Lindblom Math and Science Academy: A Closer Look at One of Chicago’s Top Selective Enrollment High Schools

Leading up to the PreACT 9 this October, Test Prep Chicago will feature all eleven CPS selective enrollment high schools and some top AP, IB, and Honors high school programs in Chicago, breaking down each program and what makes them unique on our blog. This week, we're spotlighting Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy.

Lindblom stands out for its combination of rigorous academics, STEM education, and unique world language opportunities. Located on Chicago's South Side, the school is known for its focus on math and science, though it also provides opportunities for students to explore technology, the arts, languages, and career-focused programs. 

One of Lindblom's greatest strengths is its advanced academic program. The school offers a rigorous curriculum with Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses across various subjects. Students can pursue advanced coursework in areas including math, science, English, social studies, world languages, and computer science. Lindblom has a strong STEM focus through its Biotechnology Center of Excellence, which gives students opportunities to explore biotechnology and lab science. For students interested in technology and engineering, Lindblom offers career and technical education pathways in Computer Networking, Game Programming and Web Development, Pre-Engineering, and a Teaching Academy. These programs allow students to connect classroom learning with practical skills and explore potential career interests before applying to university.

Beyond academics, Lindblom provides students with a wide range of extracurricular activities. Students can participate in academic organizations such as math team, science club, technology club, debate, journalism, chess, and yearbook, as well as service and leadership opportunities. The arts are another important part of the school community, with opportunities including band, orchestra, choir, dance, photography, graphic design, painting, ceramics, and theater. Lindblom also offers a broad athletics program, with sports including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, water polo, wrestling, golf, tennis, bowling, cross country, and track and field.

With its combination of selective enrollment academics, advanced coursework, specialized STEM programs, distinctive language opportunities, career-focused pathways, and diverse extracurricular activities, Lindblom offers students many ways to challenge themselves and discover their interests. It is a particularly strong fit for students drawn to math, science, technology, and engineering, but its arts, languages, athletics, and humanities opportunities make it much more than a STEM-focused school.

Admission to Lindblom is competitive and based on seventh-grade core grades and the new PreACT 9. If your student is interested in attending Lindblom or another selective enrollment high school, Test Prep Chicago can help your student prepare for the new PreACT 9, helping them develop the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to succeed. As a licensed participant in the NTPA ACT Affiliate Tutor Program, we had been aware of the change from the CPS HSAT to the PreACT 9, and our team had already begun creating new PreACT 9 Secure curriculum. As such, students enrolled or looking to enroll in any courses or one-day workshops, or students beginning individual tutoring, can be assured that the content and test-taking strategies they are being taught will reflect the content seen on the new exam. All of our scheduled courses (sign up here) and one-day Palooza workshops (sign up here) will continue to run as planned, as will our individual tutoring sessions (sign up here), with the new PreACT 9 Secure content and test-taking strategies instead of the old CPS HSAT curriculum. Sign up now to help your student prepare!

Learn More: Lindblom’s Academic Center

With the Academic Center Entrance Exam coming up in January/February of 2026, Test Prep Chicago is featuring some of the top Academic Center options in Chicago for 6th and 7th graders. This week, we’re spotlighting Lindblom’s Academic Center, a strong choice for students who are ready for advanced academics and an early start on high school-level learning.

Lindblom Academic Center is part of Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy, a selective enrollment public high school located on Chicago’s South Side. Lindblom is widely known for its rigorous academic expectations, especially in math and science, and for its unique year-round school calendar. The Academic Center serves students in grades 7 and 8 and students admitted to Lindblom’s Academic Center are guaranteed a seat in Lindblom’s high school if they choose to continue there, creating a smooth transition into ninth grade. 

Academic Center students take accelerated courses that go deeper and move faster than standard middle school classes. In math, students typically complete an integrated two-year Algebra sequence, allowing many to begin geometry when they enter high school. In science, students receive laboratory-based training and participate in in-depth experiments. Lindblom also offers unique world language opportunities, including Mandarin Chinese and Arabic, giving students exposure to languages not commonly available at the middle school level.

Furthermore, Lindblom uses a block schedule, which allows students to spend longer periods in each class and explore topics in greater depth. In addition to core subjects, students participate in enrichment courses called colloquia, which are project-based classes that explore a wide range of topics such as science, culture, the arts, and real-world problem solving. 

Outside the classroom, Academic Center students are connected to Lindblom’s broader school community and can take part in extracurricular activities alongside older students, including Debate, Robotics, Art Club, Chess Club, Drama Club, and Gay/Straight Alliance. The school’s athletic teams compete in the Chicago Public League, with sports such as basketball, football, soccer, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, and track and field. 

