Starting elementary school is an exciting time for children. It is a time when students begin to nurture their independence and discover the academic subjects they enjoy the most. Choosing the right elementary school will help ensure that your child is building a strong foundation for success in the future. Here’s information on how to begin the elementary school application process.
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To enroll in a neighborhood school, please contact the school directly.
Find your neighborhood school by entering your address in the GoCPS Search.
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Elementary School Types
Families are not restricted to schools that are close to their home and CPS offers a wide variety of elementary school program options outside of their neighborhood school that they can apply to attend.
These applications become available in the fall of the school year immediately preceding the school year the student will enroll.
1
Choice Schools
Magnet Schools
Magnet Cluster Schools
Open Enrollment Schools
Dual Language Schools
Students can apply to up to 20 Choice Schools. Seats are filled by computerized lottery.
2
Selective Enrollment Schools
Academic Centers
Classical Schools
Regional Gifted Centers
Regional Gifted Centers for ELs
Students can apply to up to six Academic Centers, up to six Classical Schools/Regional Gifted Centers, and up to three Regional Gifted Centers for English Learners. Seats are filled based on a testing process.
3
Charter Schools
Charter schools are CPS elementary schools that are approved by the Chicago Board of Education and operated independently by Charter School organizations.
Students are selected via lottery and applications are managed directly by each charter school.
Students can apply to up to 20 Choice Schools.
Seats are filled by computerized lottery.
Magnet Schools
- Specialize in one subject area, such as fine arts, world language, or technology
- Do not have a neighborhood attendance boundary, in most cases
Magnet Cluster Schools
- Specialize in one subject area, such as fine arts, world language, or technology
- Have a neighborhood attendance boundary and accommodate neighborhood students first. Out-of-attendance area students must apply
Open Enrollment Schools
- Do not specialize in one subject area
- Have a neighborhood attendance boundary and accommodate neighborhood students first. Out-of-attendance area students must apply
Dual Language Schools
- General education program taught in multiple languages
- One-way programs (only English Learner or EL students) and two way-programs (both EL and non-EL students) are available
- Have a neighborhood attendance boundary and accommodate neighborhood students first. Out-of-attendance area students must apply
Students can apply to up to six Academic Centers, up to six Classical Schools/ Regional Gifted Centers, and up to three Regional Gifted Centers for English Learners. Seats are filled based on a testing process.
Students with an IEP: GPA requirements are the same as for the General Education population.
The selection process for students applying for the entry-level grade takes into account the socio-economic tier in which the student lives
Applicants must submit grades by the application deadline in order to be included in the selections process. Test scores will only be shared with applicants that are included in the selections process regardless of whether the student tested or not.
Academic Centers
Housed in high schools. Allow high-achieving students to take high school classes in English, social studies, science, mathematics, world language, and music or art. This program serves grades 7-8 only.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Minimum GPA of 2.5
- Admissions Exam (Regional Gifted Center exam)
Selection Process:
- Selected based on points system of 600 total
- Grades (maximum 300 points)
- Admissions Exam (maximum 300 points)
Classical Schools
These schools provide an accelerated program in literature, mathematics, language arts, and the humanities.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0 (applicants to grades 5-8 only)
- Admissions Exam (the Classical exam covers the content areas of Reading & Math)
- Score at or above the median on both the Reading AND Math sections of the admissions exam
Selection Process:
- Selected based on points system of 300 total
- Admissions exam score in Reading (maximum 150 points)
- Admissions exam score in Math (maximum 150 points)
Regional Gifted Centers
Regional Gifted Centers provide an accelerated instructional program that places an emphasis on thinking, reasoning, problem solving and creativity.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0 (applicants to grades 5-8 only)
- Admissions Exam (applicants will receive an overall composite score and subscores for both Non-Verbal and Verbal sections of the Regional Gifted exam)
Selection Process:
- Selected based on points system of 300 total
- Composite admissions exam score (maximum 300 points)
- If needed, Non-Verbal and Verbal subscores are used in the tiebreaker process
Regional Gifted Centers for ELs
Housed in three elementary schools, these programs are designed to meet the needs of high-ability students whose primary language is Polish or Spanish.
Eligibility Requirements:
- No lower than a B on their final grades in Reading and Math from their previous schools (applicants to grades 5-8 only)
- Admissions Exam (applicants will receive an overall composite score)
Selection Process:
- Selected based on points system of 300 total
- Composite admissions exam score (maximum 300 points)
Charter schools are CPS elementary schools that are approved by the Chicago Board of Education and operated independently by Charter School organizations.
Students are selected via lottery and applications are managed directly by each charter school.
There is one school serving elementary school students that is categorized as a Service Leadership Academy: Marine Leadership Academy at Ames. This school serves students in grades 7-12.
Service Leadership Academies prepare students for college and subsequent careers in a structured environment.
For the Marine Leadership Academy at Ames, students are selected via a lottery process.
Have Questions on Elementary School Types?
