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What’s the landscape like nowadays in the ranking and sorting of selective enrollment schools? The more I hear from friends, the more it seems like everyone is more or less happy with their selective enrollment respective schools.
I’m skeptical that the difference between schools is as noticeable as what might be implied by the variance in admissions rates. Of course, some of it may be driven by neighborhood/logistics. This may be a big plus for Skinner North and the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
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You are absolutely right. There are so many great selective enrollment schools in Chicago. We have done research and all classical programs are identical, and the reason why people are choosing SN and SW because they are just closer to the city favorite neighborhoods, but we have friends at Decatur and Bronzeville, and schools are just marvelous, kids are thriving there. Same with RGCs – it used to be that Edison and Bell were favorites in the city, but now this is only dictated by location, many people just do not want to drive, but we heard great reviews from people at McPherson, Pritzker, Morton, Beaubien RGC, and of course you have Keller and Lenart that are very far south, but those are just the best if you look at ratings, personalized learning opportunities and teachers they have. We tried to get into Keller for several years but did not get in and we have friends who are now there and they just love it (transferred from Bell because they did not think it was challenging enough).
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I’m less certain about the conclusion, just wondering aloud. I know SN has an outsized representation at the AC’s and Payton, and a lot of the families are from all over the city. Definitely not a neighborhood feel. But I read these posts and remember how stressed I felt doing research and now wonder if it matters that much. Even our neighborhood school would have been fine with some additional adjustments to curriculum and learning groups.
I guess my high confidence takeaway is that I’m not sure if some SEES are meaningfully better than others, but even if they are, you won’t know the difference and your kid will probably be happy where they are because once you enroll, you won’t make the same comparisons between SEES and the only benchmark you’ll have is your neighborhood school.
LMK, does your child attend a SEES? If so, what’s been your experience? I’d never heard of Keller and Lenart…very interesting to hear.
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As a parent of multiple kids and one who has experience with ‘all the kinds’ of CPS schools – one thing I have learned is distance [to your home or workplace] is important as are where the siblings are going to go. There are many options in CPS – magnet, neighborhood, SEES – which may be right for a given family. All of the SEES are pretty good academically, and I wouldn’t drive halfway across the city for one which you think is slightly better. The schools which have only SEES programs in them may be more focused on those academic programs, than the ones who also have a neighborhood component, but there may be other benefits [i.e. bigger school, more diverse experience, more extra curriculars, etc]. I feel like in the past 10 years or so CPS has tried to open more SEES in the more outlying neighborhoods [Bronzeville, Sor Juana, McPherson] to give more families access to them, and that is a positive thing. Each school is different and it highly depends on the principal, and the entire community, and even how old the school is, but ‘good’ or ‘better’ is relative. I have known families who have attended Lenart, Kenwood and other SEES schools that are farther from the city center and have been pleased with the experience. The WY academic center class has kids from many different SEES schools. Generally the SEES kids seem to find the opportunities they seek when it comes to Academic center & High School. But then, a lot of Magnet and higher performing neighborhood schools do, too.
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NOTE ABOUT CPS POLICY CHANGES AND FUNDING CHANGES:
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NOTE ABOUT CPS POLICY CHANGES AND FUNDING CHANGES:
[note that I don’t represent any organization, this is just what I have read as an informed parent]:
There is a lot of news this summer about budget changes to CPS. Federal/state pandemic funding is phasing out, and CPS has cuts, and budget challenges related to this. CPS is also doing ongoing changes to their funding formula to align with their Strategic Plan, prioritizing neighborhood schools.
Under the new funding model, schools now have an “opportunity index”. Where funding in the past used to be more determined by enrollment, it is now determined more by this Index. In essence, schools / communities with more identified higher need under this Index get more funds per student. Also, a large amount of specific funding that used to be allocated for Magnet and Selective programs is being [or has been completely] phased out due to the new funding method. Current budgets, as of May 2024, have been issued to LSCs, and many show significant cuts to schools which have Magnet and SEES programs, as compared to the funding they got previously, which was used to support their specific programs. It is not the same for every school – once the Opportunity Index is considered, and the school may get more, or less funds based upon that. The CPS funding formula has an effect on teacher positions, staff positions, and afterschool programming / tutoring support that each school gets funded for. The overall funding that a school gets for next year may be more, or less than it got previously. Due to the overall reduction in funding for CPS, it is often less.
Bill HB303 in the IL Legislature [which as of May 2024, passed the House, but is stalled in the Senate] – relates to putting a pause on closures, admission changes and funding changes particularly for Magnet/SEES/SEHS until 2027, when the elected school board is in place. CPS, the Mayor and CTU have expressed opposition to this bill, and the news articles state their reasoning for that. Also, CPS has posted their “strategic plan” and has information on their website, and in emails to CPS parents, about these changes.
When making long-term plans and school choices, reading up on these policy issues and understanding CPS priorities can help CPS parents stay informed and plan for the future. Getting involved in your local LSC and attending public meetings, community forums, and voting in school board elections is also a good way to have a voice. Local newspapers and Chalkbeat are news sources on this topic. CPS also has email lists parents can sign up for.
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