Avery Coonley School Summer Program
The Avery Coonley School, 1400 Maple Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515
About
The Avery Coonley School Summer Program offers more than 130 enriching options where children can build, tinker, ponder, create, experiment, and take part in games and crafts. Participants engage in creative problem solving, scientific exploration, creative writing, STEAM, math, theater, reading, sports, art, instructional swimming, outdoor adventure, music, canoeing, and time to run and play. The program includes both enrichment classes and a recreation program with planned activities between morning enrichment classes and during the afternoon, using an individualized, hands-on approach and academically and physically challenging courses.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Three sessions in 2026, with options for half-day, full-day, early morning care, and extended day care
The 2026 session dates are June 15–26 for Session 1 (with no program on June 19), June 29–July 10 for Session 2 (with no program on July 3, tentative), and July 13–24 for Session 3. All registration is completed online.
The Avery Coonley School Summer Program serves advanced and gifted learners in preschool through grade eight, and all students work at least one year above their current grade level. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9:1 in Lower and Middle School and 8:1 in Preschool and Kindergarten, and 87% of faculty hold advanced degrees (Master’s or PhD). The school has been kindling the minds of these learners for over 100 years.
Options are offered in partnership with Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD) and ChessEd. The program is part of a school whose mission is serving advanced and gifted learners in preschool through grade eight and which lists “Accreditation and Partnerships” among its credentials.
The leadership team includes Ms. Nancy Nassr, next Head of School effective July 1, 2026; Dr. Kirsty Montgomery, current Head of School through the end of the 2025–26 academic year; Jennifer Reenan, Chair of the ACS Board of Trustees; and Lisa Vaughan, Search Committee Chair and Vice Chair of the ACS Board of Trustees. In a testimonial, school leaders state that Ms. Nassr brings a depth and breadth of experience in education and a commitment to Avery Coonley’s mission to provide a dynamic learning experience for gifted learners, and they look forward to continued excellence and innovation under her leadership. Ms. Nassr has stated that she is profoundly honored to become the next head of school, that the school’s enduring mission and commitment to nurturing the whole child speak to the deeper purpose of education, and that she personally witnessed joy, wonder, and curiosity throughout ACS and is humbled and thrilled to become part of the community.
Last updated January 15, 2026.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Three sessions in 2026, with options for half-day, full-day, early morning care, and extended day care
The 2026 session dates are June 15–26 for Session 1 (with no program on June 19), June 29–July 10 for Session 2 (with no program on July 3, tentative), and July 13–24 for Session 3. All registration is completed online.
The Avery Coonley School Summer Program serves advanced and gifted learners in preschool through grade eight, and all students work at least one year above their current grade level. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9:1 in Lower and Middle School and 8:1 in Preschool and Kindergarten, and 87% of faculty hold advanced degrees (Master’s or PhD). The school has been kindling the minds of these learners for over 100 years.
Options are offered in partnership with Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD) and ChessEd. The program is part of a school whose mission is serving advanced and gifted learners in preschool through grade eight and which lists “Accreditation and Partnerships” among its credentials.
The leadership team includes Ms. Nancy Nassr, next Head of School effective July 1, 2026; Dr. Kirsty Montgomery, current Head of School through the end of the 2025–26 academic year; Jennifer Reenan, Chair of the ACS Board of Trustees; and Lisa Vaughan, Search Committee Chair and Vice Chair of the ACS Board of Trustees. In a testimonial, school leaders state that Ms. Nassr brings a depth and breadth of experience in education and a commitment to Avery Coonley’s mission to provide a dynamic learning experience for gifted learners, and they look forward to continued excellence and innovation under her leadership. Ms. Nassr has stated that she is profoundly honored to become the next head of school, that the school’s enduring mission and commitment to nurturing the whole child speak to the deeper purpose of education, and that she personally witnessed joy, wonder, and curiosity throughout ACS and is humbled and thrilled to become part of the community.
Last updated January 15, 2026.
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