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The Chicago Public Schools high school application process takes place in 8th grade and works a bit like college applications. While all students are guaranteed a seat at their neighborhood high school, students who wish to attend other high school programs must apply for a seat. Selection can be based on a lottery or point system depending on the high school program. Point-based selection is based on 7th grade final grades in reading, math, science, and social science, percentile on the CPS High School Admissions Exam, and possibly admission screenings.
Because the application process is so involved, it's very important for parents and students to research the process and their options early on. This information is taught during lessons beginning in 6th grade, but families should continue the conversation at home. The resources listed here are tools to help you with educating yourselves about the high school application process. If ever you have questions, feel free to reach out!
High School Research Tools
High School Research Tools
GoCPS Website
CPS School Profile Search (Scroll down to find the search box)
High Schools Within 3 Miles of Nettelhorst
Ms. Giordano's Virtual High School Bulletin Board
What the heck is an IB program? Click here for a folder of handouts that help explain things.
Application Process Information
Application Process Information
Recording from Ms. Giordano's GoCPS Parent Info Session (Fall 2024)
Ms. Giordano's GoCPS Application Overview Slides (Fall 2024)
High School Programs That Require An Admissions Screening (As of 9/2023, only Fine & Performing Arts programs require an admissions screening)
CPS will be using a new application starting Fall 2024. The following resources are coming soon.
GoCPS Parent Portal Walkthrough
Guide to the Offer/Waitlist Portal (slide deck)
Capacitación de GoCPS sobre el proceso de selección
Guide to Waitlists/Entiendo las Listas de Espera
High School Admissions Test
High School Admissions Test
As of Fall 2021, CPS uses one exam- the CPS High School Admissions Test- to determine admittance into choice and selective enrollment programs that require academic criteria. Every CPS 8th grader will take this test during the school day at their elementary school in October.
The exam, which is taken online, consists of the following two sections:
Reading - 23 items
Most questions focus on inferring and generalizing information in passages. Includes both informational and literary texts)
Mathematics - 36-39 items (my understanding is that it varies by test version)
Questions emphasize the ability to solve quantitative problems
Students will have 30 minutes to complete each section, with a short break between sections.
“The Chicago Public Schools does not recommend, endorse or sponsor any test preparation courses, study guides, or sample questions for the…testing process…The Office of Access and Enrollment has not seen any direct correlation between student acceptance rates in Selective Enrollment Schools and their participation in courses offered by test preparation companies.”
Scoring Rubrics
Scoring Rubrics
New! As of SY2024, there is only one rubric for all points-based programs which consists of a 900-point scale (450 points for 7th grade final grades and 450 points for HSAT scores):
Cutoff Scores
Cutoff Scores
Cutoff score sheets show the lowest, highest and average score of the students accepted into each program during the previous school year. The following are cutoff scores from the Spring 2024 selections.
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