Quest Academy was established in 1982 to provide an appropriate learning environment for gifted children whose educational needs were not being well served by their local public schools. Quest opened its doors with 11 students and two faculty members. The school currently enrolls 290 students, preschool through 8th grade, from over 72 different Chicago area communities.

Quest Academy provides gifted children with a challenging curriculum and a nurturing environment. Our program emphasizes sound character along with scholarship and creativity in both the academics and the arts. The Quest community values the individuality of each child and encourages each to strive for personal excellence.

Quest Academy's curriculum is based on the Understanding by Design model (Wiggins and McTighe) in which the desired outcomes (Understandings, Skills, and Knowledge) are determined first, the assessment criteria (evidence of understanding) are identified next, and the learning activities are designed last and on the basis of the first two. While our curriculum chart is not meant to elucidate every detail of the desired learning outcomes, it does serve as a comprehensive and concise overview of the concepts "uncovered" in the Quest curriculum.