Private school in Chicago is eliminating high school program

GEMS World Academy, a private preK-12 school in downtown Chicago, is halting its high school program.

Block Club Chicago reports that all students will continue to have a spot at the school through the end of the school year as the GEMS staff works to place outgoing eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders at other schools. Students in 11th grade will remain at GEMS through graduation because of a rigorous two-year program for juniors.

The phase-out of high school grades would affect about a dozen high school students. School leaders have not disclosed why GEMS is eliminating the high school program.

The school opened in 2014 and enrolls about 400 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade.

The GEMS campus in Chicago is one of 250 schools across the globe, all part of Dubai-based parent company GEMS Education.

In 2019, the school announced plans to expand its campus with a nine-story building. But the Covid-19 pandemic halted construction, and the building has yet to be completed. This left GEMS high school students without a dedicated school building; it has been renting nearby space.