CPS and Catholic School Application Process

CPS Applications

All high school and elementary students who wish to apply to CPS schools outside of their neighborhood must apply through GoCPS. Families are required to rank their top choice schools and apply by the extended deadline of December 15th at 5:00 PM. The ranking process requires applicants to order their top 20 choice programs or top 6 selective enrollment schools. Applicants can be offered one choice school option and one selective enrollment option.  Students applying to selective enrollment schools or academic centers are required to participate in the testing requirements while all other applicants will be chosen via an independent lottery system or audition process. All offers will be announced in the spring of 2025.

Catholic School Applications

Students looking to test into Catholic Schools are required to complete their applications prior to the coming holiday break. While most students have already completed the required testing for exams, all remaining application requirements must be completed in the coming weeks to be considered for the 2025-26 school year. Students who were unable to test on their originally scheduled test date will be able to attend a make-up test on December 14th at specific schools such as St. Patrick’s and De La Salle.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator
kayley@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

CPS High School Admissions Test Dates Announced

CPS recently announced test dates for the CPS High School Admissions Test (CPS HSAT). 8th graders are required to take this exam to test into Selective Enrollment High Schools. This year, CPS students will take the exam at their school on October 9th while alternative language students will take the exam on October 15th. 

Non-CPS students will have the option to take the exam in the following weeks at a CPS testing center. They will choose to test on October 19th, 20th, 26th, or 27th. You can find a list of all testing dates below.

CPS HSAT Test Dates
Wednesday, October 9 (For CPS Students)
Tuesday, October 15 (For Alternative Language Testing)
Saturday, October 19 (For non-CPS Students)
Sunday, October 20 (For non-CPS Students)
Saturday, October 26 (For non-CPS Students)
Sunday, October 27 (For non-CPS Students)

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator

kayley@testprepchicago.com

312-848-1266

CPS High School Admissions Test Paused Due to Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties, CPS has delayed High School Admissions Testing for many public schools across the city. In an email today to principals and network leadership, CPS assessment officials stated that many schools were experiencing technical issues with the testing platform.

Some schools were able to access the test with no issues. In email communications, it was indicated that students who finish the test today will be able to use their scores in their GoCPS applications. Any school that experienced difficulties was instructed to stop testing and wait for a rescheduled date, which will be shared “as soon as possible”.

Anna Jordan, Tutoring Coordinator
anna@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266