Explore our dynamic offerings and choose an experience that will transform your students’ connections with art and the world around them.
Looking to sign up for a student experience? Register today.
Here are a few helpful basics before we dive into the details of visiting during the school year.
Most student visits are free! On-site experiences are free for all Pre-K–8th grade student groups, regardless of residence, and all Chicago and Illinois 9th–12th grade groups. Check pricing for out-of-state high school groups.
You can schedule a guided tour. Our guided on-site experiences are led by educators who engage students in close looking, discussion, and critical thinking about works of art that span time, geography, and culture. Check out the options available for students at various grade levels.
And note bilingual tours (Spanish and English) are available to support Spanish-speaking learners in your classrooms. Our educators have a range of Spanish fluencies representing diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Our approach is to welcome students to contribute and engage in our tours using the language and strategies that are most comfortable for them.
Or, you can schedule a self-guided tour. We offer a range of resources to enrich your visit and pre- and post-visit learning. Take a look at our Tools for Teaching & Learning and reach out to our experienced educators, via the Ask an Educator form, for suggestions on how to design your visit, including recommendations on artworks, exhibitions, and resources.
Or, you can arrange a virtual experience. We bring the art into the classroom—virtually. Students will participate in interactive, inquiry-based experiences that support their creative thinking skills as they develop their own interpretations about works of art that span time, geography, and culture. Bilingual (Spanish and English) virtual experiences are available.
Bus fees can be covered by a scholarship thanks to the generosity of Sara and Kip Kirkpatrick. We are able to offer bus scholarships for Chicago Public Schools and Big Shoulder Fund K–12 schools for up to two buses per museum visit through the Kirkpatrick Transportation Fund. Detailed information, including rules of program participation and the process for booking buses, is provided once a visit is scheduled.
Registration for 2025–2026 student experiences is now open.
Plus, summer youth groups are invited to register for summer programming, June 13–August 31.
Tour Offerings
September 29, 2025–May 29, 2026 Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 10:00–2:00. 60-minute duration Student groups are welcome to continue their exploration through self-guided experiences following their tours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Chaperone ratio:
1 adult per 3 students in a 1st grade general education classroom
1 adult per 5 students in a 2-5th grade general education classroom
1 adult per 10 students in a 6–12th grade general education classroom
Up to 1 adult per student in Inclusive Teaching and Self-Contained Classroom
Art Across Cultures Grades 1–12 Explore objects from across the museum’s vast collection, discovering how artists transmit and respond to their culture through their work. Students engage with 3 artworks that reflect various worldviews and perspectives. Our student-centered strategies support learners to consider their own sense of self and place in the world.
Art + Activism Grades 6–12 Discover how art across time and cultures has promoted change by surfacing issues, communicating perspectives, and posing questions. Students will engage with 3 artworks that reflect various worldviews and perspectives. Our student-centered strategies support learners to explore the choices artists have made to activate audiences and consider how their own art and voice can have an impact.
Art + Access Grades 1–12 and Transition Program Learners use their senses to explore and respond to objects from across the museum’s vast collection. Students engage with 3 artworks using a range of strategies that best support your classroom
This tour is tailored to meet the social-emotional needs of students in inclusive, integrated co-teaching (ICT) or self-contained classrooms. We are able to support multisensory explorations for students with sensory processing disorders, verbal description tours for students who are blind or have low vision, and incorporate touch objects and visual communication tools to support all learners.
Art + History: Chicago Grades 6–12 Explore works of art to consider the multiplicity of ideas, perspective, and stories that are embedded in both art and history. This tour focuses on three works of art that connect to the history of Chicago through themes including migration and immigration; the rich legacy of experimentation and innovation in Chicago art and architecture, and Chicago’s role in the United State’s history.
Art + Literacy Grades 3–5 Build cross-disciplinary literacy skills through close readings of works of art. Students will collect evidence to make inferences about the key ideas and themes of artwork, collaboratively decode and analyze artists’ perspectives, and reflect on their learning through creative response.
This tour is aligned with national arts, reading, and media literacy standards for 3rd–5th grade.
Special Monday Offering: Art Studio Experience Following a guided tour, students can engage in hands-on material exploration and creation in our art studio.
This year, students are invited to explore the art of printmaking by designing their own printing plates inspired by a personal response to their tour theme. Students will be encouraged to iterate on and refine their plates, culminating in a unique series of prints they can take home.
September 3, 2025–June 12, 2026 Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 11:00–2:00; Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00, 1:00, and 2:00.
Chaperone ratio:
1 adult per 3 students in a PreK-1st grade general education classroom
1 adult per 5 students in a 2–5th grade general education classroom
1 adult per 10 students in a 6–12th grade general education classroom
Up to 1 adult per student in Inclusive Teaching and Self-Contained Classrooms
Self-Guided Tour Grades Pre-K–12 and Transition Programs Lead your students through the museum galleries for a unique and participatory experience. Use the museum’s vast array of resources to design an exploration of artworks that connects to your curricular goals.
We offer a range of resources to enrich your visit and pre- and post-visit learning. Take a look at our Tools for Teaching & Learning page and reach out to our experienced educators, via the Ask an Educator form, for suggestions on how to design your visit, including recommendations on artworks, exhibitions, and resources.
