Located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, the school is based on the progressive education philosophies of John Dewey and Colonel Francis Wayland Parker, emphasizing community and citizenship.

[6] In 1899, Anita McCormick Blaine, interested in the unconventional education philosophy of Francis Wayland Parker, convinced him to establish an independent school in Chicago's North Side with her financial backing.

[14] Many notable figures have spoken at Parker during the school's tri-weekly assemblies known as "Morning Exercise," including Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, and John Lewis.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Camille Paglia, and Ta-Nehisi Coates have all spoken at Parker's Heller Auditorium for the festival.

[20][21] The school considers it part of their mission to allow pupils to emerge "as student leaders in this challenging subject.