Families have more time to apply to next year’s Kindergarten through 9th grade Chicago Public School (CPS) programs via the online portal at https://www.apply.cps.edu/. The new deadline is Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 5pm.
High School (9th grade) resources are at https://www.cps.edu/gocps/resources/high-school-resources/ and families can view the GoCPS webinar on 2025-2026 High School applications HERE. For high school transfers into 10th-12th grade, contact each individual high school for information.
Preschool applications for 3 and 4 year olds are on a separate timeline and do not open until April 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. Check out the preschool website at https://www.cps.edu/ChicagoEarlyLearning/
The GoCPS application for Chicago Public School (CPS) Kindergarten through 9th grade 2025-2026 programs will open on Sept 24, 2024 at 10am and close on Nov 15, 2024 (changed to Nov 22) at 5pm. Start your application at https://www.apply.cps.edu/ but know you do not have to complete your application right away, just don’t miss the deadline of 11/15/24 11/22/24!
Learn about Hidden Gem High Schools (public, private, boarding) along with informative IN PERSON seminars on admissions, testing and more on 9/29/24 from 1-4pm. RSVP Here.
Note, CPS preschool applications for 3 & 4 year olds open in the spring.
CPS is releasing 9th grade (high school) selection results on Friday, February 23 at 5pm and K-8th grade (elementary) selection results on Friday, March 22 at 5pm for Fall 2024 entry. Families will have approximately 4 weeks to tour schools and decide to accept or decline their offer(s). Then approximately 2 weeks after the deadline to accept/decline an offer, the real-time, rolling waitlist process occurs for any programs with remaining, unfilled seats. Only selective enrollment high schools (SEHS) offer a holistic Principal’s Discretion process to retry for entry based on an essay, recommendations and supporting documentation.
OCTOBER 24th – 25th – HSAT Re-test for CPS Students
OCTOBER 28th – 29th, NOVEMBER 5th– HSAT Exam for Non-CPS Students
NOVEMBER 9th, 2023 – Application Period Closes
DECEMBER 1st, 2023 – Re-rank Period Closes
FEBRUARY 23rd, 2024 – Results Released
FEBRUARY 28th, 2024 – SEHS Principal Discretion Process Opens
MARCH 15th, 2024 – Accept/Decline Deadline
MARCH 15th, 2024 – SEHS Principal Discretion Application Closes
APRIL 1st, 2024 – Rolling Waitlist Process Opens
APRIL 19th, 2024 – SEHS Principal Discretion Results Released
2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED – Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
Elementary School
SEPTEMBER 13th, 2023 – Application Period Opens
NOVEMBER 9th, 2023 – Application Period Closes
DECEMBER 1st, 2024 – Re-rank Period Closes
MARCH 22nd, 2024 – Results Released
APRIL 19th, 2024 – Accept/Decline Deadline
MAY 1st, 2024 – Rolling Waitlist Process Opens
2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED – Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
For anyone who missed applying to CPS schools during the Fall application cycle, you can do so during the rolling waitlist process which opens on 4/1/24 for high schools and 5/1/24 for elementary schools. Public preschools (for 3 and 4 year olds) have separate applications available on April 9 at https://www.cps.edu/ChicagoEarlyLearning
The December 14, 2023 announcement by the Chicago Board of Education regarding Mayor Johnson’s plan to prioritize neighborhood schools and reduce reliance on selective enrollment and magnet programs has caused worry among parents wondering what it could mean to their family’s school options.
We know that there are concerns around school choice, and we want to be clear: this resolution outlines the Board’s parameters and values as we draft the District’s goals and objectives for the next five years. This resolution is not a vote to close selective enrollment, magnet, or charter schools. This resolution is about ensuring high-quality pre-k–12 pathways in neighborhood schools, prioritizing our most under-resourced communities. To read the full resolution, visit the Board website.
WBEZ attempted to tamp down parent speculation by emphasizing that CPS did not make any changes to the current process for families, and is outlining a goal but any change would need to be voted on by the school board, which will be changing in November 2024: WBEZ Article from 12/21/23
Bottom line: SEHS, SEES & Magnet schools aren’t necessarily going away but resources may shift away from them and more to neighborhood schools. Neighborhood schools house most of the IB (international baccalaureate) programs, many fine & performing arts programs, many dual language programs, etc. Increasing support for those specialty programs housed in neighborhood schools will benefit a greater number and broader range of students. Free Universal PK for all 4 year olds has also served to introduce more families to neighborhood schools throughout Chicago. Strengthening offerings at neighborhood schools can serve to release pressure on parents trying for the limited seats at selective enrollment and magnet programs.
