2022 High School Testing Info for Fall 2023 Admissions

From our friends at TestPrepChicago.com:

Through our CPS and non-CPS school partners, we have learned the test dates for the CPS High School Admissions Test (CPS HSAT). This year, CPS students will take the exam at their school on 10/26. Non-CPS students will take the exam at a CPS testing center, and they will have the option to test on 11/5, 11/6, 11/12 or 11/13. We expect CPS to make a formal announcement about these test dates soon.

CPS HSAT Test Dates

Wednesday, October 26 (For CPS Students)

Saturday, November 5 (For non-CPS Students)
Sunday, November 6 (For non-CPS Students)
Saturday, November 12 (For non-CPS Students)
Sunday, November 13 (For non-CPS Students)

Note: the CPS HSAT will also be used in the admissions process for Double Honors and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

The Parochial High School Entrance Exam (HSPT) will be held on the first Saturday in December. The test date is listed below.

HSPT Test Date

Saturday, December 3

There are three testing seasons (fall, winter, spring) for the Independent High School Entrance Exam (ISEE). The months for the three testing seasons are listed below.

ISEE Test Dates

Fall (August – November)
Winter (December – March)
Spring (April – July)

Students are allowed to take the ISEE one time in each season. To see a full list of test dates, times, and locations, please click here and type in the required information.

Universal Free PreK Available to all 4 year olds

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
  • Application assistance available at Family Resource Centers

CPS Elementary Round 1 Results 4/29/22

GoCPS will release Round 1 offers for 2022-2023 Elementary Magnet (including Suder & Drummond), Open Enrollment, Magnet Cluster and Selective Enrollment Gifted, Classical and Academic Center programs on 4/29/22. The deadline to accept or decline offers is 5/13/22. https://go.cps.edu/

View helpful Selection Videos HERE.

Sign up for a Family Training webinar (4/19 @ 10am or 4/27 at 2pm) to understand offers via this LINK.

CPS High School Round 1 Results released on 3/18/22

Current 8th graders who applied to Chicago Public Schools for Fall 2022 will receive their Round 1 results at 5pm on Friday, March 18. Good luck to all applicants! From https://go.cps.edu/

GoCPS Fall 2022 Application Closes 12/15/21 @ 5pm

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.

CPS 2022-2023 Applications are Now Open

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 GoCPS CHOICE (up to 20 lottery or minimal criteria based admission programs) and/or SEES (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.

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

CPS High School Admissions Test Dates Announced

NOVEMBER TESTING DATES ANNOUNCED FOR CPS HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS EXAM

Beginning this year, the Chicago Public Schools will not use the NWEA MAP exam for the GoCPS eligibility or selection process for any schools or programs. For students applying to ninth grade, no schools or programs will have minimum eligibility requirements based on NWEA. Instead, a single admissions exam, the CPS High School Admissions Test, will be available for all students.

The CPS High School Admissions Test will be available to all current CPS students applying to ninth grade on Tuesday, November 9th, 2021. Students will take the exam at their school during the school day.

The CPS High School Admissions Test will be available to all non-CPS students applying to ninth grade at a designated CPS location on the following dates:

  • Saturday, November 13th, 2021
  • Sunday, November 14th, 2021
  • Saturday, November 20th, 2021
  • Sunday, November 21st, 2021

Registration information for all students will be forthcoming.

For Non-CPS students, these are the four testing dates for this application cycle. Please hold these dates now to ensure that you are available to test if you are planning to apply to a CPS high school.

Using one test will streamline the GoCPS application process by decreasing the number of exams required, and allowing the same single exam to be applied to the selection processes for all programs, where applicable.

For students applying to fifth through eighth grades, eligibility to take the admissions exam(s) for academic centers, classical schools and regional gifted centers will be based on GPA. Dates for these exams will be released at a later date.

We look forward to a great year ahead, and our staff is here to support your family through the application process. You can contact our office by phone at 773-553-2060, or via email at [email protected].