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Applying to Kindergarten?
If your child is attending a pk4 program that is your neighborhood school- you do not need to apply through GoCPS in order to continue at that school for kindergarten.
If your child is attending a pk4 program that is NOT your neighborhood school, you MUST submit an application if you want to continue at that school for Kindergarten. There is no preference for students attending the Pre-K program at a school for which they are applying.
Exceptions: Drummond ES or Suder ES or Inter-American ES
If you are currently in the Pre-K programs at any of these schools, you may continue at these schools for kindergarten without submitting a GoCPS application.
The admissions exams used for the Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools are designed to assess your child’s academic capabilities or reasoning and thinking skills.
There are 3 different exams that students can take depending on the type of school they are applying to. You will be prompted to schedule the exam that is required for the programs that are selected in the application
- Regional Gifted Exams
- The gifted exam taps into the child's ability to form abstract concepts and solve problems using novel information.
- This exam also serves as the admissions test for students applying to Academic Centers.
- Classical Exams
- The classical exam is an achievement-based examination and taps into a child's reading and mathematics abilities.
- Regional Gifted Exams for English Learners
- The EL-Gifted exam is a reasoning skills test that is administered in the student’s native language (Spanish or Polish).
All testing for Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools is scheduled directly in the GoCPS application. Families who select any Selective Enrollment programs in the program selection step will be automatically prompted to rank their program selections in order of preference and register for testing. If families apply to multiple categories of Selective Enrollment programs, they will be prompted to book multiple testing sessions. (Exception: Applicants to kindergarten who apply to Classical and/or Regional Gifted programs will be administered both the Classical and Regional Gifted exams in a single test session.)
For the Regional Gifted Centers and Classical School Exams
This is an exciting opportunity for you and your child. It is important to know that the screening measures utilized at the Illinois Institute of Technology are administered to your child in a one-on-one setting. Since the exams are brief, two exams will be administered during the same appointment time. One is for the Regional Gifted Centers and the other is for the Classical Schools. This will enable you to select both types of programs as possible choices for your child.
The classical exam is an achievement-based examination and taps into a child's reading and mathematics abilities.
- It is important to remember that children progress through various stages at different rates when they are acquiring reading and mathematical skills. Each child progresses at his or her own pace according to their maturity level.
- In the area of reading, some children's skill set lies at the readiness level (i.e., alphabet recitation or phonemic awareness) whereas others possess higher-level skills such as reading words and comprehending information the printed words convey.
- In the area of mathematics, children also develop at different rates in a variety of areas that include problem-solving and reasoning, number concepts, geometry, and spatial sense, measurement, and patterns and relationships.
- The exam begins with pre-school mathematical concepts such as counting, one-to-one correspondence, sorting, measurement, and recognizing visual similarities and differences between objects. Higher skills are tapped for students for those who are able to solve simple word problems and perform mathematical calculations. If your child does not possess those types of higher-level skills in reading or math, the examination is designed to reach a ceiling, and exposure to problems that are too difficult for your child is minimal.
The gifted exam taps into the child's ability to form abstract concepts and solve problems using novel information. Items focus on the ability to form relations between objects (e.g., a fish lives inside a fish bowl), sequential reasoning where the child tells what is the missing number (1.2.3__5), or detecting patterns.
Both exams administered to your child are developmentally age/grade appropriate. Some of the items will be very easy for your child and others may be more difficult. However, it is designed so that your child does not experience a stressful testing situation.
As always, encourage your child to do their best and praise their effort rather than the outcome.
Have Questions on Admissions Test?
Have Questions on Accelerated Placement & Testing?
Grades K - 4
Children applying to grades K-4 at any of the Selective Enrollment Schools will be tested for admission without having to pre-qualify, as long as the child is age-appropriate.
Grades 5-8
Children applying to grades 5-8 for any of the Selective Enrollment Schools must meet minimum eligibility requirements based on their GPA in order to be tested for admission.
- Academic Centers - Minimum GPA of 2.5
- Classical Schools - Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Regional Gifted Centers- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Regional Gifted Centers for ELs- No lower than a B on their final grades in Reading and Math from their previous schools
Grades / GPA
Grades from the previous school year are used as part of the eligibility and/or selection process for Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (grades 5-8).
The grades used for this process are the grades that are identified on the student’s official transcript. In order to maintain accuracy and integrity, letter grades cannot be weighted or analyzed outside of the information that is listed on that official transcript.
- Current CPS Students- Final grades from your previous year will be used. If grades are missing, please submit official transcripts to your current school to input into ASPEN. All grades for current CPS students are pulled from ASPEN.
- Non-CPS Students- For most schools within the city, grades will be submitted by your current school. If you do not currently attend a school that works directly with our office, please submit official transcripts from the applicant’s previously completed year to gocps@cps.edu.
Grade Change Request
If there is an error in your child’s grades or test scores, contact your child’s counselor or school official, and submit official changes to the Office of Access and Enrollment.
