Northwestern University Settlement House has operated community programs in arts, education, and social services in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood for more than 130 years. In 2008, the Chicago-based Renaissance Schools Fund helped facilitate a partnership between Northwestern Settlement and Bain & Company, a global business and financial consulting firm with a deep interest in actively participating in public education reform. The two organizations joined forces to create a new contract grammar school campus based on intensive research and national best practices.

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In 2009, the John Rowe family and Exelon Corporation joined the team, adding to the financial and operational strength of the newly named Rowe Elementary School, which opened at the Cleaver Avenue location. In 2014, Rowe expanded to the Middle School building on Augusta Boulevard for grades 6-8. Today, Rowe scholars attend some of the most elite high schools in Chicago, including Walter Payton, Whitney Young, Lane Tech, Jones, and St. Ignatius.