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CPS will release high school offers for any programs applied to via the GoCPS applications (SEHS & Choice Programs) as follows:
- FEBRUARY 13th, 2026 – High School Initial GoCPS Results Release & High School Appeals Process Opens
- FEBRUARY 18th, 2026 – Selective Enrollment High School (SEHS) Principal Discretion Application Opens
- MARCH 6th, 2026 – High School Offer Acceptance Deadline & Selective Enrollment High School (SEHS) Principal Discretion Application Closes
- MARCH 13th, 2026 – High School Appeals Window Closes
- MARCH 30th, 2026 – High School Rolling Waitlist Opens
- APRIL 10TH, 2026 – Selective Enrollment High School (SEHS) Principals Discretion Results Release
Please feel free to post results to share. Applicants may be offered ONE school per application type (one Selective Enrollment HS offer and one Choice offer) and their neighborhood school is always available for them to attend at any time. Those currently enrolled at a school that includes a HS can also continue to stay at their current school.
If you are commenting about SEHS offers, please include your Tier, 900 pt total, and what order the school was ranked on your application. If you applied to Choice high schools as well, please include your child’s offer, point total (if applicable) and order it was ranked. Good luck!
Here is a slidedeck on “Selections Process Explained” and here are helpful videos (Selections is halfway down)
Cutoff scores for SEHS and Choice programs will be posted here after 2/13/26. Guide to Understanding Rankings & Cutoff Scores is HERE.
Point total information for the 26-27 selections process are available below.
CHOICE HIGH SCHOOL
SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT HIGH SCHOOL
CHOICE HIGH SCHOOL- AUDITION PROGRAMS -
You cannot be on a Selective Enrollment Waitlist or see waitlist numbers at all if you are offered an initial Selective Enrollment offer. You can ONLY be on a Selective Enrollment waitlist if you turn down your initial offer and join the Rolling Waitlist starting on 3/30/26. To avoid turning down a selective enrollment offer, you will need to accept the offered school and then do Principal’s Discretion to be considered for one of your other Selective Enrollment choices.
Principal’s Discretion (for SEHS only) https://www.cps.edu/gocps/high-school/results/principal-discretion/ is open from 2/18/26-3/6/26.
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I don’t get this-my kid has a friend that did very poorly on the test (around 65 total score) and doesn’t have all As but got in Lane? And in tier 3? The lower score was higher than her friend’s score so how did she get into a a SEHS? Or is the kid bluffing?
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Is the “cut off score” going to be released as the initial Selective Enrollment offer comes out this evening?
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Yes, they come out at the same time!
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I don’t think the cut scores are released until later, after offers have been accepted and folks have moved through waitlists?
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I think the cutoff scores only based on the initial offer.
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Is it 4pm they start releasing the results despite it says 5pm?
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Go CPS is still unavailable, but cut scores are posted. Good luck to all kids!
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Cutoff scores are released.
https://www.cps.edu/gocps/resources/high-school-resources/
Scroll down to “Point Total and Scoring Information” – Initial Offer Point Totals for Selective Enrollment High Schools-
this is from last year.
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I was able to log in. but the offer status says it is pending
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Offers are released.
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Any Northside Prep offers here?
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My kiddo got an offer from Northside, Tier 4/ 895.
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My niece 895 tier 4
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My daughter, tier 3, 893 points.
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Does anyone know up to what waitlist # are made an offer for Lane and Whitney? I also wonder how much the lower cutoff score changes between initial and final stages.
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It says #7 on tier waitlist for Lane. Is that good?
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There are no offers from the waitlist.
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Anyone got into Payton? If not try via transfer application!
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We are in waiting list for Lane number 10. We are tier 3 and have a sibling at the school. Does anyone know if we have a chance?
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We are a little lower on the the T3 list than you, and while I don’t know how much the lists move I am trying to understand how people got the position on the list. I am curious if it was randomized with everyone who didn’t make the cut, or tied to how close their score was to the cut score. My kid has slightly better WL numbers for Whitney and Payton, which is odd since the cut score for those schools was much higher than Lane. Do you mind sharing your kid’s score? Also good luck. We are going to try for PD at Lane also and not fully rely on the WL.
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Anecdotally, waitlists for SEHS schools such as Payton, Young, Lane, Jones and Northside do not move at all. Schools offer more spots than they have room for with the expectation that a certain percentage will turn down their offers and ultimately they will arrive at their freshman class (this practice is called “yield” and happens for colleges as well). Waitlist numbers can change twice a week depending on which individuals (more accurately their score) adds or removes themselves from a waitlist, so your child’s number may move up or down depending on that activity.