The CPS K-9th grade application process is beginning and ending earlier than ever. Applicants interested in a program outside of their assigned neighborhood school for 2024-2025 can apply to up to 20 Choice programs and up to 6 Selective Enrollment programs starting at 10am on Sept 13, 2023 and (currently) ending by 5pm on Nov 9, 2023. It is not “first come, first serve” so there is no need to rush to be the first applicant but be sure NOT to miss the application window when it closes on 11/9/23. For programs that require ranking choices, the ranking deadline is 11/22/23, but the original programs must have been added by 11/9/23. Read more at https://www.cps.edu/gocps/
Elementary School
SEPTEMBER 13th, 2023 – Application Period Opens
NOVEMBER 9th, 2023 – Application Period Closes
NOVEMBER 22nd – Re-rank Period Closes
High School
SEPTEMBER 13th, 2023 – Application Period Opens
OCTOBER 11th, 2023 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for CPS Students
OCTOBER 14-15, 21 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for Non-CPS Students
NOVEMBER 9th, 2023 – Application Period Closes
NOVEMBER 22nd, 2023 – Re-rank Period Closes
Sign up for helpful virtual GoCPS Application Family Training sessions during Sept-Nov in English & Spanish HERE.
Because there are so many schools, programs and options for schooling in Chicago, parents who apply to multiple programs may receive more than one offer. Because a student can only attend one school at a time, there actually can be a lot of movement in program availability throughout the summer and into the new school year. Both public (CPS) and private (parochial and independent) schools fill those changing seats by utilizing waitlists before school starts, and sometimes into the new school year.
For private schools, an unfilled seat is a missed tuition and similarly, each student at a public school comes with a per pupil funding amount (until the 20th day of school). Families can add or remove a student from a waitlist if desired during the Rolling Admission cycle.
Preschool (PK3 or PK4): Chicago Early Learning students can get up to one offer out of 5 ranked choices and will be waitlisted for any higher ranked schools they did not qualify for.
Elementary (K-8th grade): CPS applicants can get multiple offers at various Choice (non test-based, non-selective) programs in addition to up to one SEES (test-based, selective enrollment) offer, in addition to a guaranteed neighborhood K-8th grade seat.
For CPS 9th graders (high school), students can get up to one offer each for SEHS and Choice programs as well as a guaranteed neighborhood 9th-12th grade seat.
Private school applicants can get offers for multiple schools at once, too, but a student can only attend one school at a time. Therefore, public and private waitlist movement happens throughout late Spring into Summer and even Fall.
All CPS preschool, elementary, and 9th grade high school programs are using a rolling waitlist system as of late May 2023.
CPS’s new rolling waitlist is meant to simplify what was once a separate transfer process for K-9th grade as well as a separate late application. All CPS applicants can view their GoCPS portal to see which remaining programs have immediate seats to accept (green), which have an open waitlist to join (yellow), and which are full or have a low likelihood of an offer (red). Your student will only be shown programs they are eligible to receive an offer for based on whether they participated in any required admissions screenings and if they met the threshold.
Original waitlists are those programs that you applied to in the Initial Application Process (was open from 9/21/22-12/8/22) and if an offer was not received, students either were automatically waitlisted for any programs that were listed above their offer (for ranked applications such as preschool, selective enrollment or high school) or they can be on multiple, independent waitlists for K-8th grade Choice programs. More info HERE.
Rolling waitlists (updated nightly) will run through the summer into the 20th day of the new school year for Selective Enrollment (SE) programs, through January 2024 for K-9th grade Choice programs, and until Spring 2024 for Preschool programs. You can only be on a Selective Enrollment waitlist if you have not accepted any SE offer, and you can remain on the waitlists for up to 20 Choice K-9th grade programs. Applicants can choose to remove schools from a waitlist if they are no longer interested or can add themselves to a waitlist if desired. Waitlists will re-sort every evening and those based on a point system can cause a student’s waitlist position to go up or down depending on the scores of new waitlist students. Slidedeck about Offer/Waitlists HERE and more info on rolling waitlists HERE.
Because CPS is funded on a per pupil spending model and their budgeting is set by the 20th day of school, most waitlist movement is seen at the end of the summer, just before school starts. Neighborhood & magnet cluster schools typically refrain from calling waitlist families until close to the start of school (Aug 21) and that can affect all other waitlists as well. Families should be ready to accept or decline a spot within 2 business days from receiving a call.
Families may need to stay patient, but much movement happens toward the end of the summer as public & private waitlists become more active at that time. Good luck to all families and don’t be surprised if your child is offered a spot at the start of the school year.
From a recent cps.edu newsletter: Release Dates Announced for GoCPS Offers
GoCPS is now in the final stages of preparing offers for the 2023–24 school year. High school offers will be released on Friday, March 24, 2023 after 5 p.m., and elementary school offers will be released on Friday, April 21, 2023 after 5 p.m. Families who have completed an application should log into their GoCPS accounts to make sure that all information is correct. For questions, please call (773) 553-2060 or email [email protected].
