Academic Day Camps that Inspire Creativity and Exploration
CTD Academic Day Camps provide academically advanced concepts in fun yet challenging ways that encourage exploration, creativity, and problem-solving. Experienced instructors build on students' interests and strengths, and guide students as they develop knowledge and skills that they'll take with them long after the course ends.
Why Choose CTD's Academic Day Camps?
CTD courses encourage students to explore topics in depth and at an accelerated pace that matches their readiness to learn. Since CTD focuses on talent development, the best way to choose courses is to consider your student's strengths and to identify course topics that are most interesting to them.
Benefits Include:
- Hands-on, collaborative learning
- Experienced instructors
- Engagement with peers
- Novel topics of high interest
- Engaging projects that promote critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills
For summer courses, students are to apply based on the grade they will enter in Fall 2025.
When you are ready to apply for a course or CTD program, you can do so by creating or logging into your MyCTD account found on the top right corner of this page. Once you have logged into your MyCTD account, please follow the prompts to enter required account information, apply for the course(s) of your choice, and submit additional application materials if necessary.
Please note:
CTD Academic Day Camps for the summer of 2025 are at the Amber (open enrollment) and Emerald Tiers for eligibility. Please see eligibility details for each tier here.
Students in PreK-K classes must be four years old before the start of the course.
The application deadline for each session is one week before the start of the session. E.g. To take a class starting on Monday, July 14th we must have a completed application on Monday, July 7th.
For detailed guidance on the application process, we encourage you to reference the following documents:
Tuition
- One-week half-day course: $395
- One-week all-day course: $750
- One-week mini-camp half-day course (June 30 - July 3): $295
Withdrawals
Please see CTD's withdrawal and refund information for policies.
Financial Aid
CTD offers need-based financial aid awarded as requests are received. Families are encouraged to apply early because the amount of aid available is limited. Please see the Financial Aid page for details.
- The deadline to complete a financial aid application for Summer programming is April 30, 2024.
- You will receive the FACTS application link in your application confirmation email once the $60 dollar tuition deposit is paid and the application is submitted.
- It is imperative that you complete the financial aid application as soon as possible as it may take FACTS up to ten days to process your information.
- If you previously completed a FACTS application for the 2021-2022 academic year for CTD, you must still attach the 2022-2023 FACTS application to your FACTS account. You will be able to link your FACTS account to this new FACTS information. You may need to update financial information.
- If you experience difficulties with the FACTS process please call the FACTS helpline at 866/412-4637.
In CTD Academic Day Camps in the Chicago area, students can spend part of their summer exploring a topic of interest in an enriching, collaborative environment. Through hands-on explorations and projects, they'll have a chance to make connections and learn about topics in new ways. Courses are designed to be up to two academic years beyond their school grade level, which, combined with a faster pace, requires significant focus and persistence. This applies to all courses, including those that are open enrollment. For more information about CTD enrichment courses and how CTD defines "enrichment," please visit this page.
Locations and Times
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Programs offered in:
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Evanston: St. Athanasius School, 2510 Ashland Ave, Evanston, IL 60201
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Chicago: Hawthorne Scholastic Academy, 3319 N Clifton Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
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- Courses at all sites run Monday through Friday.
- AM: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. (PreK - Grade 2, only)
- PM: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (PreK - Grade 2, only)
- All-Day: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Grades 1 - 6)
- *Lunch supervision from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. will be provided for students who are enrolled in all-day programs and students who are enrolled in both an AM and a PM course during a single week. Students bring a sack lunch that does not require refrigeration.
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Partnership with Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, IL
- CTD is proud to once again partner with Avery Coonley School in 2025. Under the umbrella of their summer program, CTD will offer 2-week, half-day courses to students in grades 1-4 during the sessions listed below. Registration and tuition information can be found at the site linked above. Please note that these courses do not include end-of-course student evaluations.
- Session 1 - June 16 - June 27, 2025 (no program on June 19th)
- Session 2 - June 30- July 11, 2025 (no program on July 4th)
- Session 3 - July 14 - July 25, 2025
All students who complete an Academic Day Camps course in Evanston and Chicago receive a brief evaluation that includes comments on the student's performance in class. An email notification will be sent when the evaluation is available for access via MyCTD, usually in early- to mid-September.
The health and safety of our students and staff has always been CTD's top priority. This year is no exception. Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to monitor their students for symptoms of illness prior to each class, keep sick students at home, and get them tested for communicable illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19, and strep throat.
- For questions regarding CTD Academic Day Program and financial aid, please contact:
ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu - For questions about current CTD Academic Day Program enrollments, please contact:
ctd-enrichment@northwestern.edu - For questions about school partnerships, please contact:
ctd-school-services@northwestern.edu
