Math Circles of Chicago makes the opportunity to do rich, exciting math equitable and accessible for young people in Chicago so that every student can unlock their full potential.
A fun engaging enrichment program to foster your students love of math.
Math Circles of Chicago offers engaging, flexible, and free math programs to students in grades 3–12. We focus on reaching Black and Latino communities and other communities where most children live in low-income households. In Chicago, the gap between safe, empowering math enrichment opportunities offered to white and affluent students and those provided to students of color and students from households with low incomes is wide. We must come together as a city to ensure every student in Chicago has the opportunity to explore, create, and learn to love math. Math Circles of Chicago in Chicago, IL, can be reached at info@mathcirclesofchicago.org.
What is a Math Circle?
All of our programs center around a Math Circle, a group of students who get together (along with a skilled teacher) to do challenging, engaging, and relevant math activities.
The benefits of a Math Circle extend far beyond the actual meeting time and place. Our programs:
Engage children in advanced math concepts.
Encourage independent thinking and problem-solving.
Guide students in creative applications of math to different subjects and areas of life
Nurture their interests in a safe, empowering environment.
Foster self-confidence, group collaboration, and a sense of community
Build perseverance and resilience.
Increase students’ enjoyment and passion for math.
Expand opportunities for students’ academic growth, education, and career journey.
Our Programs
IN-PERSON HUBS
IN-PERSON HUBS
Math Circles meet during the academic year at various Chicago schools and the University of Chicago. Students do not need to attend the school where the Hub takes place to participate. Hubs meet roughly two out of every three weeks, either late afternoon, early evening, or on Saturdays. See our Locations page
for details.
COLLEGE PATHWAYS
COLLEGE PATHWAYS
MC2 is adding support and additional programming for high schoolers seeking to study math and related majors in college. 9th to 12th graders will see more opportunities for paid assistantships in our middle school classrooms, support to attend summer math camps in Chicago and around the country, college scholarships, and more!
FESTIVALS
FESTIVALS
MC2 holds large public math festivals throughout the year in a variety of spaces, like Chicago Public Libraries. Our festival each May at Payton High School is our biggest. We also support schools in holding their own festivals, possibly as part of another event like a back-to-school night. Schools and organizations that would like to co-host a festival with MC2 should complete our Teacher Inquiry Form
SUMMER CAMPS
SUMMER CAMPS
Our summer camps run half-day for two weeks in July. Like all of our programs, students engage in hands-on, collaborative math activities emphasizing community and creativity—often outdoors. More information about summer sites, dates, times, and grade levels served can be found on our Locations page.
QED: CHICAGO'S YOUTH MATH SYMPOSIUM
QED: CHICAGO'S YOUTH MATH SYMPOSIUM
QED
is MC2's biggest annual event. Students present their original math research to pairs of highly qualified judges. MC2 will also help you get started—complete our QED Student Support Form, and you'll get information about our workshops and possibly be assigned a QED mentor.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Math Circles meet regularly at middle schools during or after the school day throughout the academic year. These sessions are led by CPS teachers for their own students, and students participate at the same location where they spend their school day. Instructors interested in leading such a program should complete our Teacher Interest Form.
IN-PERSON HUBS
IN-PERSON HUBS
Math Circles meet during the academic year at various Chicago schools and the University of Chicago. Students do not need to attend the school where the Hub takes place to participate. Hubs meet roughly two out of every three weeks either late afternoon, early evening, or on Saturdays. See our Locations page
for details.
ONLINE HUBS
ONLINE HUBS
Like our In-Person Hubs, our online programs are open to students from anywhere and meet during the academic year. We prioritize CPS students, but all are welcome if there is space. We keep the student-teacher ratio to 4:1 to keep everyone engaged! Our locations.
page has meeting dates for these programs.
FESTIVALS
FESTIVALS
MC2 holds large public math festivals throughout the year at Chicago Public Libraries, and our festival each May at Payton HS is our biggest. We also support schools in holding their own festivals, possibly part of another event like a back to school night. Schools and organizations that would like to co-host a festival with MC2 should complete our General Interest Form
SUMMER CAMPS
SUMMER CAMPS
Our summer camps run half-day for two weeks in July. Like all of our programs, students engage in hands-on, collaborative math activities emphasizing community and creativity--frequently outdoors. More information about summer sites, dates, times, and grade levels served can be found on our Locations page.
