Private school options abound in Lake County; however, if your family doesn’t follow a particular religious tradition, your options may feel more limited.  Your reasons may be varied, but if you would prefer a secular private school as opposed to a faith-based education, we’ve rounded up your options in Lake County.

Secular Private Schools in Lake County

This listing focuses on elementary programs and above, although many schools listed here also offer early education.  For more early education options, visit our Preschool Guide.

In no particular order:

Old School Montessori
144 Commerce Drive, Grayslake | (847) 223-960
Established in 1996, OSM offers programs for children as young as 15 months up to 6th grade.  Several after school enrichment programs are also available.

Country Meadows Montessori School
6151 Washington Blvd., Gurnee | (847) 244-9352
A variety of programs are available including; half-day, school-day, and before and after school care for Toddlers (12-36 months), Preschool (3-6 years) and Elementary (6-14 years) children. Music, physical education and Spanish are included in the curriculum.  Their goal is to prepare students for success in the high-performance workplace of the 21st century through the Montessori tradition of hands-on, student-directed learning.

DaVinci Waldorf School
150 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda | (847) 526-1372
For those of you unfamiliar with the Waldorf approach, it is a unique style of education that de-emphasizes early academics and freely utilizes the arts as a teaching tool.  Art, music, gardening and foreign language are integral parts of the curriculum rather than extra-curricular. Electronic media is frowned upon.  DaVinci Waldorf School offers a Preschool and Kindergarten program, and their Grade School serves children from ages 7-14 on their 3-acre campus in Wauconda.

Forest Bluff School
8 W Scranton Ave., Lake Bluff | (847) 295-8338
Located near downtown Lake Bluff and Lake Forest, Forest Bluff School is an AMI/USA accredited Montessori school serving children ages 18 months to 14 years.  They work closely with parents through talks and lectures, informal gatherings and parent education programs.  It is a small community with approximately 150 students.

Montessori School of Lake Forest
Laurel Drive Campus (Parent/Infant – Upper Elementary)
13700 West Laurel Drive, Lake Forest | (847) 918-1000
Blue House Campus (Adolescent program)
32470 Harris Road, Grayslake | (847) 543-0002
Founded in 1966, Montessori School of Lake Forest was the fifth Montessori school to be established in Illinois and serves more than 200 students from 25 communities.  A Parent-Infant program is available as well as a Primary program (ages 3-6), Elementary program (ages 6-12), and an Adolescent program (ages 12-15) which is housed separately at Prairie Crossing in Grayslake.  Their facilities connect the indoors to the natural world in an effort to promote curiosity, self‐development, and self‐knowledge.

Lake Forest Country Day School
145 South Green Bay Road, Lake Forest | (847) 234-2350
Serving children as young as age 2 (through their hands-on, multi-sensory 1st Step program) up to 8th grade, their mission is to produce students of strong character with a passion for learning.  The school was originally founded in 1888 as The Alcott School, and while its history is important, they pride themselves on balancing tradition with innovation.  Such innovations are exemplified by the state-of-the art technology provided in their 5 separate “Innovation Spaces” that include an Innovation Lab, Lower School Robotics Room, Outdoor Classroom, Upper School LEGO Robotics Room and Tinker Lab.

Lake Forest Academy
1500 West Kennedy Road, Lake Forest | (847) 615-3210
Lake Forest Academy is a co-ed, college prep boarding school serving grades 9-12.  A day school program is also available if you prefer to keep your children at home. Rigorously academic and highly selective, the school is committed to building a culturally-inclusive environment and creating global citizens that serve their local and international communities.

Editor’s Update 3/17/2017
Nature Walk Montessori
200 Footpath Lane at W. Wildspring Rd., Round Lake | (224) 225-9224
Nature Walk Montessori School is located on ten natural acres in Round Lake Lake, and strives to nurture children’s innate love of learning while fostering respect for all living systems. Nature Walk offers a Parent-Infant program (birth to age 2), pre-school and “kindergarten” level classes for students aged 3 to 6, a homeschool support group, and an Elementary Community for ages 6 to 12, all  following the Montessori philosophy of education.

Do you know of another secular private school in Lake County not featured in our list? Tell us about it in the comments!