All SY 24-25 CPS preschool seats are a part of the Chicago Early Learning application process.
APRIL 9, 2024 – Application Period Opens
APRIL 30, 2024 – Application Period Closes
MAY 21, 2024 – Initial Offers Released
May 22, 2024 – Live Selections Opens
From Chicago Early Learning: During this initial enrollment window, families will be able to submit early applications to help increase their chances of getting into competitive early education programs across the city. Completing the application will begin the enrollment process for their child’s early education enrollment for the 2024–2025 school year at all CPS Pre-K programs and city-funded Community-Based Preschool and Early Learning programs.
The December 14, 2023 announcement by the Chicago Board of Education regarding Mayor Johnson’s plan to prioritize neighborhood schools and reduce reliance on selective enrollment and magnet programs has caused worry among parents wondering what it could mean to their family’s school options.
We know that there are concerns around school choice, and we want to be clear: this resolution outlines the Board’s parameters and values as we draft the District’s goals and objectives for the next five years. This resolution is not a vote to close selective enrollment, magnet, or charter schools. This resolution is about ensuring high-quality pre-k–12 pathways in neighborhood schools, prioritizing our most under-resourced communities. To read the full resolution, visit the Board website.
WBEZ attempted to tamp down parent speculation by emphasizing that CPS did not make any changes to the current process for families, and is outlining a goal but any change would need to be voted on by the school board, which will be changing in November 2024: WBEZ Article from 12/21/23
Bottom line: SEHS, SEES & Magnet schools aren’t necessarily going away but resources may shift away from them and more to neighborhood schools. Neighborhood schools house most of the IB (international baccalaureate) programs, many fine & performing arts programs, many dual language programs, etc. Increasing support for those specialty programs housed in neighborhood schools will benefit a greater number and broader range of students. Free Universal PK for all 4 year olds has also served to introduce more families to neighborhood schools throughout Chicago. Strengthening offerings at neighborhood schools can serve to release pressure on parents trying for the limited seats at selective enrollment and magnet programs.
Because there are so many schools, programs and options for schooling in Chicago, parents who apply to multiple programs may receive more than one offer. Because a student can only attend one school at a time, there actually can be a lot of movement in program availability throughout the summer and into the new school year. Both public (CPS) and private (parochial and independent) schools fill those changing seats by utilizing waitlists before school starts, and sometimes into the new school year.
For private schools, an unfilled seat is a missed tuition and similarly, each student at a public school comes with a per pupil funding amount (until the 20th day of school). Families can add or remove a student from a waitlist if desired during the Rolling Admission cycle.
Preschool (PK3 or PK4): Chicago Early Learning students can get up to one offer out of 5 ranked choices and will be waitlisted for any higher ranked schools they did not qualify for.
Elementary (K-8th grade): CPS applicants can get multiple offers at various Choice (non test-based, non-selective) programs in addition to up to one SEES (test-based, selective enrollment) offer, in addition to a guaranteed neighborhood K-8th grade seat.
For CPS 9th graders (high school), students can get up to one offer each for SEHS and Choice programs as well as a guaranteed neighborhood 9th-12th grade seat.
Private school applicants can get offers for multiple schools at once, too, but a student can only attend one school at a time. Therefore, public and private waitlist movement happens throughout late Spring into Summer and even Fall.
All CPS preschool, elementary, and 9th grade high school programs are using a rolling waitlist system as of late May 2023.
CPS’s new rolling waitlist is meant to simplify what was once a separate transfer process for K-9th grade as well as a separate late application. All CPS applicants can view their GoCPS portal to see which remaining programs have immediate seats to accept (green), which have an open waitlist to join (yellow), and which are full or have a low likelihood of an offer (red). Your student will only be shown programs they are eligible to receive an offer for based on whether they participated in any required admissions screenings and if they met the threshold.
Original waitlists are those programs that you applied to in the Initial Application Process (was open from 9/21/22-12/8/22) and if an offer was not received, students either were automatically waitlisted for any programs that were listed above their offer (for ranked applications such as preschool, selective enrollment or high school) or they can be on multiple, independent waitlists for K-8th grade Choice programs. More info HERE.
Rolling waitlists (updated nightly) will run through the summer into the 20th day of the new school year for Selective Enrollment (SE) programs, through January 2024 for K-9th grade Choice programs, and until Spring 2024 for Preschool programs. You can only be on a Selective Enrollment waitlist if you have not accepted any SE offer, and you can remain on the waitlists for up to 20 Choice K-9th grade programs. Applicants can choose to remove schools from a waitlist if they are no longer interested or can add themselves to a waitlist if desired. Waitlists will re-sort every evening and those based on a point system can cause a student’s waitlist position to go up or down depending on the scores of new waitlist students. Slidedeck about Offer/Waitlists HERE and more info on rolling waitlists HERE.
