Early Entrance To Kindergarten
Spring/Summer application dates are Tuesday, April 9 to Tuesday April 30 at 5pm.
Please CLICK HERE to access the application for the 2024-25 school year!
Early Entrance to Kindergarten is the admission of a student to Kindergarten who will reach the age of five years old between the dates of September 2nd and December 31st of the year in which they wish to enroll. A testing fee of $50.00 will apply for Early Entrance to Kindergarten for city of Chicago residents; students who qualify for Free Lunch waivers are exempt from the testing fee.
Non-Chicago residents: Applicants who are not residents of the city of Chicago by the April 30th, 2024 application deadline must pay a testing fee of $250.00.
Early Entrance to Kindergarten Information Sheet
Applicants must pass a development survey AND an academic and cognitive evaluation. Students who qualify for early entrance to kindergarten during the Fall/Winter process can enroll in the designated neighborhood school for their home address, or they can be considered for enrollment in Choice (magnet, magnet cluster or open enrollment) Schools or Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (Classical Schools or Regional Gifted Centers). Note that Selective Enrollment schools require additional admissions testing; the results of Early Entrance to Kindergarten cannot be used as a substitute for Selective Enrollment testing.
Students who qualify for early entrance to kindergarten during the Spring/Summer process will not be eligible to test or apply for Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools. Families will be able to enroll their qualifying students in their neighborhood school or apply to any school that has available seats after initial selections have been released.spring/summer process
The Chicago Public Schools takes seriously the decision for a child to enter school early. Accordingly, the criteria for early entry are rigorous. The evaluation process is designed to ensure that students are not hindered by the challenges of the instructional programs and the effect that early placement might have. Although a student may exhibit high ability, please be aware that they may not be ready for kindergarten. Other important factors to consider are social maturity, personal development and motor development. If a student is evaluated as a viable candidate for early entrance to kindergarten, it is important that all stakeholders are supportive of the decision. On average, about 10-15% of applicants end up passing this process and become eligible for kindergarten early.
Parents can either apply for Early Entrance to Kindergarten during the fall/winter or the spring/summer. Students can only be assessed once for the upcoming school year. Students applying during the fall/winter will participate in the assessment at an earlier age, but are able to be considered for a greater number of schools if they qualify for early entry. Students applying during the spring/summer will participate in the assessment at a later age, but can only be considered for schools that still have seats available at that time. Please see the Info Sheet above for more in-depth information about the process.
The following provides information about the 2024-2025 application period. Please contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at 773-553-2060 or GOCPS@CPS.EDU if you have any questions. For the 2024-2025 school year, the student must be born between September 2 and December 31, 2019 to be considered for Early Entrance to Kindergarten.
Follow the steps below to apply for Early Entrance to Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year.
Step 1
Step 1
The parent/guardian will submit the online application, which will be available HERE from Tuesday, April 9 at 9 am to Tuesday, April 30 at 5pm.
Step 2
Step 2
The parent/legal guardian will be contacted via email to complete Phase 1 of this process, which is to complete a Developmental Survey. This survey will be emailed to the email address on file the week of May 6, 2024. In this phase, the parent/legal guardian will complete a Developmental Survey online.
Prior to filling out the Developmental Survey, the parent/guardian will be required to email the following documentation to gocps@cps.edu:
- (1) Evidence that the student attended at least one year of preschool – non-CPS preschoolers should provide a letter signed by the student’s preschool verifying this information; for CPS preschoolers, this information will be verified via the Aspen Student Information System;
- (2) A copy of the student’s birth certificate or other proof of age
Step 3
Step 3
If the result of the survey meets the requirement indicating kindergarten readiness (91st percentile), the student will be scheduled for an academic and cognitive test. If the result on the Developmental Survey does not meet the minimum requirement, the parent/legal guardian will be notified via email and the Early Entrance evaluation process for the student will end at that point.
Step 4
Step 4
Students scheduled for the academic and cognitive test will be tested by a CPS psychologist in late May or early June at CPS’s Garfield Park offices (2651 W. Washington Blvd.). For the Spring/Summer application cycle, tests will be offered on a Saturday. The $50 testing fee (if applicable) will be paid prior to the administration of the test via credit/debit card in our online portal. The exam will be scored within five business days and the parent will be notified via email regarding the results. The student must score at the 91st percentile or higher on both the academic and cognitive portions of the test in order to qualify for Early Entrance into Kindergarten. If the student does not achieve this score, the parent will be notified in the email notification and the Early Entrance evaluation process for the student will end at that point.
