Aqsa_School Knowpia

Aqsa School (Arabic: مدرسة الأقصی) is an Islamic day school in Bridgeview, Illinois, in the Chicago metropolitan area. As of 2016^[update] the principal is Tammie Ismail.^[1]

The school has elementary, junior high, and high school levels.^[2] The elementary is coeducational while the later stages are all-girls'.^[3]

Aqsa School is not affiliated with the nearby Universal School.^[4]

History edit

The middle and high school opened in 1986 and the elementary division opened after its standalone school building opened in 1996.^[3]

In 2016 Sudanese American teacher Laila El-Amin, who headed the Arabic and religion departments of Aqsa School, received the Golden Apple award.^[5]

Most students are of Arab heritage, and those of Palestinian heritage are the largest Arab subgroup.^[3]

Other Arab-American groups include Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Libyan, and Syrian backgrounds. There are also students of European origin, including those of Albanian, Italian, and Turkish backgrounds. The school has South Asian-origin students; including those of Bangladeshi, Indian, Kashmiri, and Pakistani origins; and Southeast Asian-origin students, including those from the Philippines. In addition there are African-American and Hispanic and Latino students.^[3]

In terms of race most students are designated as White American,^[3] as Arab Americans are racially classified as "White".^[6]

The 6th and 9th grades see influxes of students who transfer from other schools.

^ Koeske, Zack (2016-11-10). "Local Muslims surprised, disappointed by Trump victory". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
^ "FAQs." Aqsa School. Retrieved on January 18, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Aqsa School" (Archive, Archive #2). AdvanceED. p. 4. Retrieved on January 18, 2017.
^ Riedel, Barnaby B. "Universal Particularism: Making an Ethical Islamic School in Chicago" (Chapter 5). In: Minow, Martha, Richard A. Shweder, and Hazel Rose Markus (editors). Just Schools: Pursuing Equality in Societies of Difference. Russell Sage Foundation, April 22, 2008. ISBN 1610447263, 9781610447263. Start: p. 132. CITED: p. 161.
^ Koeske, Zack (2016-04-12). "Aqsa School teacher first Islamic school educator to receive Golden Apple Award". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
^ Alsharif, Mirna; Tensley, Brandon (2022-04-28). "Why Arabs and Arab Americans feel being counted as White in the US doesn't reflect their reality". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-18.