Because CPS is funded on a per pupil spending model and their budgeting is set by the 20th day of school, most waitlist movement is seen at the end of the summer, just before school starts. Neighborhood & magnet cluster schools typically refrain from calling waitlist families until close to the start of school (Aug 21) and that can affect all other waitlists as well. Families should be ready to accept or decline a spot within 2 business days from receiving a call.
Families may need to stay patient, but much movement happens toward the end of the summer as public & private waitlists become more active at that time. Good luck to all families and don’t be surprised if your child is offered a spot at the start of the school year.
Families of 3 and 4 year olds by Sept 1st: The citywide application opens April 11, 2023 for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Explore your options for CPS Pre-K programs and Community-Based programs, including Head Start and Early Start programs! Universal Free Pre-K for all 4 year olds is included, as are Suder, Drummond & Inter-American CPS Magnet schools. Families will have a few weeks to apply during the priority application window and then real time availability will be shown via a rolling waitlist. Families should rank their top choices and will be offered the highest ranked program for which they qualify. Visit Chicago Early Learning
A parent’s school search typically starts by sitting down at the computer and typing in “Best Elementary/High Schools” in your area. The results are populated with hits from sources such as GreatSchools, Niche, Schooldigger or School Sparrow, but what do these results mean, and should parents just add the #1 school to their list while ignoring the other schools closer or more familiar to them? How reliable are the ratings and how should a parent use them?
The fact of the matter is that school ratings and rankings are a very messy, very inexact method to quantify schools. Because they are summarized in a “number” or “grade” or listed in a “ranking order”, parents tend to put undue emphasis on ratings/rankings yet aren’t aware of what is being measured. While test scores are typically the largest component to rankings, “School Fit” is much more than test performance and is ultimately a very personal matter that can even vary within a family from child to child. What truly qualifies as “best” for one family may not be well suited to another. While it is understandable that parents need some metric to start with, the metrics used can be skewed, out of date, or not reflective of the cohort your family will be entering the school with.
Common misunderstandings of rankings:
Ratings typically put the greatest emphasis on test scores, so better resourced families often have higher test scores and those family resources continue to benefit their children throughout their education
Ratings/rankings are not set in stone and can change as demographics in a school changes
Ratings typically reflect 3rd to 8th grade, so younger families should be wary of looking at metrics that may include a very different demographic than the one their family will be in school with
Ratings often lump in all programs within a school, so those with a higher population of students with learning needs may still be a great or even better option for your student but the “rankings” may not reflect the level of supports
Schools can and do change and schools in gentrifying areas may have more resources added to the school by the time your family will be attending
Using rankings and ratings to be the first or only metric in choosing a school can also serve to negatively suppress positive changes at a school. Instead, we highly recommend that families tour their local school or those near them as well as talk to families with children their age who may have older siblings at the school. Reaching out to a school’s parent group or attending local school council (LSC) meetings is also a great way to get the “real time” scoop on a school.
It is somewhat pre-ordaining to use rankings to choose a school because if test scores are a big factor in ratings/rankings, then children who have advantages and resources from birth are certainly going to test better overall and the schools near them will reap the benefits of well resourced students and parents. While new parents may be more swayed by rankings, eventually parents come to realize that academics alone are not a single trait to look for in a school and social emotional factors as well as culture, climate and community are just as impactful yet are hard to capture in objective metrics because they are inherently more subjective. School visits can be invaluable to dispel pre-conceptions or help a family picture themselves in a school, but people gravitate toward or crave the easier route of following rankings.
Parents who blindly follow blanket rankings/ratings may well pass up a school their student could grow and thrive at in favor of one that a 3rd party metric says is 10 spots “above” the other school yet that family needs to drive across town to attend. In the end there may not be any marked difference in outcome for their particular child attending one or the other, but the lifestyle impact is can be much greater at the farther school. One school’s overall scores may be lower because it serves a broader range of backgrounds or has more special needs students, but that doesn’t mean your child’s success can happen only from one and not the other. What your child can achieve and what they score on an exam does NOT have to be the “average” number. Ultimately, the greatest arbiter of student success is parent involvement in their children’s lives beyond one school over another school, public or private, city or suburbs.
All CPS Preschool programs will now apply via the Spring Chicago Early Learning website. Families looking to apply to Suder & Drummond CPS Montessori Magnet programs for PK3 & PK4 will need to wait until Spring 2023 to apply via the Chicago Early Learning site. This was not “announced” so much as “revealed” when the GoCPS application opened on Sept 21 and families could not apply to either school’s preschool programs through the main GoCPS elementary application. Look for more info this Spring. You can still apply for their K-8th grade seats via GoCPS.