Even students who did not test in October for the HSAT (but take the spring test) and want to try for a spot with rolling waitlists can push down others on the waitlist if they get a high score but as stated above, popular SEHS do not dip into their rolling waitlists at all.
Principal’s discretion allows for a holistic appeal to a principal to consider a student who did not gain admission to that school via the points only process. You can still accept an SEHS offer while trying for Principal’s Discretion, since not many people (only 5% of freshman class) get a PD offer.
Lastly, transfers for 10th grade are possible into SEHS from any type of 9th grade program, public or private.
Good luck to everyone and embrace wherever you land since success is not tied to a school’s name but what one does at the school they are at.
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All three waitlists — Tier 3
Northside, Lane, and Jones — are within the 12. Is there a chance a spot might open up? I’m not really expecting Northside though. 😅-
Read the previous post here: #21015Reply chicagoschooloptions Keymaster: “Anecdotally, waitlists for SEHS schools such as Payton, Young, Lane, Jones and Northside do not move at all. Schools offer more spots than they have room for with the expectation that a certain percentage will turn down their offers and ultimately they will arrive at their freshman class (this practice is called “yield” and happens for colleges as well)…”
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If we are #2 on waitlist for northside and #8 for Payton, will we be removed from Layton waitlist if we get and offer for northside? Can we remove northside from waitlist to ensure only Payton is on waitlist? If we are removed from Payton and we have to wait to reject northside after an offer is made, will we get our waitlist number back or will we “start over” significantly further back in line? We don’t want to lose our spot for Payton …
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8 kids need to decline the offer from Payton in your specific Tier before you get an offer from. How likely is that? Plus, possibly more kids outside of CPS will join in the second round. You have way better chances with Northside, but even that is not guaranteed.
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Do you mind tell me your kids score for the waitlist number with Payton. We are tier 4 with 895. Don’t know where the kiddo will stand in waitlist if we give up the current offer. Thanks!
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Do you mind tell me your kids score for the waitlist number with Payton. We are tier 4 with 895. Don’t know where the kiddo will stand in waitlist if we give up the current offer. Thanks!
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Thanks for sharing this.
What makes a good pitch for PD? Is it the expectation that the student will write the letter or can the parents help with it?
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If a student applied to a Selective Enrollment High School (SEHS) and did not receive an offer but would like to be considered for a seat selected by the principal for up to 5% of the freshman class, they can enter into a holistic admissions appeal process known as Principal’s Discretion. Applicants can only select one of their original SEHS choices to apply to for PD and they should not turn down their original offer in order to try for Principal’s Discretion. Applications require an essay, recommendations and supporting materials to be submitted between 2/18/26- 3/6/26, with results released on 4/10/26. The applicant must show evidence of one of 4 criteria for submission: Unique Skills & Abilities, Activities Demonstrating Social Responsibility, Extenuating Circumstances or Demonstrated Ability to Overcome Hardship.
The student should write the letter, but parents can review and help with edits, of course. Some “successful” PD applications may involve a younger sibling to a current, involved family whose child was close to the cutoff, or it could be a student bringing in a talent to the school either academically, artistically or athletically.
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How does transfers work for sehs specifically Walter Payton and Northside. Does anyone know who transferred in, how competitive it is, what grades they are most likely to accept, criteria, and do they have any spots. This would be very helpful, Thanks!
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They open transfer applications in the spring — not all schools take transfers. It’s similar to a principal discretion application (essays, transcripts, letters of recommendation). I think it’s very competitive but there’s at least a few transfers at Payton every year.
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I see Payton & Northside have one open now. I know this person who didn’t get to into their dream SEHS so they were thinking about transferring and I also know this guy (Co of 2028) who’s trying to transfer for his junior & senior years at Payton. Appreciate the insight!
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My daughter got wait-listed for all SEHS but received an offer for a choice program. Can I accept that offer and still be on the wait list/attempt principal discretion? Don’t want to risk losing that offer but we’d prefer a SEHS.
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Yes, your daughter can accept her Choice offer and do PD for her desired SEHS. Chances for waitlist and/or PD are not high so definitely dive into all the admitted student events for her Choice offer.
During the Rolling Waitlist period (starting 3/30/26), you can add or subtract any other SEHS schools to your list of 6, not necessarily those on your original application. Some schools like Westinghouse and Lindblom may take students from the waitlist, and SEHS waitlists are recalculated twice a week based on the test scores of students adding or removing themselves from the waitlists.
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I reached out to CPS on behalf of a friend and received clarification about waitlist offers for Northside College Prep. If someone is considering a waitlist, it may still be worth reaching out before declining an initial (selective school) offer, just to confirm all options and avoid closing any doors.