Any official changes to scores or grades must be received by the Office of Access and Enrollment no later than the application deadline. Changes received after this date will not be considered in the selection process.
Have Questions on Selective Enrollment Eligibility?
Once a child qualifies for an IEP, the school works together with the child’s guardian to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The child’s IEP guides the type, scope and assignment of services and supports the child receives from Chicago Public Schools in the Least Restrictive Environment.
- View our helpful hints for enrolling in Selective Enrollment
Cluster Programs
Cluster programs are designed for students requiring a significantly modified curriculum with moderate to intensive supports in a separate classroom from general education peers for the majority of the day (over 61% of the day). Individuals may also need assistance with adaptive skills. For more information email cpscluster@cps.edu.
If your child is in need of any of these services, please contact the Office of Diverse Learners Supports and Services at 773-553-1800 or via email at ODLSS@cps.edu.
Have Questions on Diverse Learners & Cluster Programs?
Priority Preferences
Sibling Priority
Some programs may give a priority or preference to students who have a sibling that already attends the school to which the student is applying, and who will still be enrolled in that school in the 2024-2025 school year. See the school-specific profile pages to see if the program you are interested in offers a sibling preference.
In order for applicants to qualify for the sibling preference, they must meet ALL of the following requirements:
- The applicant must have a sibling who is currently enrolled and will remain enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year, in the school to which the applicant is applying.
- The currently enrolled sibling and the sibling applicant must live in the same household.
- The term “sibling” applies only to natural siblings, step-siblings, foster siblings, and adopted siblings.
Staff Preference
Some programs will give priority to students applying to the entry-grade level at a school where their parent/guardian is a member of the staff. Note that these seats are based on space availability after siblings are accommodated. Only 2 seats will be given to the children of CPS staff and only at the entry-level of the school.
- Note that the staff preference seats are not guaranteed; they are based on space availability. The order in which available seats are filled varies according to school/program. For example, a program may fill available seats in the following order: (1) siblings, (2) proximity, (3) staff preference, (4) general. If all seats in the program are filled by sibling applicants and applicants who live in the school’s proximity, no seats would be filled through staff preference.
- If a parent or guardian is assigned to more than one Chicago public high school, they can only apply for staff preference at one of the schools. If a parent or guardian is not staffed at any specific Chicago public school, they cannot apply for staff preference.
- If there are more than two students that apply to a program qualify for staff preference, all staff preference students will be put through a computerized lottery. After two seats are filled, all other students will only be offered a seat after the general queue has been exhausted.
Multiples
Multiples (twin, triplet, etc…) that are applying in the same school year do NOT qualify for sibling preferences. Families of twins, triplets, and other higher-order multiple births have the option of linking their applications together so that the students are either admitted together or placed next to each other on the waitlist. If you choose not to indicate on the application that your children are multiples, their applications will be independently processed in the lottery and their applications will not be linked. Note: Multiples will not have their applications linked for selective enrollment programs.
Proximity Preferences
- Proximity lotteries are for students who live within a 1.5 mile radius of an elementary magnet school to which they are applying (or 2.5 miles for Sor Juana Elementary School)
- Proximity lotteries are only conducted for entry-level grades at magnet schools. (Proximity lotteries are not conducted for magnet schools that have an attendance boundary, or for magnet schools where at least 50% of the students reside in the neighborhood and at least 50% are of a single racial/ethnic group.)
- For most elementary schools, the entry-level grade is kindergarten.
- If you are applying to a magnet school to a non-entry grade level, your child will not be included in a proximity lottery.
Have Questions on Staff & Sibling Preferences?
Tiers
Some schools/programs select students based on their tier. Every address in the city of Chicago is assigned a tier. Tiers are based on Census data. Here is a breakdown of the categories that determine tiers.
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1. Median family income
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2. Percentage of single-parent households
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3. Percentage of households where English is not the first language
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4. Percentage of homes occupied by the homeowner
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5. The level of educational attainment
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6. Achievement scores from nearby elementary schools for the students who live in each census tract
Application Fraud
- All families submitting applications should be aware that fraud will not be tolerated within the Chicago Public Schools system.
- If you are found to have engaged in fraud in order for your child to gain entrance to a Selective Enrollment or Choice High School, your child will be subject to removal from the school.
- Any student found to have engaged in fraud based on a falsified Selective Enrollment application will be permanently banned from attending any Selective Enrollment School or program for the life of the student’s enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools.
- Employees of the Chicago Public Schools who commit such violations will be subjected to severe penalties, up to and including termination.
Custody
- For families where the custody of a child is joint, apply with the address where the student spends a majority of their time.
- Both parents have the ability to create GoCPS accounts and link the same student profile onto both accounts.
Have Questions on our Legal Section?
Next Phase
Applications for all District-managed elementary schools are available on GoCPS.
Contact Info Office of Access & Enrollment
773-553-2060
gocps@cps.edu
Chicago Public Schools
42 W. Madison St, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
