The campus occupies 10.45 acres (4.23 ha) off of Maple Avenue in Downers Grove.
It borders the Maple Grove Forest Preserve, created in 1919, one of the oldest forest preserves in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County system.
The 82-acre (33 ha) preserve protects "the largest remaining remnant of the vast maple forest that became Downers Grove", and has been categorized a globally endangered ecosystem.
Its black maple and upland sugar maple communities are host to many threatened and endangered plant species, and bloom with trillium, trout lilies, violets, buttercups, and wild geraniums in the spring.
The forest is a refuge for a wide range of birds, including Great Horned Owls and several species of hawks, as well as a stopover for several species of migratory birds, including the Indigo Bunting, which nests there during the warm breeding season and migrates south by night in the winter.
A 1.1-mile (1.8 km) hiking trail winds through the preserve, crossing a small creek and passing a nearby pond.
The preserve is used by students in their science and nature activities.

The designer of the grounds, Jens Jensen, was known as the "dean of the world's landscape architects", and "the father of the Chicago park system", for his creation of Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, the Cook County Forest Preserves, and his masterpiece, Columbus Park, in Chicago.
Jensen's work became famous for his exclusive use of plants and materials native to the local region, and was characterized by his use of open spaces, flowing water, gently curving lines, and "council rings", or low circular benches where people can gather.
All of these features are evident on the Avery Coonley campus, which makes use of wholly natural settings in lieu of formal gardens.
The original landscaping was largely forgotten over the years and poorly maintained.
A complete restoration of Jensen's landscape design was completed in 2006 as part of the ACS centennial celebration.

The building was designed by Coonley's son-in-law Waldron Faulkner, who, with his son (also an architect) Avery Coonley Faulkner, later became significant contributors to the design of George Washington University and American University in Washington, D.C. The design ties the building to the land in the style of the Prairie School, at the same time employing the handcrafted features and human scale typical of the American Arts and Crafts (or American Craftsman) style.
The easy access to the outdoors, ground floor classrooms, separate science laboratories, and planned outdoor play area are among the features of the design that would later be adopted by schools throughout the US after World War II.

The building surrounds a courtyard with a large reflecting pool.
The classrooms are oriented outward, to provide views of the surrounding forest.
There are no interior passages in this part of the building; each class area has an exit to the outside, and students pass between rooms via the covered cloister, even in inclement weather.
The design is meant to reinforce the "home and school" atmosphere that dates back to the Cottage School, with child-sized classrooms, ten working fireplaces, draperies, and other home-like details.

Decorative tiles designed by Henry Chapman Mercer—one of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the U.S.—are placed throughout the building.
These tiles (known as Moravian tiles after Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works) feature deep colors and a handmade appearance that complement the simple brick buildings.
The tiles on the fireplaces and entry floors boast patterns in literary and educational themes, such as The Canterbury Tales in the old library.
A large, tripartite tile mural on the north wall of the courtyard, also by Mercer, depicts the eastern and western hemispheres united by a ship on an allegorical journey of education.

In 1970, exploring new designs in school furniture, the Institute for Educational Research worked with the Design Department of Southern Illinois University to create a series of interconnected truncated octahedrons known as "le
The campus occupies 10.45 acres (4.23 ha) off of Maple Avenue in Downers Grove. It borders the Maple Grove Forest Preserve, created in 1919, one of the oldest forest preserves in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County system. The 82-acre (33 ha) preserve protects "the largest remaining remnant of the vast maple forest that became Downers Grove", and has been categorized a globally endangered ecosystem. Its black maple and upland sugar maple communities are host to many threatened and endangered plant species, and bloom with trillium, trout lilies, violets, buttercups, and wild geraniums in the spring. The forest is a refuge for a wide range of birds, including Great Horned Owls and several species of hawks, as well as a stopover for several species of migratory birds, including the Indigo Bunting, which nests there during the warm breeding season and migrates south by night in the winter. A 1.1-mile (1.8 km) hiking trail winds through the preserve, crossing a small creek and passing a nearby pond. The preserve is used by students in their science and nature activities.
The designer of the grounds, Jens Jensen, was known as the "dean of the world's landscape architects", and "the father of the Chicago park system", for his creation of Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, the Cook County Forest Preserves, and his masterpiece, Columbus Park, in Chicago. Jensen's work became famous for his exclusive use of plants and materials native to the local region, and was characterized by his use of open spaces, flowing water, gently curving lines, and "council rings", or low circular benches where people can gather. All of these features are evident on the Avery Coonley campus, which makes use of wholly natural settings in lieu of formal gardens. The original landscaping was largely forgotten over the years and poorly maintained. A complete restoration of Jensen's landscape design was completed in 2006 as part of the ACS centennial celebration.
The building was designed by Coonley's son-in-law Waldron Faulkner, who, with his son (also an architect) Avery Coonley Faulkner, later became significant contributors to the design of George Washington University and American University in Washington, D.C. The design ties the building to the land in the style of the Prairie School, at the same time employing the handcrafted features and human scale typical of the American Arts and Crafts (or American Craftsman) style. The easy access to the outdoors, ground floor classrooms, separate science laboratories, and planned outdoor play area are among the features of the design that would later be adopted by schools throughout the US after World War II.
The building surrounds a courtyard with a large reflecting pool. The classrooms are oriented outward, to provide views of the surrounding forest. There are no interior passages in this part of the building; each class area has an exit to the outside, and students pass between rooms via the covered cloister, even in inclement weather. The design is meant to reinforce the "home and school" atmosphere that dates back to the Cottage School, with child-sized classrooms, ten working fireplaces, draperies, and other home-like details.
Decorative tiles designed by Henry Chapman Mercer—one of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the U.S.—are placed throughout the building. These tiles (known as Moravian tiles after Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works) feature deep colors and a handmade appearance that complement the simple brick buildings. The tiles on the fireplaces and entry floors boast patterns in literary and educational themes, such as The Canterbury Tales in the old library. A large, tripartite tile mural on the north wall of the courtyard, also by Mercer, depicts the eastern and western hemispheres united by a ship on an allegorical journey of education.
In 1970, exploring new designs in school furniture, the Institute for Educational Research worked with the Design Department of Southern Illinois University to create a series of interconnected truncated octahedrons known as "le
Avery Coonley School