Why No One Can Predict PreACT 9 Cutoff Scores for CPS Selective Enrollment High Schools (2027–28 School Year)
With a new exam playing a huge role in CPS selective enrollment high schools, many families are nervous about the change. There is so much uncertainty around scoring and cutoffs, and many parents just want a target score for their student to aim for. For this cycle, that target number doesn't exist yet. Below, learn why, and how you can help your student prepare to succeed on the test (even without a target score).
1. It's the first year this test has ever been used
CPS replaced the CPS HSAT with the PreACT 9 Secure starting this cycle; as such, for the 2026-27 application season, 8th graders will take the PreACT 9 for the very first time on October 7, 2026 (non-CPS students later in October). For this reason, there are no prior years' PreACT 9 scores from which to determine cutoffs: no score distributions, no precedent.
2. Cutoffs are calculated after everyone tests, not set in advance
Selective enrollment admissions do not use a pass/fail threshold; they use a competitive ranking system within each of the city's four tiers. The "cutoff" for a school/tier is just the score of the last student who meets the threshold and is admitted, which can't exist until every applicant has tested and been ranked.
3. The scoring formula is now public, but a formula isn't a cutoff
As of CPS's rubric published 8/20/2026, the old 900-point composite is now a 640-point scale:
PreACT 9 Secure — 320 pts (50%): Composite score (1–32) × 10
7th Grade GPA — 320 pts (50%): GPA × 80
Tiebreakers: PreACT 9 Math score → PreACT 9 Reading score → random lottery
This tells families how a score converts to points. Unfortunately, it does not provide information about how many points will be competitive. That still depends on how the full applicant pool performs on a test no one has taken before in this context.
4. The new PreACT 9 is structurally different from the CPS HSAT, so old benchmarks don't transfer
The PreACT 9 Secure runs ~2.5 hours across four sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) vs. the CPS HSAT's 1 hour and two sections. Because the exams are so different, old benchmarks from the CPS HSAT won't carry over to the PreACT 9.
5. Cutoffs vary by tier and by all 11 selective enrollment high schools
Even with a fixed formula, there's no single cutoff — there are separate cutoffs for each of the 4 tiers across all 11 selective enrollment high schools, all recalculated from scratch this cycle with no prior-year anchor.
The bottom line: A target score needs a defined scale, a known applicant pool, and precedent. CPS has now given us the scale. The pool and precedent still won't exist until February of 2027, when all scores are released and initial offers have been sent.
What this means practically
It is impossible to know what scores on the PreACT 9 will be required for entrance into Walter Payton, Northside or any other selective enrollment high school. While this uncertainty is very frustrating, remember that the PreACT 9 is a new test for everyone, so all families are in the same boat. Your student can succeed on the PreACT 9 with or without a target score; what's most important is that they go into the test prepared and confident so they can perform at their best.
Test Prep Chicago anticipated this change and prepared: we've already built a full PreACT 9 Secure curriculum, so students in our courses, Palooza workshops, and individual tutoring are training on content and strategies that match the actual exam. All of our scheduled courses (sign up here), one-day Palooza workshops (sign up here), and individual tutoring sessions (sign up here) will continue to run as planned. All of these test prep offerings will feature 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!