Admission to Lindblom is selective and competitive, based on grades and performance on the CPS Academic Center Entrance Exam. At Test Prep Chicago, we support students preparing for the ACEE and more by offering one-day workshops (click here), ACEE prep courses (click here), and individual tutoring (click here), providing clear test-taking strategies, practice exams, homework, and a deep dive on material to help students feel prepared for the exam.

Upcoming Open Houses for Selective Enrollment High Schools

 With so many high school options across Chicago, choosing the right fit can feel overwhelming for students. While online resources (like this page on our website) can provide helpful information about each school's location, strengths, and academic and extracurricular offerings, visiting a school in person can offer valuable insight into its culture and community. For students applying to Selective Enrollment High Schools, as well as certain Catholic and Independent schools, open houses are a great way to connect with administrators and current students, explore available programs, and tour the campus and classrooms.  

This year, many Selective Enrollment High Schools are holding their open houses in October and November. Find a list of open houses and descriptions of their events in order of occurrence, below:

Hancock Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Saturday, October 18
Time: 10am to 1pm

Whitney Young Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Sunday, October 19
Time: 12:30pm to 4pm
Description: At Whitney Young's open house, high school presentations and tours will run every thirty minutes until 2:45pm. There will also be a presentation for students with disabilities at 2pm.

South Shore Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Thursday, October 23
Time: 5pm to 7pm
Description: Current South Shore students, faculty, and staff will welcome prospective students at their open house. The visit will be very interactive, including campus tours, Q&A's, and a club and activity fair. South Shore's IB program and Medical and Business program will also be introduced to prospective students.

Jones Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Saturday, October 25
Time: 10am to 3pm

King Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Saturday, October 25
Time: 10am to 1pm
Description: At King College Prep's open house, students will learn about the school, its program offerings, and its environment. Two presentations will be held at 10am and 11:30am, followed by student-led tours.

Westinghouse Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Saturday, November 1
Time: 10am to 1pm

Brooks Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Saturday, November 1
Time: 12pm to 3pm

Lane Tech Selective Enrollment High School
Date: Saturday, November 1
Time: 12pm to 2:30pm
Description: Lane Tech will be hosting an open house on November 1st. The first presentation will be held at 12pm, with presentations occurring approximately every 35 minutes. The last presentation will be at 2:20pm, and will be followed by tours led by current students.

Note that the other Selective Enrollment High Schools have already held their open houses. Walter Payton held theirs on Saturday, September 27 from 9am to 1pm, Northside College Prep’s was on Sunday, October 5 from 10am to 1pm, and Lindblom’s was on Saturday, October 11 from 10am to 11:30am.

If you are interested in checking out a neighborhood CPS school, families can check out the calendar of open houses for all CPS high schools here. Families interested in looking into non-CPS schools can look into Chicago School GPS's open house and school tour calendar here.

If your student is hoping to attend a selective enrollment high school, Catholic high school, or private high school, high test scores are a must. Through group courses (click here), 1-day workshops (click here), or personalized one-on-one tutoring (click here), our programs help to prepare students for the CPS HSAT through full-length practice exams, targeted homework assignments, and expert test-taking strategies. We continually update our materials based on student feedback and evolving exam trends.

An Overview of Lindblom Academic Center

Lindblom Academic Center (also known as Lindblom) is one of seven Academic Centers in Chicago. Lindblom is located in the south side of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Although it is one of the newer Academic Centers in Chicago, Lindblom remains competitive in its rigor, course offerings, and after school programs. Students who attend Lindblom Academic Center are offered acceptance into Lindblom Math & Science High School (a Selective Enrollment High School) as long as they remain academically on-track.

Lindblom Academic Center prepares its students by offering Honors courses for its core curriculum to begin readying their students for college level classes. The curriculum is dedicated to providing its students a solid foundation before they enter their higher level classes by enrolling students in advanced mathematics courses that integrate Algebra I into either one or two-year courses. Students also become exposed to laboratory-based science and have the ability to choose between studying two unique languages: Mandarin Chinese or Arabic. Students are offered the potential to take other unique classes through Lindblom’s Colloquium courses which is a program that “engages students in project-based learning centered in Community Outreach, Arts, Creation, STEM, and Athletics.” With the variety of classes offered and the commitment to expose their students to higher level learning, Lindblom Academic Center maintains its promise of providing their students a competitive curriculum intended for their segue into Lindblom Math & Science High School. 

Lindblom Academic Center enjoys being able to offer its students a variety of conveniences. Students are accommodated with a busing service that has designated pick-up and drop-off locations in order to make commuting to Lindblom easier on their students and parents. Lindblom also prides itself on allowing extensive accessibility to its teachers for the benefit of their students. Additionally, students are offered participation in select clubs and sports programs to supplement their academics. 

