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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.
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.
Here is the article from WBEZ from 7/10/24: https://www.wbez.org/education/2024/07/10/the-path-to-a-cps-test-in-high-school-often-begins-at-age-4-with-a-test-most-dont-know-exists?
This is the Zoom recording accompanying the Spring Notification Elementary slidedeck and around minute 32, it also talks about this year’s changes. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Cmjz8WjDJrDVy-O6zRgvTkKJa1vixjgPoJ8_lia5PEqXJlk_cbbzZx-7U8C7xQW_vXs115Y6C36WY3dS.xKhuQtYmGNamiJUd?accessLevel=meeting&canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&startTime=1743789922000&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2F5fuFu1dYpUQOkimwAnEO_uGggZlGS_mlHN3dQ3hN4E7VSDGcOsIrXQBF_hoObHCd.pkkBO7lq8c2PnnHJ%3FstartTime%3D1743789922000
Here is information on the Rolling Waitlist process: https://www.cps.edu/gocps/elementary-school/results/rolling-waitlist/
For choice programs, your student will remain on a waitlist for any program ranked higher than the one they were offered. Waitlists move until January and waitlist numbers can go up or down depending on priority categories (i.e. siblings for Choice programs are higher priority than unaffiliated students).Post Spring 2025 SEHS & Choice High School results in this thread: https://chicagoschooloptions.com/forums/topic/spring-2025-cps-hs-results/
Post Spring 2025 SEHS & Choice High School results in this thread: https://chicagoschooloptions.com/forums/topic/spring-2025-cps-hs-results/
Sign up for GoCPS trainings here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HDoYbH1cSzOBJWD5jmJB6A#/registration
You cannot be on a Selective Enrollment Waitlist or see waitlist numbers at all if you accept 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 4/21/25. 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 3/19/25-4/4/25.
From the homepage at https://www.cps.edu/gocps/
The deadline for Selective Enrollment Elementary applicants who have not tested yet and need to request a resheduled date is Feb 2, 2025. Last day for Kindergarten SEES testing is Feb 21, 2025 and last day for 1st-8th grade SEES testing is Feb 16, 2025. Email gocpstestingteam@cps.edu or call 773-553-2060 to reschedule.