QED: CHICAGO'S YOUTH MATH SYMPOSIUM
QED: CHICAGO'S YOUTH MATH SYMPOSIUM
QED
is MC2's biggest annual event. Students present their original math research to pairs of highly qualified judges. MC2 will also help you get started--complete our QED Student Support Form [link--and form needs to be created!] and you'll get information about our workshops, and possibly be assigned a QED mentor.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Math Circles meet regularly at middle schools during or after the school day throughout the academic year. These sessions are led by CPS teachers for their own students, and students participate at the same location where they spend their school day. Instructors interested in leading such a program should complete our Teacher Interest Form.
COMMUNITY CENTERS
COMMUNITY CENTERS
Math Circles meet regularly at community centers. Currently we partner with Sunshine Gospel Ministries and Gads Hill Center to provide weekly math enrichment. We expect to add one community center to our programming each year. Leaders of interested organizations should complete our General Interest Form.
SHELTERS
SHELTERS
Math Circles meet regularly at shelters for homelessness and domestic violence. We collaborate with our partner, Chicago Hopes for Kids
, to hold small math circles for a wide age range. These sessions are led by teachers and community members with an interest in serving this part of our community--complete our Teacher Interest Form
if you'd like to learn more.
STEM PARTNERS
STEM PARTNERS
MC2 also partners with sister STEM programs to support math circles in STEM. We have an established relationship with MAPSCorps [link], a program that works with area high school students and undergraduates to investigate vital issues in their neighborhoods through community data asset mapping. Undergraduates, graduate students, and community members with an interest in statistics and data visualization should complete our Teacher Inquiry Form.
IN-PERSON HUBS
IN-PERSON HUBS
Math Circles meet during the academic year at various Chicago schools and the University of Chicago. Students do not need to attend the school where the Hub takes place to participate. Hubs meet roughly two out of every three weeks either late afternoon, early evening, or on Saturdays. See our Locations page
for details.
ONLINE HUBS
ONLINE HUBS
Like our In-Person Hubs, our online programs are open to students from anywhere and meet during the academic year. We prioritize CPS students, but all are welcome if there is space. We keep the student-teacher ratio to 4:1 to keep everyone engaged! Our Locations page has meeting dates for these programs.
FESTIVALS
FESTIVALS
MC2 holds large public math festivals throughout the year at Chicago Public Libraries, and our festival each May at Payton HS is our biggest. We also support schools in holding their own festivals, possibly part of another event like a back to school night. Schools and organizations that would like to co-host a festival with MC2 should complete our General Interest Form
SUMMER CAMPS
SUMMER CAMPS
Our summer camps run half-day for two weeks in July. Like all of our programs, students engage in hands-on, collaborative math activities emphasizing community and creativity--frequently outdoors. More information about summer sites, dates, times, and grade levels served can be found on our Locations page.
QED: CHICAGO'S YOUTH MATH SYMPOSIUM
QED: CHICAGO'S YOUTH MATH SYMPOSIUM
QED
is MC2's biggest annual event. Students present their original math research to pairs of highly qualified judges. MC2 will also help you get started--complete our QED Student Support Form [link--and form needs to be created!] and you'll get information about our workshops, and possibly be assigned a QED mentor.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Math Circles meet regularly at middle schools during or after the school day throughout the academic year. These sessions are led by CPS teachers for their own students, and students participate at the same location where they spend their school day. Instructors interested in leading such a program should complete our Teacher Interest Form.
COMMUNITY CENTERS
COMMUNITY CENTERS
Math Circles meet regularly at community centers. Currently we partner with Sunshine Gospel Ministries and Gads Hill Center to provide weekly math enrichment. We expect to add one community center to our programming each year. Leaders of interested organizations should complete our General Interest Form.
SHELTERS
SHELTERS
Math Circles meet regularly at shelters for homelessness and domestic violence. We collaborate with our partner, Chicago Hopes for Kids
, to hold small math circles for a wide age range. These sessions are led by teachers and community members with an interest in serving this part of our community--complete our Teacher Interest Form
if you'd like to learn more.
STEM PARTNERS
STEM PARTNERS
MC2 also partners with sister STEM programs to support math circles in STEM. We have an established relationship with MAPSCorps [link], a program that works with area high school students and undergraduates to investigate vital issues in their neighborhoods through community data asset mapping. Undergraduates, graduate students, and community members with an interest in statistics and data visualization should complete our Teacher Inquiry Form.
Our Impact
14,567
Chicago students have participated in MC2 programs since 2012.
64%
of MC2 students live in underserved communities.
82%
of students say MC2 made them more interested in math.
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501(c)3 Non-Profit #EIN 45-2071512