September 14th, 2022 – Application Period Opens December 2nd, 2022- – Application Period Closes TBD- Results Released TBD- Accept/Decline Deadline TBD- Waitlist Process Opens 2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED- Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
September 14th, 2022- Application Period Opens October 26th, 2022- CPS High School Admissions Exam for CPS Students 11/5-6, 11/12-13 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for Non-CPS Students December 2nd, 2022- Application Period Closes TBD- Results Released TBD- Principal Discretion Process Opens TBD- Accept/Decline Deadline TBD- Principal Discretion Application Closes TBD- Waitlist Process Opens 2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED- Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline TBD- Principal Discretion Results Released
If your child will be 4 by Sept 1, 2022, then get ready to apply to FREE Universal PreK at ChicagoEarlyLearning.org starting at 9am on 4/19/22. Parents can choose up to 5 program sites. (Families of 3 year olds can also apply but these programs are mostly hosted by community based organizations and not housed in schools.) The application will be open for an Initial Application Period until mid-May. Then a single offer notification will be sent to parents upon which they can decide to accept or reject the offer. Families will stay on a waitlist for any program they listed higher than the one they were offered. Families who did not participate in the Initial Application Period can apply on a rolling basis starting mid-May.
Up to 5 program sites must be ranked in order of preference
Families will receive a single offer only
Placement based on priority points for need, siblings, neighborhood & proximity
4 y.o. programs hosted mostly at CPS sites, 3 y.o. programs at community sites
No more tuition based preschool, all programs free or minimal fee by income
Most programs are Full day (7 hr/day) and follow the CPS calendar (see below)
Students at a 4 y.o. site may be given priority for Kindergarten via GoCPS app
Families interested in Chicago Public School programs for 3 year olds through 9th grade for the 2022-2023 school year must submit applications by 5pm on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021 at https://cps.schoolmint.com/login.
If your child will be 3 by Sept 1, 2022, then they can submit a CHOICE (lottery based) application for Drummond & Suder.
If your child will be 4 by Sept 1, 2022, then they can submit a CHOICE (lottery based) application for Inter-American.
If your child will be 5 by Sept 1, 2022 or applying to grades K-8, then they can submit up to 20 CHOICE (lottery) elementary applications for magnet, magnet cluster, and open enrollment elementary schools AND they can submit up to 6 SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT (test based) elementary applications for Classical and Regional Gifted Programs, as well as up to 6 Academic Centers (7th & 8th grade). Selective enrollment options will need to be ranked in order of preference and a test date must be scheduled. Elementary Choice programs do not have to be ranked and no test is required.
If your child is applying to 9th grade, then they can choose up to 20 CHOICE high school programs (some high schools have multiple programs within them such as International Baccalaureate, CTE, fine arts, magnet, etc) and up to 6 SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT programs. Both CHOICE and SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT high schools options must be ranked in order of preference, as as a single offer is given for each type. In many cases, a CPS HS Admissions Test must also be taken, and in some cases, additional screenings are required.
This is also the deadline to add or subtract schools and re-rank any Selective Enrollment or high school choices. Any CPS testing dates must be requested by this deadline as well.
Notifications should arrive in the spring, with high school notifications coming a month before elementary notifications. More information and FAQs for preschool, elementary and high school at https://go.cps.edu/
One’s neighborhood school is always guaranteed and does not require an application.
Chicago Public Schools are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year until Dec. 15, 2021. Families can explore https://go.cps.edu/ to learn about the school options and request an account at https://cps.schoolmint.com/login. One account per family and each student can be added as they become eligible to apply to CPS programs. A CPS Student ID can be requested through the portal for any student not already in the CPS system.
Always apply one year before a program begins, and CPS has a Sept 1st cutoff date to be eligible for preschool through 1st grade programs. An “age exception” is provided only for families with a fall birthday child who wants to start K or 1st grade early.
You do NOT have to apply to your assigned neighborhood school and there is never a deadline to register at your neighborhood school. For all other programs, including a neighborhood school that is not your own, CPS allows for “Open Enrollment” and you can apply to programs for which your student is age-eligible or meets a pre-requisite via a GoCPSCHOICE (up to 20 lottery or minimal criteria based admission programs) and/orSEES (up to 6 ranked test based admission programs) application. Read more about CPS school types here: Elementary and High School.
Scoring rubrics have been updated for this application cycle to reflect the discontinuation of NWEA MAP testing for 5th through 9th grade programs. There are no scoring rubrics and no cutoffs will be posted for K-8th grade Classical or Regional Gifted Center Selective Enrollment programs.
CPS Elementary programs: only 7th grade Academic Centers have a scoring rubric listed HERE.
Find helpful CPS FAQ’s on the application process HERE: https://go.cps.edu/about-gocps/faq/elementary (be sure to click on the proper tab: HS, Elem or Preschool)Each student can apply up to 20 CHOICE programs (multiple offers for elementary programs listed in no particular order, and single offer for ranked high school programs) AND up to 6 ranked Selective Enrollment programs (single offer for elementary or high school). If testing is required, you will be asked to choose a test date AFTER you choose the school programs that require testing.Good luck to families applying for Fall 2022 CPS programs! More info at https://go.cps.edu/about-gocps
