

    We’re expanding our services to students across Chicagoland! By 2027, we’ll be supporting students in nineteen elementary schools as they identify and choose their best-fit high schools.


    And, now that our expanded school building is open, we are working to deepen relationships with neighbors and local organizations as we seek to provide a community gathering space.

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    SUPPORT US

    As a tuition-free school, the success of our mission depends entirely on the generosity of people who believe in the great promise of our students and alumni. All gifts are critical investments in ensuring access to the academic resources and holistic care for the community we serve.

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  • ALUMNI SUPPORT
    • College & Career Persistence Program
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  • IMPACT
    • A Unique Approach
    • Evidence of Impact
  • COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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    • Notre Dame Partnership
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Who We Are

Who We Serve

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Work at CJA

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WHO WE ARE

Mission and Means

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.

Located in Austin on Chicago’s West Side, CJA admits students to all grades in our lower and middle school without regard for their race, ethnicity or religion, and CJA enrolls 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-grade students without regard for their past levels of academic achievement.

We use small class sizes, extended school days and an 11-month school year to give personal care to our students and help them develop as whole persons.

We accompany our alumni on their unique paths to meaningful employment and support them throughout high school, their post-secondary education and the start of their careers, always welcoming them back as leaders at CJA and in the broader community.

CJA students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, volunteers and benefactors listen to and learn from one another and make disciplined sacrifices to accomplish our shared mission.

We partner with other schools and the broader community to create access to better educational resources, confront systemic racism and remove obstacles to educational equity.

We call one another to find God in all things and be men and women for others who are open to growth, loving, religious, seeking intellectual excellence and committed to doing justice.

Our Jesuit Connection

Chicago Jesuit Academy is a member of the Jesuit Schools Network (JSN). The JSN includes over 80 secondary schools across the country that educate students in the Jesuit tradition – a tradition that values academic excellence, practical spirituality and a commitment to social justice. Chicago area high schools belonging to the JSN include: Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius College Prep. For more information about the Jesuits and their commitment to living a faith that does justice in the service of others, please visit:

Jesuits Midwest

Our Beliefs

Care for the Whole Person

A key tenet of Jesuit education is cura personalis or “care for the whole person.” This means that we take into account each student’s unique context and care for that student holistically. We support our students not just academically, but also mentally, physically and spiritually. We believe each student is made in the image and likeness of God, and it is our responsibility to meet them where they are and to help them develop their unique gifts and talents.

People for Others​

We invite our students to be people for others by teaching them to use their gifts and talents in the service of others, by helping them to understand how their actions as individuals impact our larger community and by encouraging them to engage with the world with curiosity and respect.

Graduate-at-Graduation Values

Our graduate-at-graduation values - or the grad-at-grad for short - describe the values that Jesuit schools expect graduates will embody by the time they graduate. At CJA, we encourage and teach each student and alumnus to exemplify these values in their daily work and lives. Our grad-at-grad values include: open to growth, seeking intellectual excellence, religious, loving and committed to doing justice.

What are the Grad-At-Grads?

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Open to Growth

Shows tenacity and eagerness to learn and to learn from their mistakes. Open to other ideas, persons and cultures.

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Religious

Accepts themselves as a person formed in the image and likeness of God and serves others with their unique gifts.

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Loving

Appreciates, respects and includes others. Recognizes that true service to others is selfless and given in love.

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Seeking Intellectual Excellence

Thinks critically, comes to class prepared to learn and does their best. Asks for the help they need and helps to create a supportive learning environment for others.

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Committed to Doing Justice

Understands the obligation as a religious person to participate in building a just society starting with the people and communities around them.

Annual Reports

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

CJA At A Glance

What Makes CJA Unique

Learn more about our unique approach to serving CJA students and alumni, along with our outreach to students in our greater community.

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5058 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60644-4324

(phone): (773) 638-6103

(fax): (773) 638-6107

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