See below for an informational webinar and FAQs on the admissions process for the 2022-2023 school year.INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR

This was from https://go.cps.edu/admissiontest/high-school

2021 VIRTUAL Hidden Gems High School Fair 9/26/21 @ 1-4pm

Registration now open for the 2021 VIRTUAL Hidden Gems High School Fair!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 FROM 1-4PM
LIVE Q&A AT VIRTUAL EVENT + PRE-RECORDED CONTENT PRE & POST EVENT

Click here to view 2021 school and business exhibitors

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

$15 for the whole family, and fee waivers are available upon request.

Knowing how to cast your net wide and increase your options is KEY to a successful Chicago high school search. Join Chicago School GPS as we bring together over 35 participating schools, each with unique qualities that you may not have known about prior to coming to our Hidden Gems Fair.  PLUS, you can meet helpful resource vendors and partake in informative breakout sessions that will give you clarity on the high school process.  Join us for an afternoon designed to make your high school journey a successful one!

Program begins at 1pm with high schools showcasing what makes them unique, and breakout sessions begin at 2:00pm.  Fair ends at 4pm.

Our invaluable breakout sessions offer insights for Middle School Parents and Students on topics such as:

  • Navigating the private & public high school admissions process
  • High School Entrance Exam Insights (includes SEHS, HSPT & ISEE)
  • Private school scholarship opportunities & resources
  • International Baccalaureate Programs Demystified
  • Executive Functioning Strategies
Thank You to our generous 2021 Presenting Sponsor:

Spring 2021 CPS Elementary Notifications- Round 1

Round 1 CPS Elementary Notifications were posted in the GoCPS portal for Choice (lottery) and/or Selective Enrollment (test based) selections. Students could be offered multiple Choice program offers but only ONE selective enrollment offer. A family’s neighborhood school is always guaranteed.

Choice elementary offers are based on a lottery selection process and include magnet, magnet cluster (neighborhood w/focus area) and open enrollment (other neighborhood) schools. Drummond, Suder and Inter-American preschool programs are included in Choice schools. CPS Tiers and proximity are only considered for the entry year of a magnet program. All other programs conduct a general lottery (in some cases, a sibling lottery).

Selective enrollment elementary offers are based on entrance testing and include Classical & Regional Gifted Centers (K or 1st through 8th), as well as Academic Centers (7th/8th). CPS Tiers are only considered for the entry year of these programs and offers are “single offer” only, based on a student’s score.

Details, dates and Academic Center (7th grade) cutoff scores are posted on GoCPS. Helpful GoCPS videos are posted HERE (note: videos are slightly outdated since there are no longer International Gifted programs).

  • Round 1 accept/decline deadline is June 11
  • Round 1 waitlists open on June 16 (48 hour waitlist decision window)
  • Round 2 elementary applications (for programs with unfilled seats) open June 21-25
  • Round 2 results released & waitlists open July 16 (48 hour waitlist window)
  • Round 2  accept/decline deadline is July 23

New applicants can request a CPS ID to apply to Round 2 (existing applicants do not need new CPS ID). Round 2 applications will open on June 21 for any schools with remaining open seats. Any unfilled seats may also be filled on an as available basis at the end of the summer by contacting a school you are interested in.

Applicant families are encouraged to “tour” schools before decisions are returned.

CPS Round 2 High School Applications due 5/21/21

If your 8th grader missed applying to CPS this year or would like to apply to any programs that still have open spots after Round 1 ended, then NOW is the time to apply for Fall 2021 9th grade spots.  

Participating programs are here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oP1DuhuzrIip37qn4vOqPyqRMj5NdY9VkbNXzOiQowA/edit#gid=0

Applications are here: https://cps.schoolmint.net/signup

This is from https://go.cps.edu/high-school/learn#RoundTwoWaitlist 

 

“A second round of applications will be opened shortly after the Round 1 application acceptance deadline. However, the only programs available in Round 2 will be the ones that still have remaining seats after Round 1.

Families can accept a Round 1 offer and still participate in Round 2. However, if the student receives a second-round offer, they will automatically forfeit their Round 1 offer. Because of this, families are cautioned to only apply to programs in Round 2 that they would prefer more than the Round 1 offer they accepted.”