Step 5
Step 5
If the student achieves the required minimum score on the academic and cognitive tests, the child's application will be approved and the student will be considered as an applicant to Kindergarten. Students can then enroll in the designated neighborhood school for their home address, or they can apply to be considered for enrollment in Choice (magnet, magnet cluster, dual language or open enrollment) Schools. Spring/Summer applicants will be limited to schools that still have available Kindergarten seats.
Early Entrance To First Grade
Families looking to participate in the Early Entrance to First Grade process do not need to submit an application, but must email a required letter to gocps@cps.edu. Families interested in applying for Selective Enrollment programs must submit a qualifying letter on or before Friday, January 12, 2024 at 5pm.
Early Entrance to First Grade (previously known as the First-Grade Age Exception) is the admission of a student to first grade who will reach the age of six years old between the dates of September 2nd and December 31st of the year in which they wish to enroll. There are no changes to the district’s current policy related to the First Grade Age Exception. This is not a process by which a student can skip kindergarten. In order to apply for Early Entrance to First Grade, students must: (1) turn six years old between September 2nd and December 31st of the school year for which they are applying; (2) have attended preschool and kindergarten at the same non-CPS school (daycare centers do not qualify for this process); (3) have been taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher; and (4) be deemed ready by the non-CPS school to work at the first grade level.
Early Entrance To First Grade
Families looking to participate in the Early Entrance to First Grade process do not need to submit an application, but must email a required letter to gocps@cps.edu. Families interested in applying for Selective Enrollment programs must submit a qualifying letter on or before Friday, January 12, 2024 at 5pm.
Early Entrance to First Grade (previously known as the First-Grade Age Exception) is the admission of a student to first grade who will reach the age of six years old between the dates of September 2nd and December 31st of the year in which they wish to enroll. There are no changes to the district’s current policy related to the First Grade Age Exception. This is not a process by which a student can skip kindergarten. In order to apply for Early Entrance to First Grade, students must: (1) turn six years old between September 2nd and December 31st of the school year for which they are applying; (2) have attended preschool and kindergarten at the same non-CPS school (daycare centers do not qualify for this process); (3) have been taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher; and (4) be deemed ready by the non-CPS school to work at the first grade level.
Early Entrance to First Grade Information Sheet
Follow the steps below to apply for Early Entrance to First Grade for the 2024-2025 school year:
Step 1
Step 1
Families looking to participate in the Early Entrance to First Grade process do not need to submit an application, but must email a required letter to gocps@cps.edu. Families interested in applying for Selective Enrollment programs and/or participating in the initial round of the GoCPS application process must submit a qualifying letter on or before Friday, January 12, 2024 at 5pm.
Note: This online application is not through the GoCPS portal. The parent/guardian will not have to select schools to apply to at this time; if the student passes the Early Entrance to First Grade process, the Office of Access and Enrollment will contact the parent/guardian to select the schools they wish to apply to.
Step 2
Step 2
The parent/legal guardian will need to obtain a letter signed by the principal or director of the student’s current school which verifies that the student
- (1) attended the school for both preschool and Kindergarten,
- (2) was taught in Kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher and
- (3) is ready for first grade work.
If the student is interested in Choice/Selective Enrollment school, this letter must be submitted to the Office of Access and Enrollment at gocps@cps.edu no later than January 12, 2024.
Step 3
Step 3
If the letter meets the requirements of the process, the Office of Access and Enrollment will contact the parent/guardian to select schools they wish to apply to. If there is interest in applying to any Selective Enrollment program, the Office of Access and Enrollment will contact the parent/guardian to schedule a test.
Whole-Grade Acceleration
The application window for the 2024-2025 school year will be open from September 13, 2023 until November 9, 2023 at 5pm
Whole-grade acceleration (also known as grade skipping) is the full-time admission of a student who meets the criteria set forth by the district to a higher grade level than is typical given the student’s age, for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. Per the Accelerated Placement Policy approved for adoption by the Board on June 28, 2023, applicants for Whole-Grade Acceleration must be currently enrolled in 4th-6th grade. Students can only apply for Whole-Grade Acceleration for the school in which they are currently enrolled. A testing fee of $250.00 will apply for whole-grade acceleration; students who qualify for Free Lunch waivers are exempt from the testing fee.
Apply for Whole-Grade Acceleration for the 2024-25 School Year!