While Lindblom Academic Center does not have its own website, visit Lindblom Math & Science High School’s website to find more information for the Academic Center underneath the Academic Center tab: https://lindblomeagles.org/index.jsp

Ramisha Ejaz, Tutoring Coordinator
ramisha@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Academic Center Entrance Exam (ACEE)

The Academic Center Entrance Exam (ACEE) was designed by the Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Access and Enrollment specifically for Chicago’s 6th grade students applying to Academic Centers. Unlike other standardized tests such as the NWEA MAP, the ACEE measures critical thinking skills, reasoning, and problem solving, much like an IQ test. At 90 minutes in length, the exam boasts 9 sections, each being 10 minutes long. It includes both verbal and non-verbal sections such as verbal analogies, vocabulary and sentence completion, word classification, geometric sequences, geometric analogies, number series, and paper folding, respectively.  

 Like the Selective Enrollment High School Exam (SEHS), the exact format of the exam is kept a secret, and there are no practice or past tests available from CPS. However, Test Prep Chicago’s material is exceedingly close to the actual test, which we know based on exit interviews we have conducted with past students who have taken it. To learn more about our curriculum and how to take an ACEE practice test, visit testprepchicago.com.

Lastly, for Chicago Public School, private, and parochial school students alike, the Academic Center Entrance Exam is administered in the winter of students’ 6th grade year, usually in early February. To sign up for a test date and to apply for an Academic Center, visit the CPS website. Stop by our website to check out the dates for our Academic Center prep courses. 

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

An Overview of Academic Centers

Do you want to avoid the complexities of the high school selective enrollment process, but still want your student to attend a competitive school? An Academic Center may be for you!

Academic Centers, which are similar to middle schools, are housed in high schools and provide a college preparatory program for seventh and eighth-grade students. If a student is admitted into an Academic Center, he or she is automatically granted admission to that Academic Center’s affiliated high school. A few highly sought-after Academic Centers in Chicago include Brooks, Kenwood, Lane Tech, Lindblom, Morgan Park, Taft, and Whitney Young.

The application process for Academic Centers is almost indistinguishable from the Selective Enrollment process; however, instead of the process beginning in 7th grade, students must begin testing in 5th grade. Much like Selective Enrollment, the Academic Center admission process works on a 900-point scale.

The first third of points available come from a student’s 5th-grade grades in math, English, science, and social studies. Each A grade is the equivalent of 75 points, totaling at 300 points, or 1/3 of the 900 points obtainable. Each B grade results in 50 points, each C grade results in 25 points and no points are awarded for grades of D or F.

The second third of the 900 points come from a student’s NWEA MAP scores. For CPS students, the official score will be taken from their spring NWEA MAP in 5th grade, while non-CPS students will get their official score from their fall NWEA MAP in 6th grade. This test is divided into two sections: math and reading. Each section is worth 150 points, totaling at 300.

The final third of students’ points are taken from their Academic Center Entrance Exam (AC Exam). The AC Exam includes 9 sections, each at 10 minutes long. Unlike other standardized tests like the NWEA MAP, the AC Exam measures critical thinking skills, reasoning, and problem-solving, much like an IQ test. This test is administered in the winter of their 6th-grade year, usually in early February. 

In addition to the 900 points, students will also need to fill out an Academic Center application using the CPS website. On the application, parents will have to declare in which tiered neighborhood the student lives (to find out in what tier your neighborhood is, visit the CPS website). The final score a student needs out of 900 for each school (for example, 850/900 for Lane Tech or 880/900 for Taft) will be determined by their socio-economic tier. These applications are usually open in October and are due in mid-December, but you can find official dates on the CPS website.

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

An Overview of Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School

Located in the West Englewood neighborhood of the south side of Chicago, Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy (also known as Lindblom) originally opened in 1919 as a technical high school, reopening in 2005 as a Math and Science Academy and a selective enrollment high school. The school is ranked 11th best public high school in Illinois. Total Enrollment is 1,056 with a student to teacher ratio of 18:1. Of the total enrollment, 98% of students are people of color and 67% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. It boasts an extremely impressive graduation rate of 100%.

Courses offered at Lindblom contain a “demanding college preparatory curriculum where all courses are offered at honors or Advanced Placement [levels].” These include conventional classes as well as more unique offerings such as Women’s Studies, Web Design, Environmental Science, Biotechnology, Horticulture and Plant Biology, and Art and History of Propaganda. Languages offered include Chinese and Arabic while fine arts encompass visual art, choir, and band.

Lindblom also incorporates a colloquium day where students have an array of electives and enrichment classes to choose from including but not limited to Tai Chi, Knitting, A Capella, Photography, African Dance, Archery, Basketball, History of Hip-Hop, Self Defense, Robotics, Aviation, Women in Medicine, and more. For students interested in athletics, they have many from which to choose: basketball, football, soccer, dance, water polo, wrestling, volleyball, cheerleading, bowling, cross country, and track and field to name a few.

For more information about academics or athletics at Lindblom, visit their website: https://lindblomeagles.org/index.jsp.

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266