Intrinsic Schools

About Us

Located in the heart of the Loop, the Downtown Campus offers city-wide accessibility to students. Established in Fall 2019, this state-of-the-art facility replicates the design and functionality of the Belmont Campus within a high-rise setting. Serving grades 9-12, its central location attracts students from all corners of the city, fostering an exceptionally diverse student body. Currently, students represent all 77 Chicago neighborhoods, a rare distinction among open-enrollment public high schools. The Downtown Campus provides direct access to Chicago’s business and arts communities, offering a dynamic mix of field trips, guest speakers, and internship opportunities with nearby organizations—experiences that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere.


Intrinsic Schools was founded by a team of educators from Chicago Public Schools to create a new, excellent public school option for middle and high school students in Chicago. Intrinsic Schools provides a strong academic foundation through challenging, grade-level instruction. Intrinsic students learn to think critically, solve problems, communicate clearly and reflect on their learning. Because success in young adulthood also requires a strong sense of self, the ability to work well with others, and the tenacity to rebound from challenges, they explicitly teach and help students live out our EPIC values of Empathy, Perseverance, Identity and Curiosity.