LAKESHORE EAST — GEMS World Academy is already working on its Upper School in Lakeshore East just a few months after opening a grade school next door.
GEMS officials Wednesday morning broke ground on the new Downtown private school, which will serve grades six through 12 and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2016 at 355 E. Wacker Drive.
"It is a K-12 vision," said Geoff Jones, head of school. "It's been exciting."
The 16-story school will include trendy "breakout rooms," a multifloor library and athletic facility with a pool and basketball court, an auditorium and "parent lounge," among other amenities.
Part of an international 70-school network, GEMS chose Chicago as its first American outpost, Jones said. That international focus is what distinguishes GEMS from other private schools in town, and administrators are even in talks with Lakeshore East developer Magellan Development about hosting foreign GEMS students in a nearby apartment tower.
There are 150 students enrolled now at GEMS, which is introducing seventh and eighth grades next year before the Upper School opens. Between the two campuses, GEMS has capacity for 1,200 students. The Lower School opened last fall.
Delphine Lenoir, GEMS' director of admissions, said Upper School tuition will be similar to that of the Lower School, ranging from $27,000 to $33,000 per year.
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