Founded in Fall 2019 and located in the heart of the Loop, this world-class facility mirrors the original design and functionality of our Belmont Campus – just inside of a high-rise building! Our Downtown Campus serves grades 9-12 and the location makes it possible to pull from all corners of the city and support an exceptionally diverse student body. Currently, students live in all 77 of Chicago neighborhoods – a rare and special opportunity within any open-enrollment public high school in Chicago.
The Downtown Campus provides easy access to Chicago’s business and arts community. We offer a robust mix of field trips, speakers and internship opportunities with many nearby businesses that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere.
As part of a growing campus, students downtown are helping create school traditions and opportunities. We are always adding new extracurricular activities based on student interests, and are also very proud of our early accomplishments of our Downtown Campus athletics department.
Home neighborhoods of Intrinsic Downtown students
For many years, Intrinsic has partnered with City Colleges of Chicago. Today, we are able to introduce all students at the Intrinsic Downtown Campus to college, including a chance to earn college credit starting as early as Grade 10. This is an innovative partnership for the sector, and a way for Intrinsic to do more to improve rates of college retention and transfers into four-year institutions.
The Downtown Campus athletics department – #RaveNation! – offers a wide variety of sports to assist in the physical, social and mental development of well-rounded students who are committed to academic and athletic success. We already offer 16+ different sports teams ranging from very competitive boys basketball and girls soccer to co-ed wrestling, girls flag football and e-sports – and are continuing to grow. The variety allows any student interested in athletics to find a home. We utilize various outside facilities, and bus students to and from campus for all practices and games.
Founded at Vail Mountain in 1993, SOS Outreach uses outdoor-based mentorship to teach snowboarding and life skills to kids and teenagers. Serving over 3,000 young people each year, SOS includes Intrinsic in their year-round programs that combine outdoor exploration, positive adult mentorship, skill development, and community service. These life-changing experiences inspire young individuals to foster belonging, overcome challenges, enhance mental well-being, and become strong leaders.