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.
Students interested in CPS 9th grade programs beyond their neighborhood high school’s general ed program will need to take CPS’ High School Admissions Test (HSAT) during the fall of their 8th grade year. The HSAT exam dates for 2025-2026 high school programs are as follows:
CPS and charter students will take the HSAT at their school on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. CPS students will automatically be given the test and no registration is needed.
Non-CPS students can choose among the weekend dates of October 19, 20, 26 or 27, 2024 to take the exam at a CPS site. Non-CPS students will need to register to take the HSAT via the GoCPS portal. Registration dates have not been released.
While CPS has yet to provide details on the exam and process for 2025-2026, last year’s exam guide can be found HERE.
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 HSAT re-test for CPS 8th graders taking the exam in English will take place on either Tuesday, October 24 or Wednesday, October 25. The student’s school will follow up directly with the exact testing date. The HSAT re-test for CPS 8th graders taking the exam in other languages will take place on Wednesday, November 1.
While CPS strongly encourages all 8th graders to re-test, 8th graders who would like to keep their scores from the original test on October 11th will be allowed to do so by filling out this form. Please follow the instructions from your school for how to submit this form.
For all additional questions, please consult the FAQs below.
For Families with an 8th Grader Not in CPS
CPS is sending a communication to all 8th graders who have signed up to take the HSAT. [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]
HSAT testing for this weekend (October 21 and 22) has been CANCELED.
Non-CPS 8th graders must re-submit their applications and re-register for the HSAT on Saturday October 28, Sunday October 29, or Sunday November 5. Please follow the instructions in this communication.
For all additional questions, please consult the FAQ below.
Thank you; CPS sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience that these vendor issues have caused students and their families.
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 public, private and boarding high schools & resources, 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 2pm. 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 CPS HSAT, HSPT & ISEE)
Private school scholarship opportunities & resources
Any current 8th grader interested in applying to CPS programs for 2024-2025 must take a High School Admissions Test. This applies to Selective Enrollment, International Baccalaureate, Magnet, CTE and Service Academy programs.
For current CPS 8th grade students, the test will be administered in their CPS school on Oct. 11, 2023. No pre-registration is required.
For non-CPS students, the first step is to register by Oct. 6 to take the test on either Oct 14, 15 or 21, 2023. Registration is done via a student’s portal at https://cps.schoolmint.com/login
Prior to the start of the new school year, we want to provide you with helpful information and key updates for the GoCPS high school application process and the High School Admissions Test (HSAT).
The GoCPS application will open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, and all CPS eighth graders — District and charter — will take the HSAT in school on Wednesday, October 11. Registration is not required, as the test will be administered to all CPS eighth graders.
Students who do not attend CPS and are interested in applying to a CPS high school will take the HSAT at either Lane Tech High School or Lindblom High School on October 14, 15, or 21, 2023. Students who do not attend CPS will need to register for testing through the GoCPS application when it opens on September 13, 2023. The deadline to register for the test on October 14 or 15 is October 2, and the deadline to register for the test on October 21 is October 6.
In order to provide more equitable access to all CPS programs, we are pleased to announce that next school year’s HSAT will be offered in English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Polish, and Urdu. This will open more doors of opportunity for our English Learner students. The test length has also been shortened to 60 minutes, responding to concerns that the test was overly burdensome. The content areas for the test are reading and math.
With these changes to the HSAT, the high school admissions scoring rubrics are under revision and will be available by the time the GoCPS application opens on September 13, 2023.
Families must submit GoCPS applications for the 2024-25 school year by Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 5 pm. Families are encouraged to apply to a range of options and rank those options in order of preference. HSAT scores will be released in early to mid-November, so they may not be available for these initial rankings. The GoCPS application will remain open for re-ranking ONLY until November 22, 2023 at 5 pm. Families may return to their previously submitted GoCPS applications during this period to re-rank their school choices based on their HSAT scores. However, no new school choices can be added or removed from an existing application, and no new GoCPS applications will be accepted after the deadline of November 9, 2023 at 5 pm.
We will communicate additional details about the GoCPS application process by September 1, 2023. If you have questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact [email protected]. For questions about the HSAT, please contact [email protected].
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.
