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CPS has provided Spring Testing for MANY years as a means for those who missed the Initial Application (“Round 1” in the old days) deadlines to try for any remaining seats AFTER first round offers were made. Some schools never dipped into waitlists so the only way for students to get offers to those programs would be to apply and test during the first round application cycle. In the past, if families missed the spring testing and late round application window, their only school option was their neighborhood program because it was not easy to add themselves to even a lottery (non-SEES) application after the late application deadline passed. Now with the more well-defined Rolling Waitlist process, families can join and remain on Choice (lottery based) schools until January and students who did either fall or spring SE testing can join to be on SEES waitlists until they expire after the 20th day of school.
So in short, spring testing has been around for years, but the waitlist process has changed over the years. Additionally, the initial application cycle has always been the best chance for a shot at any program.
Post Academic Center results for 2026-2027 at this link: https://chicagoschooloptions.com/forums/topic/spring-2026-cps-sees-academic-center-results/
Post Academic Center results for 2026-2027 at this link: https://chicagoschooloptions.com/forums/topic/spring-2026-cps-sees-academic-center-results/
Here is the Spring 2026 Results thread: https://chicagoschooloptions.com/forums/topic/spring-2026-cps-sees-gifted-and-classical-results/
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.
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.
High schools handle their own transfer requests so check each school’s website for details. Payton has a 3/6/36 deadline, Young and Jones have deadlines of 4/3/26, Northside’s deadline is 5/8/26. For any high school you are interested in, it’s best to reach out directly to each school to inquire about transfer policies, procedures and deadlines.
All those schools do take transfers, and sometimes Lane does, but if its student body is already maxxed out, it won’t. Students are evaluated holistically and whether they will be a good contribution to the school environment, so it is not solely based on academics.
Share HS results here https://chicagoschooloptions.com/forums/topic/spring-2026-cps-hs-results/
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.
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.
Choice programs do now require families to RANK their up to 20 options. https://www.cps.edu/gocps/elementary-school/explore/choice-programs/
“Each applicant can apply for up to 20 programs on the application and must rank each program in the order of preference from most desired (1) to least desired.”Here is some info regarding the Selective Enrollment Elementary programs: https://www.cps.edu/gocps/elementary-school/explore/selective-enrollment-programs/
CPS’s high school admissions test (HSAT) is required for many high school programs, not just the selective enrollment ones. Programs such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced College Prep, service academies and some selective CTE programs such as Pre-Law, Pre-Engineering require the HSAT in their scoring rubrics.
https://www.cps.edu/gocps/high-school/apply/hsat-test/
https://www.cps.edu/globalassets/cps-pages/gocps/resources/guides/25-26.guide-to-hsat.pdf
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ywVZc-o3D6EpwkQGOKmbcAnYl8LcM0NBxdMIE8iI6go/edit?gid=0#gid=0@HopefulDad- Reach out directly to the helpful GoCPS staff at gocps@cps.edu and they will be able to answer your question. Please report back their response if you can. It may have to do with a delay in syncing information or it could be a glitch. Worth contacting them directly, though. Good luck!
FYI, McPherson’s 5th grade is the first RGC cohort class in that school. The RGC program is phasing in after Coonley was phasing out their RGC program due to neighborhood overcrowding and the need to reclaim classrooms to keep neighborhood class sizes low. The McPherson RGC program will grow each year to serve K-8th but because that is their first RGC class, it may be on the smaller class size.
