Tarkington School of Excellence

In a diverse and changing world, we want to show our students that Tarkington C.A.R.E.S by creating an environment that promotes positive choice and encourages student leadership.

Overview of Chicago's First Green School

Tarkington School of Excellence is the first Chicago Public School built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environental Design) guidelines. Some of the highlights are:

• A vegetated roof and reflective roofing
• Stormwater runoff is directed to the nearby Marquette Park lagoon via bio-swales
• Use daylight harvesting systems which automatically adjust lights in response to the amount of daylight in a space
• Use of a no-tech strategy for saving resources: the building and athletic facilities also serve Chicago Park District users, eliminating the need for duplicative buildings