photo courtesy of goCps.com
I can’t believe I’ve had this blog for 13 years, which I started when my oldest was just a little guy. He is now in 8th grade and we are about to embark on the applications and testing process for High School. Navigating this process is likely one of the top questions I get asked as a Realtor® in Chicago. How to figure out the process, where should I live to try and avoid the process and what does this all mean, and why does it seem so ‘hard’. There is so much confusion and trepidation around the high school process as each public and private school performs and has different offerings individually. Each one needs to be researched by a family to find the right fit for you, and it may or may not be your neighborhood school. Your neighborhood high school may be great for your neighbor but maybe it doesn’t offer a particular program or sport that is right for your child. Everyone is different and there is no ‘one size fits all approach’. Also, the public neighborhood schools are just one option and the selective enrollment schools are a totally different animal. The selective enrollment high schools in Chicago are some of the top 10 ranked schools in all of Illinois, and definitely some to consider, if you can get in. You can simply enroll in your neighborhood school, but you must test and be accepted into a selective enrollment school. There are also many private school options in the Chicago area which also require testing and tuition. More on that later.
This is what I know so far:
Registration to take the test with CPS selective enrollment schools opens on September 24, 2024 this is to register for the test! For current CPS students, you get to take the tests first (10/19 & 10/20), non CPS students take the test at the end of October (10/26 & 10/27). IF YOU MISS THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE YOUR CHILD CAN’T TAKE THE TEST, this is very important! I have PTSD from missing the registration for the Academic Center – which is a test in program to go to middle school at the selective high school – and you don’t want to miss registration. Mark your calendar!
Here is the website to bookmark: https://cps.schoolmint.com/login and you need to create a login if you are a non CPS student or have your students ID ready if your kid is a current CPS student.
Catholic Schools:
Here is an example of the testing timeline from St. Ignatius College Prep – I’m finding the entrance Exam’s are on the same date of 12/7/2024 for many of the Catholic high schools, mark your calendar for the registration. They seem to vary from school to school on the exact registration date, so be sure to check the schools websites for exact dates.
Test Prep
There are several test prep options and you will want to get your kid prepped for all the various tests either CPS or Private as the tests are different and rigorous. You can go the route of a private tutor or use a facility like https://testprepchicago.com/8th-grade-hs-entrance-exam-palooza-workshop – there are a bunch of different workshops, private tutors and crash courses. I’ve heard good things. We went the private tutor route, but I think I’ll also sign my son up for the one day workshop when we get closer to testing date.
What do you need to score for a CPS selective enrollment school?
Below is the 2023 CPS selective Enrollment requirement stats for Tier 4 neighborhood, it should be updated for 2024 but the stats haven’t been released yet. You can play around with this on the Test Prep Chicago website, enter in your Childs 7th grade grades, your neighborhood tier and it will populate the data.
If you have any other tips or suggestions, please comment below. Helping each other navigate this together will be way less stressful for us, and for future families.
Enjoy Chicago,
Juliana
#cpshighschools #chicagohighschools #selectiveenrollmentchicago #catholichighschools #navigatingchicagohighschools