Below is the response I received:
Greetings,
Thank you for contacting our office. Selective Enrollment schools generally make none or very few waitlist offers. I will note that Northside Prep has not made waitlist offers in recent years, so I do want to help manage expectations around that.
Sincerely,
Office of Access and Enrollment
Equity. Access. Customer Service.-
Agreed that waitlist offers from most top SEHS are a long shot so I would not recommend anyone depend on it, however I personally know someone who got in off the waitlist for Northside 2 years ago. It was just a week or two before school started and they are a Jr there now.
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What is the first day waitlist offers could go out for SEHS?
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I got accepted into Whitney Young and St. Ignatius, and I’m having trouble deciding which school I want to go to. They’re both really good schools.
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Which should I choose??
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Is there any tuition fee for St. Ignatius?
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I guess there is, but tuition isn’t really a problem for my family.
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And I can also get financial aid I think.
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any one declined any SEHS offers so far? trying to see if waitlist has chances of opening up?
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i got into Walter Payton, should I accept?
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@cps student You should absolutely accept. It’s an outstanding school, and simply being there will open doors — the network, exposure, and opportunities you’ll gain are incredibly valuable. You don’t have to be at the very top to benefit; growth happens by showing up and being part of that environment. And if you’re worried about not being “strong enough,” don’t let that fear take away from what this moment means. You were offered a place for a reason.
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I am an SEES parent now SEHS parent. I agree with what SNSNSN says. TLDR, you’ve got this!
If you tested into this school naturally (without excessive/undue test prep) you qualified on your own merit and ‘deserve’ to be there. There are instructional supports available if you think that you need help – ask early and ask often, advocate for yourself.
My kids are in SEHS and honestly they are bright and doing well. But are they the brightest most outstanding students? not even close. some of the things other kids are doing is mind-blowing. So yes, there is some element of ‘small fish big pond’. But we focus on their own experience and what they are getting out of their education – and developing an education and participating in activities that reflects their whole self and future goals.
I will also say something about the environment. My kid wanted to add a 5th AP to his schedule. Seems a lot of peers are just always going for AP class if that’s available and there’s some element of ‘dude I’m taking all APs’. Can he handle it? Probably? Should he? Not sure. We need to weigh and consider. But I 100% don’t mind him <wanting> to take APs just because of peer pressure. Striving to achieve and push yourself is not a bad thing, as long as you have some checks in place to not be overwhelmed or feel inferior.
It seems that college/uni are looking for a diverse student body which encompasses many other factors, including geography. So is it directly limited that they only take N students from Payton? No, are you going to be the most outstanding there? IDK. But if you are looking at hundreds of other secondary institutions, I would say you DO have a chance of standing out just by attending and succeeding a top 50 (32nd!) in the nation HS.
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As a parent of a current Payton freshman, multiple APs are technically possible in 9th, but not common or expected – you would have to have taken a certain path at an AC to be eligible. To my knowledge, most freshman take one AP if any (AP Human Geo, also offered at many other high schools) and possibly AP Physics (if they’ve already taken prerequisites for it). I know less about the math paths, but some students are working beyond the Geometry level, according to what they already accomplished in middle school years – AP is not the expectation here, either.
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Go for it! I’m assuming since you applied, you already weighed against other options like Lane/Whitney and what bigger schools offer vs. Payton. I’m the parent of a freshman, and while it’s a challenge, it’s worth it. You might find the expectations are higher than your previous school, but if you got the grades, the test scores, and the offer, you are more than capable and the overall experience and opportunities are worth it. You’ll just need to make sure you have good study habits, time management skills, and keep track of deadlines.
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@cps student it depends. Its a competitive school and colleges can only select a certain amount of students from each school. If you are not strong in STEM the advice is don’t go since you will be overshadowed in a pressure cooker of a school. Many kids are in multiple AP’s including AP Physics 1 AP Precalculus etc. as freshman. If you cant keep up with the rigor then don’t go. If you are strong then feel free to go. The environment is quite supportive there and it is a great place to expand your academic horizons.
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personally it’s better to be a big fish of a small pond then a small fish of a big pond. What is your other option if you choose not to go?
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Any other Northside offers? I got in Tier 4 895
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I’m scared for PD Results for Northside,I got the cut off score for my tier 878 for tier 3. But im aware that other people could have the same score and it’s like whoever has the best combo score or whatever. But I got accepted to lane and my mind is at lane to not get sad but do u think I have a shot?. I have 3 letters of recommendation and 3 photos of medal, their like academic medals, and student Council member medal and another but I’m just scared to be honest because I view this as my only shot to not mess up again.
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Just curious I ran into a 2024 that the mayor wanted to get rid of SEHS? Can someone update me if this is still the case? First time CPS parenr here.
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No changes to the admissions policies under the mayor so far!
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