Selective Enrollment High School Cut Off Scores Rise

High School Entrance Exam scores are on the rise for 8th-grade students applying to Selective Enrollment High Schools. CPS recently released their Selective Enrollment cut-off scores for the 2023-2024 school year which details an increase in average point totals and minimum scores required for eligibility. This increase will affect applicants of all Tiers across the board.

According to the information provided by CPS, Tier 4 students must achieve a perfect 900 points to place into Walter Payton College Prep or Northside College Prep. This cut-off score remains stagnant for Payton while it has increased by 4 points at Northside in the last year. Similarly, Whitney Young has seen an increase across the board from Tier 1 to Tier 4 students. Tier 1 students must score a minimum of 834 points to be eligible which is up dramatically from 816.5 the year prior. Tier 4 students must score a minimum of 893, up 9 points from last year’s cut-off of 884. Other Selective Enrollment high schools such as Jones College Prep and Lane Tech College Prep have also seen surges in cutoff scores, though their Tier 4 eligibility requirement leaves a small margin for error.

Tier 4 cut-off scores have soared the most rapidly at King Jr. College Prep, Lindblom Math and Science Academy, South Shore International College Prep, and Brooks College Prep with some schools seeing as much as a 21% increase. Previously requiring 529 points for eligibility at Lindblom, the school now demands a score of 643, a 114-point difference. King’s requirement was raised from 501.5 to 600, followed by Southshore which now requires 613 points as opposed to last year’s 529. Lastly, Brooks’ Tier 4 cutoff has increased 46 points this testing season with a new standard of 718 points required. Because of the increasing demand for applicants to achieve higher scores, students who score under 600 points on the High School Admissions Test will not be permitted on the waitlist, making it more difficult than ever for students to test into the school of their choice.

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

An Overview of Northside College Preparatory High School

Founded in 1999, Northside College Preparatory High School (also commonly referred to as Northside) is a selective enrollment high school located in the North Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. Northside is ranked as the 23rd best public school in the nation and the 2nd best public school in the state of Illinois. The total enrollment of Northside is 1,069 students with a student to teacher ratio of 18:1. Of that enrollment, 70% of students are people of color and 41% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Northside also boasts an impressive graduation rate of 98%. 

 All of Northside’s classes are either honors or AP level, with the most unique departmental offerings found in math. The math department uses “IMP” or “Interactive Mathematics Program” as its core curriculum. IMP is a more writing-based understanding of math where students write and create portfolios and projects in addition to the standard solving of mathematical equations. Its math college prep program was one of five 9-12 mathematics curricula in the country to receive the highest rating of Exemplary from the U.S. Board of Education. 

 In addition to math, Northside offers a great variety of courses in English, science, social studies, and computer science. Each offers typical coursework in its respective subject as well as varied elective courses such as Philosophy in Literature, Experimental Literature, Creative Writing, Drama and Performance, Astronomy, Organismal Biology, Environmental Science, Anthropology, Sociology, Web Page and Mobile App Design, and Design and SQL Programming, respectively. 

Languages offered at Northside include Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Latin. Fine arts classes offered encompass both music and visual arts with classes in choir, orchestra, band, and jazz as well as ceramics, digital imaging, painting, drawing, and sculpture. The physical education department also uniquely offers dance classes as well as weight training in addition to their more typical PE classes. 

 Athletes who would like to attend Northside will also enjoy a range of sports including soccer, swimming, volleyball, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, cheerleading, water polo, track, and dance among others. For a full list of athletics as well as courses offered at Northside, visit their website at www.northsideprep.org.

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