1 - 2018 - Chicago School Options

CPS 2018-2019 School Calendar

Always an exciting time when CPS releases the next school year calendar. Here are some of the important dates for the 2018-2019 CPS school year:

First Day of School – 9/4/18, Last Day of School – 6/18/19
Academic Quarters – Q1 – 11/1/18, Q2 – 1/31/19, Q3 – 4/4/19, Q4 – 6/18/19
Parent Teacher Conference Days – 11/14/18 (ES), 11/15/18 (HS), 4/10/19 (ES), 4/11/19 (HS)
Winter Vacation – 12/24/18 – 1/4/19, Spring Vacation – 4/15/19 – 4/19/19
School Improvement Days – 11/2/18, 2/1/19, 4/5/19, 6/19/19

Please note: Veterans Day will be observed on Monday, 11/12/18.

http://cps.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/SY18-19Calendar_English.pdf

Filling the Void and Growing the Community

With the retirement of the indispensable and incomparable CPSObsessed blog that helped Chicago families for almost a decade, a sudden panic seized Chicago parents on where they would turn to soothe their obsession of tracking scores, tiers and offers for CPS admissions or learn about changing application processes or hear about new or up and coming schools, etc. While CPSObsessed was the place to visit for all things CPS, many parents were also weighing private school options or wondering about special need supports and a myriad of other school related topics.

Out of this gaping void came the genesis for ChicagoSchoolOptions. This new website aims to be a crowdsourced destination for the next crop of anxious Chicago parents looking for answers. It will only be as useful as those who contribute to the site make it, so please feel free to login and post to the School Forum or email us if you would like to help improve the site, be an editor or contributor (this uses a WordPress platform) or have any advice on increasing the user-friendliness. Currently it is maintained by someone with more passion for the topics than technical savvy about the platform.

We welcome your help to make ChicagoSchoolOptions the “go-to” site for sharing Chicago area school knowledge. From preschool to high school, public and private, general, gifted and special ed, this site is meant to help fellow parents gain a better understanding of all their school related questions. Contact us if you have anything to share and help us grow our community!

CPS High School from Fall 2017: Continuing the Discussion from CPSO

GoCPS is adding features to be a great resource for Chicago families.

For those looking to discuss the 2018-2019 application cycle for CPS High school options, feel free to check out the threads at CPSObsessed- High School Application News Fall 2017 and continue your thoughts either in the comments below or on the School Forum pages.

CPS Elem from Fall 2017: Continuing the Discussion from CPSO

CPS Closed their applications for the 2018-2019 Year on Dec. 22, 2017.

For those looking to discuss the 2018-2019 application cycle for CPS Elementary school options, feel free to check out the threads at CPSObsessed- Fall 2017: Applying to Kindergarten/Elementary School and continue your thoughts either in the comments below or on the School Forum pages.

CPS & Private School Admissions

The annual ritual of applying to Chicago schools for the following fall admissions is almost done. While CPS applications for the 2018-2019 school year closed on Dec. 22, 2017, there are some private schools with applications still open or rolling admissions. CPS is in the thick of their supplemental admissions process, such as administering NWEA MAP and Selective Enrollment testing, info sessions, and auditions, while private schools may still allow for additional screenings (interviews, playdates, shadow days, etc) into the first few months of 2018.

Good luck to everyone on their school search, and please do visit our School Forum pages to learn or post about various Chicago schools. This website thrives on parents helping fellow parents, so the more information provided, the better. Thank you and best wishes for a successful 2018!