MCC Academy Starts High School

A classroom at Morton Grove’s MCC Academy. (MCC Academy photo)

For the first time, high school students will join the MCC Academy, a Muslim academic and religious school with campuses in Morton Grove and Skokie, as classes start this week.

Twenty-five high school freshmen will join 170 sixth through eighth graders at MCC’s Morton Grove campus at 8601 Menard Ave. when classes begin Monday, Aug. 27. Each year moving forward, the school will accept a new class of 25 freshmen, Principal Habeeb Quadri said. In four years, the high school will be capped at 100 students.

Quadri said the MCC Academy is fully accredited, offers both academic and religious classes, clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities.

Three years ago, the MCC Academy purchased a building at 9301 Gross Point Road, Skokie, opening it as an elementary school for preschool through fifth-grade students. Quadri said opening the Skokie campus freed up space at the Morton Grove campus to begin adding high school students.

Altogether, the two campuses will teach 679 students. When additional special needs and weekend religious students are counted, Quadri said the two schools would see about 900 students a week.

In anticipation of the new high school program, the MCC Academy has partnered with Oakton Community College to offer high school students classes for college credit before graduation, according to Quadri. He said a focus would be put on securing internships for students to find pathways for future careers. He said most of the middle school teachers are certified to teach classes through grade 12 and have past experience as high school teachers.

Students are required to complete 10 hours of community service. Eighth graders all must take a speech class and those same eighth graders deliver sermons at Friday prayers. All students attend morning and noon prayers, with an extended service on Fridays. The Muslim faith mandates praying five times a day.

Students at the Morton Grove campus can choose from as many as 30 after-school clubs including student council, drama, singing clubs and science clubs. Quadri said the MCC Academy Crescent girls basketball team lost in the regional finals of the state tournament last year.  

Only 14 Islamic schools in Illinois offer a full academic program, Quadri said. Quadri serves as chairman of the Council of Islamic Schools of Illinois.

The MCC Academy is part of the Muslim Community Center, which operates mosques in Morton Grove and Chicago.