Spotlight on Westinghouse: Learn More about the Selective Enrollment High School in Chicago!

Leading up to the PreACT 9, Test Prep Chicago will be featuring 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 George Westinghouse College Prep.

Westinghouse College Prep is one of Chicago’s selective enrollment high schools, located in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. Westinghouse offers a rigorous college-preparatory experience designed to challenge academically motivated students while providing opportunities to explore career interests and develop skills beyond the classroom. The school is distinctive in that it serves students through both its selective enrollment program and its Career Academy, creating a diverse school community with a strong emphasis on academic achievement, college readiness, and career preparation.

Academically, Westinghouse gives students extensive opportunities to take advanced coursework. The school offers a wide range of AP courses, providing students with the chance to pursue college-level material across a variety of subjects. Its advanced offerings include courses in subjects such as U.S. History and Computer Science, giving students opportunities to explore both traditional academic disciplines and STEM fields. These rigorous courses help students develop the analytical, writing, and problem-solving skills needed to succeed in college.

Westinghouse also stands out for the breadth of its extracurricular and career-focused opportunities. Students can participate in academic organizations such as debate, science and technology clubs, as well as creative programs including band, theater, art, photography, and other performing and visual arts opportunities. Athletics provide another avenue for students to get involved, with offerings including basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, swimming, cross country, track, wrestling, and softball. These activities give students opportunities to build leadership skills, collaborate with their peers, and pursue interests outside of their academic coursework.

For students interested in career exploration, Westinghouse offers particularly strong opportunities through its Career Academy and career-focused programming. The school combines college preparation with opportunities to explore technology, computer science, and other career-related fields, making it an appealing option for students who want to connect their academic studies with potential future careers. At the same time, Westinghouse emphasizes a rigorous curriculum and the support students need to succeed.

Westinghouse attracts students with a wide range of interests and aspirations, from future computer scientists, engineers, and business professionals to artists, athletes, writers, and community leaders. Its combination of selective enrollment academics, advanced coursework, career-focused programming, extracurricular activities, and student support creates an environment where students can challenge themselves while exploring the interests that will shape their futures. For families considering Chicago’s selective enrollment options, Westinghouse is especially noteworthy for the way it brings rigorous college preparation and career exploration together under one roof.

Admission to Westinghouse is competitive and based on seventh-grade core grades and the new PreACT 9. If your student is interested in attending Westinghouse 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!

All About George Westinghouse College Prep: What You Need to Know About This Selective Enrollment High School

Located in the heart of Chicago’s West Side, Westinghouse has carved out a distinctive identity, merging strong academics with real-world career readiness, developed within a community-driven environment that reflects the city’s diversity. Originally established in the 1930s as a vocational school, Westinghouse has undergone a dramatic transformation over the years. In 2009, a state-of-the-art facility opened, symbolizing a new chapter for the school as a modern college preparatory institution with a selective enrollment program. Today, Westinghouse stands as a hybrid model: one part selective enrollment college prep, and one part career and technical education (CTE) pathways. This dual-track approach makes it extremely unique among Chicago's elite public high schools, offering a broader range of options for students with different post-graduation goals.

What sets Westinghouse apart is its commitment to rigor and hands-on training. While the selective enrollment track challenges high-achieving students with honors and Advanced Placement courses beginning in their freshman year, the school also invests heavily in its career programs. Students in the CTE track can pursue pathways in fields like medical sciences, business, information technology, and broadcasting, where they can gain hands-on experience, industry credentials, and even early college credit. It’s a structure designed to meet students where they are, whether they’re aiming for Ivy League schools or direct entry into a professional career. This makes Westinghouse an ideal school for a student who is dedicated to their academics and extracurriculars, but succeeds primarily in experiential learning environments, where they can directly and actively prepare for their futures.

Academically, Westinghouse delivers a strong foundation across the board. Its students have access to accelerated math tracks, advanced science labs, and AP courses in nearly every subject. Yet what really makes the experience feel different is how the school merges this academic push with a strong focus on student identity, culture, and expression. Programs in the arts, music, and writing (bolstered by partnerships with local organizations like 826CHI and Young Chicago Authors) help ensure that learning goes beyond textbooks and standardized tests.

Student life at Westinghouse reflects the school’s holistic approach. In addition to its academic and career programs, there are dozens of clubs, athletic teams, and creative outlets that help students find community and purpose. The school’s basketball program, idebate team, robotics club, and visual arts programs are especially well-known. And with modern facilities, including a natatorium, media production rooms, and well-equipped science labs, students have the resources to explore and innovate in whatever direction they choose.

If your child is hoping to attend George Westinghouse College Prep, or another Selective Enrollment High School, Test Prep Chicago can help you ace the CPS HSAT necessary for admission. 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 George Westinghouse College Preparatory High School

Located in East Garfield Park in the west side of Chicago, George Westinghouse College Preparatory High School was established in 1970. The school resided in what was originally a candy factory which opened in 1932. Though it was converted in the late ‘60s into a vocational high school, it remained to be one of the largest examples of the Chicago School architectural style. However, in 2009, the school opened in a new, $106.5 million building that houses both the original vocational school as well as the selective enrollment side of the high school. Westinghouse, named after American entrepreneur and engineer George Westinghouse, is ranked #28 in the state of Illinois and #574 in the nation. Its enrollment is 1,151 with a student to teacher ratio of 18:1. Of its total enrollment, 98% of students are people of color, and 81% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Westinghouse also boasts an impressive graduation rate of 99%.

Westinghouse offers an array of different courses to suit the needs of all students. Their science department, in particular, is vast, offering a challenging course load for students looking to pursue science in college. They have more standard science classes as well as engineering, civil engineering, environmental science, mechanics of physics, and courses in medical health professions. Their social science department is also of note, as they offer exciting specialty classes such as civics, ethnic studies, psychology, and European history in addition to more conventional courses. World languages offered at Westinghouse include Spanish, Chinese, and French.

Westinghouse uniquely offers full courses of study in all the fine arts (music, visual arts, and drama). The departments also include more specialized classes such as guitar, or studio mixed media. Additionally, the school has many classes in web design, video production, and broadcast journalism available. Students can also elect to take JROTC or several different kinds of PE classes for their physical education credit. Westinghouse also has several different sports teams for which students can try-out including but not limited to basketball, softball, wrestling, tennis, cheerleading, and chess. The school is also one of the only selective enrollment high schools which has a football team. Westinghouse’s basketball teams are also some of the most decorated in the city, winning a variety of championships.

For more information about courses, athletics, or extracurriculars offered at Westinghouse, visit their website at https://www.newwestinghouse.org/.

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