If your family is anticipating a waitlist offer from CPS preschools, elementary or 9th grade spots, CPS has shared that they will update waitlists throughout the next few months until the 20th day of school for Selective Enrollment (test-based) programs and until January 2026 for Choice (lottery based) programs. PK3 and PK4 programs will have a color coded indicator of whether programs have immediate availability, limited availability, or if they are almost full. Because all CPS based application programs required families to put their school choices in order from most preferred to least preferred, CPS is now able to provide waitlist numbers (highlighted in yellow on the EnrollWise portal) to families who were not offered a selective enrollment seat or who were not offered their more preferred Choice or preschool seats.
Waitlist numbers can go up or down depending on scores for selective enrollment or depending on selection priorities (special needs, siblings, etc) for Choice or preschool options. Waitlists will move 2x per week for high school and elementary, and will be in “real time” for preschool. Kindergarten through 9th grade waitlist offers will go out by 10am Tuesdays and Fridays and expire within 2 business days on Thursdays and Mondays at 11:59pm, respectively.
Detailed “post offer” steps and information can be found on the following links:
9th Grade GoCPS Spring 2025 Slidedeck (Rolling Waitlist) (click here for the Zoom recording)
K-8th Grade GoCPS Spring 2025 Slidedeck (Rolling Waitlist) (click here for the Zoom recording)