High School dates to note:
SEPTEMBER 21st, 2022 – Application Period Opens
OCTOBER 26th, 2022 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for CPS Students
NOVEMBER 5-6,12-13 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for Non-CPS Students
DECEMBER 8th, 2022 – Application Period Closes
MARCH 24th, 2023 – Results Released
MARCH 29th, 2023 – Principal Discretion Process Opens
APRIL 14th, 2023 – Accept/Decline Deadline
APRIL 14th, 2023 – Principal Discretion Application Closes
APRIL 24th, 2023 – Rolling Waitlist Process Opens
2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED – Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
APRIL 28th, 2023 – Principal Discretion Results Released
Elementary School dates to note:
SEPTEMBER 21st, 2022 – Application Period Opens
DECEMBER 8th, 2022 – Application Period Closes
APRIL 21st, 2023 – Results Released
MAY 12th, 2023 – Accept/Decline Deadline
MAY 22nd, 2023 – Rolling Waitlist Process Opens
2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED – Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
The GoCPS Kindergarten through 9th grade application portal for 2023-2024 has been extended to Thursday, December 8th at 5pm. https://www.cps.edu/gocps/
A parent’s school search typically starts by sitting down at the computer and typing in “Best Elementary/High Schools” in your area. The results are populated with hits from sources such as GreatSchools, Niche, Schooldigger or School Sparrow, but what do these results mean, and should parents just add the #1 school to their list while ignoring the other schools closer or more familiar to them? How reliable are the ratings and how should a parent use them?
The fact of the matter is that school ratings and rankings are a very messy, very inexact method to quantify schools. Because they are summarized in a “number” or “grade” or listed in a “ranking order”, parents tend to put undue emphasis on ratings/rankings yet aren’t aware of what is being measured. While test scores are typically the largest component to rankings, “School Fit” is much more than test performance and is ultimately a very personal matter that can even vary within a family from child to child. What truly qualifies as “best” for one family may not be well suited to another. While it is understandable that parents need some metric to start with, the metrics used can be skewed, out of date, or not reflective of the cohort your family will be entering the school with.
Common misunderstandings of rankings:
Ratings typically put the greatest emphasis on test scores, so better resourced families often have higher test scores and those family resources continue to benefit their children throughout their education
Ratings/rankings are not set in stone and can change as demographics in a school changes
Ratings typically reflect 3rd to 8th grade, so younger families should be wary of looking at metrics that may include a very different demographic than the one their family will be in school with
Ratings often lump in all programs within a school, so those with a higher population of students with learning needs may still be a great or even better option for your student but the “rankings” may not reflect the level of supports
Schools can and do change and schools in gentrifying areas may have more resources added to the school by the time your family will be attending
Using rankings and ratings to be the first or only metric in choosing a school can also serve to negatively suppress positive changes at a school. Instead, we highly recommend that families tour their local school or those near them as well as talk to families with children their age who may have older siblings at the school. Reaching out to a school’s parent group or attending local school council (LSC) meetings is also a great way to get the “real time” scoop on a school.
It is somewhat pre-ordaining to use rankings to choose a school because if test scores are a big factor in ratings/rankings, then children who have advantages and resources from birth are certainly going to test better overall and the schools near them will reap the benefits of well resourced students and parents. While new parents may be more swayed by rankings, eventually parents come to realize that academics alone are not a single trait to look for in a school and social emotional factors as well as culture, climate and community are just as impactful yet are hard to capture in objective metrics because they are inherently more subjective. School visits can be invaluable to dispel pre-conceptions or help a family picture themselves in a school, but people gravitate toward or crave the easier route of following rankings.
Parents who blindly follow blanket rankings/ratings may well pass up a school their student could grow and thrive at in favor of one that a 3rd party metric says is 10 spots “above” the other school yet that family needs to drive across town to attend. In the end there may not be any marked difference in outcome for their particular child attending one or the other, but the lifestyle impact is can be much greater at the farther school. One school’s overall scores may be lower because it serves a broader range of backgrounds or has more special needs students, but that doesn’t mean your child’s success can happen only from one and not the other. What your child can achieve and what they score on an exam does NOT have to be the “average” number. Ultimately, the greatest arbiter of student success is parent involvement in their children’s lives beyond one school over another school, public or private, city or suburbs.
September 14th, 2022 – Application Period Opens December 2nd, 2022- – Application Period Closes TBD- Results Released TBD- Accept/Decline Deadline TBD- Waitlist Process Opens 2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED- Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
September 14th, 2022- Application Period Opens October 26th, 2022- CPS High School Admissions Exam for CPS Students 11/5-6, 11/12-13 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for Non-CPS Students December 2nd, 2022- Application Period Closes TBD- Results Released TBD- Principal Discretion Process Opens TBD- Accept/Decline Deadline TBD- Principal Discretion Application Closes TBD- Waitlist Process Opens 2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED- Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline TBD- Principal Discretion Results Released
