Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry gives Illinois teachers (Pre-K through 12th grade) one free general admission, and the pricing page that lists the offer adds one free ticket to Anne Frank The Exhibition. It’s an Illinois offer: the teacher lines on the museum’s pricing, FAQ, educators and field trips pages are all worded for Illinois teachers.
If you teach in Illinois, your own ticket is free, whether you’re walking the halls to scout a class trip or spending a weekend there with your family. The FAQ words it as free admission “for themselves,” so the free ticket is yours alone. The museum goes by Griffin MSI on its own pages now, and the old msichicago.org address opens that same site.
How To Get The Museum of Science and Industry Teacher Discount
The pricing page lists Illinois teachers (Pre-K through 12th grade) among the people who can use the museum’s online request form, or show valid occupational or military status I.D. in person at Museum ticket counters, to receive one free General Admission. If you ask online, the page says you’ll be emailed instructions on redeeming the offer.
The counter route is described in teacher terms elsewhere. The educators page says Illinois teachers can visit for free every day just by showing an educator ID card, and the field trips page says Illinois teachers receive free General Admission by showing an educator ID at the ticket counter. The FAQ gives the same two routes, the online request form or an I.D. at a ticket counter.
What’s Included And What Isn’t
The offer is one free General Admission and, thanks to the museum’s sponsors, one free Anne Frank The Exhibition ticket. The page doesn’t say how long the Anne Frank part will run, so look at the pricing page before you count on it.
The same page says offers of free General Admission do not include parking, the Giant Dome Theater or other special exhibitions or tours that require a ticket purchase. If you want a tour or a film, plan to pay for it separately.
If You Teach Outside Illinois
Every teacher line we found says Illinois teachers. For school groups, the field trips page says General Admission is free for Illinois Pre-K-12 schools and discounted for out-of-state schools, so a class from another state has a school rate to ask about. We didn’t find an offer for a teacher from another state visiting alone.
Bringing A Class
The field trips page says one chaperone per 10 students in grades 4 through 12, and one chaperone per five students in grades K through 3, is admitted free. The pricing page adds that Illinois school groups on registered field trips, as well as Illinois homeschool groups and families, receive free General Admission. If the cost of a bus is what keeps a class home, the field trips page also says the museum offers bus assistance to high-needs schools.
One tip on that page is written for you: it suggests visiting the museum before you bring your students, and it names free teacher admission as the way to do it. The Education team also runs a workshop for teachers called Field Trip Flip.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The pages say Illinois teachers (Pre-K through 12th grade) and don’t define it further, so we can’t tell you whether private school teachers count or whether it’s where you live or where you teach that matters. The pricing page asks for valid occupational or military status I.D., and the educators page says an educator ID card, so we can’t say whether a school badge alone is enough. Bring the badge and a photo I.D., and ask at the counter if there’s a question.
We couldn’t read what the online request form asks you to enter, so check it before you start. The pages give no end date for the teacher offer or for the Anne Frank ticket.
Q&A
Is the Museum of Science and Industry teacher discount only for Illinois teachers?
The pricing page, the FAQ, the educators page and the field trips page all say Illinois teachers, and the pricing page and FAQ add Pre-K through 12th grade. None of them mentions teachers from other states.
Is it a discount or free entry?
Free. The pricing page says one free General Admission, and the FAQ says it’s for the teacher themselves.
What do I bring to the ticket counter?
The pricing page says valid occupational or military status I.D. The educators page says an educator ID card, and the field trips page says an educator ID.
Does it cover parking or the Giant Dome Theater?
No. The pricing page says free General Admission doesn’t include parking, the Giant Dome Theater or other special exhibitions or tours that require a ticket purchase.
Do my students get in free too?
Illinois school groups on registered field trips receive free General Admission, per the pricing page, and the field trips page lists the chaperone ratios above. Out-of-state schools get a discounted rate.
Is there a teacher membership discount?
We didn’t find one. The membership page lists membership levels without mentioning teachers, and the educators page offers an educator newsletter sign-up.
More Information:
The details above come from the museum’s own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