October 6, 2025–May 22, 2026 Tuesdays, 9:15–12:00 and flexibly scheduled upon request 60-minute duration including a technology check-in
Chaperone ratio:
1 adult is required per program
Up to 1 adult per student in Inclusive Teaching and Self-Contained Classrooms
Virtual Art across Cultures Grades 2–12 Explore objects from across the museum’s vast collection, discovering how artists transmit and respond to their own culture through their work. Students engage with 2 artworks that reflect various worldviews and perspectives. Our student-centered strategies support learners to consider their own sense of self and place in the world.
Virtual Art + Activism Grades 6–12 Discover how art across time and cultures has promoted change by surfacing issues, communicating perspectives, and posing questions. Students engage with 2 artworks that reflect various worldviews and perspectives. Our student-centered strategies support learners to explore the choices artists have made to activate audiences and consider how their own art and voice can have an impact.
Virtual Art + Access Grades 2–12 and Transition Program Learners use their senses to explore and respond to objects from across the museum’s vast collection. Students engage with 2 artworks using a range of strategies that best support your classroom.
This tour is tailored to meet the social-emotional needs of students in inclusive, integrated co-teaching (ICT), or self-contained classrooms. We are able to support multi-sensory explorations for students with sensory processing disorders, verbal description tours for students who are blind or have low vision, and incorporate touch objects and visual communication tools to support all learners.
Logistical Information
Student experiences are free for:
Chicago and Illinois Pre-K–12th grade student groups
All Pre-K–8th grade student groups, regardless of residence
All requisite adult chaperones receive free admission
Rates for non-Illinois high school groups through June 12, 2026
1–30 students: $250 31–60 students: $500 61–90 students: $750 91–120 students: $1000 121–150 students: $1250 All requisite adult chaperones receive free admission Rate for additional chaperones: $20 for Chicago residents; $27 for Illinois residents; $32 for out of state residents
All student groups should enter at the designated Student Group Entrance at 230 S. Columbus Drive, one block east of Michigan Avenue. Buses may drop off and pick up students at the Student Group Entrance.
We are able to store bags, lunches, and coats for students participating in On-Site Tours and Self-Guided Tours. If you can, please limit the personal belongings brought into the museum and leave items on the bus.
The following items are not permitted in the museum galleries:
Backpacks
Purses larger than 11” x 17”
Food or drink (including gum)
Pens (students are welcome to use pencils)
Wheeled shoes
We have limited lunchroom availability for groups bringing brown bag lunches. Those scheduling classes at the museum can add a lunchtime to their On-Site Tour and Self-Guided Tour during the booking process. We recommend that groups enjoy their lunches in nearby Millennium Park whenever weather allows.
These resources are for anyone who would benefit from knowing what to expect in advance of their student group museum visit. Download a copy of our social narratives below.
K–12 Chicago Public Schools and Big Shoulder Fund schools are eligible to receive funding for up to 2 buses per museum visit—thanks to the generosity of Sara and Kip Kirkpatrick. Longtime supporters of the arts and education, the Kirkpatricks believe access is key to helping students thrive in a complex world. The Kirkpatrick Transportation Fund helps remove transportation costs as a barrier to museum tour participation.
Additional details about the Kirkpatrick Transportation Scholarship, including program guidelines and the booking process, will be provided once your field trip is scheduled.
We advise all participants to bring as few personal items as possible for a more efficient entry. The museum is able to store belongings like jackets, backpacks, sack lunches, etc. More information on the museum’s security screening devices can be found here. Please review the museum’s list of prohibited items.
Students from Chicago Public Schools and Big Shoulder Fund Schools who attend K–12 Student Experiences receive Free Family Passes to the Art Institute of Chicago. This pass admits all Chicago kids and teens under 18 and up to four accompanying adults.
The Art Institute of Chicago always provides free access to children under 14, Chicago teens under 18, Link and WIC cardholders, and Illinois educators every day, as well as Illinois residents on selected dates throughout the year. Learn more about free admission opportunities.
Add your email to this Google Form to receive our school programs e-newsletter and get up-to-date information about student tours and any new resources. For more information on teaching resources currently available through our website, please visit our Educator page.
Questions about K–12 Student Experiences? Contact us at [email protected].
Sponsors
Museum admission is free for Chicago teens under the age of 18, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Glenn and Claire Swogger and the Redbud Foundation.
Lead support for transportation scholarships to the Ryan Learning Center is provided by Sara and Kip Kirkpatrick. K–12 student programming at the Art Institute is supported by an anonymous donor.
Major support for education at the Art Institute is provided by the James and Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation, Nancy R. Levi, Cari and Michael J. Sacks, Elissa Efroymson and Adnaan Hamid, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, an anonymous donor, and The Barker Welfare Foundation.
Additional support is provided by the Burt Family Foundation, Dancing Skies Foundation, Dr. Scholl Foundation, Charles and M. R. Shapiro Foundation, and The Siragusa Family Foundation.
BMO is the Corporate Sponsor of Chicago Public Schools Engagement at the Art Institute of Chicago.