Whole-Grade Acceleration Info Sheet
Follow the steps below to apply for Whole-Grade Acceleration for the 2024-2025 school year:
Step 1
Step 1
The parent/legal guardian will complete and submit an online application to the Office of Access and Enrollment during the application window of September 13, 2023, until November 9, 2023, at 5 pm. No late applications will be accepted.
Step 2
Step 2
In order to be considered for Whole-Grade Acceleration, the student must meet the following pre-qualifications (for which there are no exceptions):
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.75 in the core areas of reading, math, science, and social science, calculated from final grades from the previous school year.
- Performance in the “Exceeds” test category from the previous school year on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in both reading and math.
- The student must currently be in grades 4-6.
Step 3
Step 3
If the student meets the minimum requirements in all three of the pre-qualification areas, the school will conduct a final pre-qualification assessment/questionnaire on the following school factors identified on the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS): school and academic factors, developmental factors, interpersonal skills, and attitude and support. The student must achieve a minimum of 48 points (out of a possible 58).
Step 4
Step 4
If the student achieves the minimum points required on the IAS, the student will be scheduled to take evaluation exams in the areas of Academic Ability, Aptitude, and Achievement. The evaluation will be administered at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The parent/legal guardian will receive a robocall and email notifying them of the test date, time and location. The student must score a minimum of 10 points (out of a possible 22). Please see the Information Sheet above for more information on scoring.
Step 5
Step 5
If the student scores the minimum required points on the exam, the student’s points will be tallied from the Iowa Acceleration Scale and the Academic Ability, Aptitude, and Achievement exams. Students must have a final score of between 60 and 80 points in order to be considered for Whole-Grade Acceleration. Final approval for acceleration must be provided by the school’s Acceleration Team and principal. If approved, the parent/legal guardian will receive a letter of notification from the school which confirms that the student is approved for Whole-Grade Acceleration, along with the next steps for planning for the coming school year.
Single-Subject Acceleration
The application this year will be open from September 13, 2023 to November 9, 2023 at 5pm.
Single-subject acceleration is the admission of assigning a student to math and/or reading at the next higher grade level than is typical given the student’s age for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. Per the Interim Accelerated Placement Policy approved for adoption by the Board on June 28, 2023, applicants for Single-Subject Acceleration must be currently enrolled in 4th-6th grade. Students can only apply for Single-Grade Acceleration for the school in which they are currently enrolled; the outcome of the Single-Subject Acceleration process cannot be applied to a different school to which the student may apply. A testing fee of $35.00 will apply to single-subject acceleration; students who qualify for Free Lunch waivers are exempt from the testing fee.
Apply for Single-Subject Acceleration for the 2024-25 School Year!
Single-Subject Acceleration
The application this year will be open from September 13, 2023 to November 9, 2023 at 5pm.
Single-subject acceleration is the admission of assigning a student to math and/or reading at the next higher grade level than is typical given the student’s age for the purpose of providing access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. Per the Interim Accelerated Placement Policy approved for adoption by the Board on June 28, 2023, applicants for Single-Subject Acceleration must be currently enrolled in 4th-6th grade. Students can only apply for Single-Grade Acceleration for the school in which they are currently enrolled; the outcome of the Single-Subject Acceleration process cannot be applied to a different school to which the student may apply. A testing fee of $35.00 will apply to single-subject acceleration; students who qualify for Free Lunch waivers are exempt from the testing fee.
Apply for Single-Subject Acceleration for the 2024-25 School Year!
Single-Subject Acceleration Info Sheet
Step 1
Step 1
The parent/legal guardian will complete and submit an online application to the Office of Access and Enrollment during the application window of September 13, 2023, until November 9, 2023, at 5 pm.
Step 2
Step 2
In order to be considered for Single-Subject Acceleration, the student must meet the following pre-qualifications (for which there are no exceptions):
- Minimum grade point average of 3.75 or better in math/and or reading, per quarter, for the past two school years.
- Performance in the “Exceeds” test category from the previous school year on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in reading and/or math.
- The student must currently be in grades 4-6.
Step 3
Step 3
If the student meets the minimum requirements in all three of the pre-qualification areas, the school will conduct a final pre-qualification assessment/questionnaire on the following school factors identified on the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS): school and academic factors and interpersonal skills. The student must achieve a minimum of 26 points (out of a possible 38).
Step 4
Step 4
If the student achieves the minimum points required on the IAS, the student will be scheduled to take evaluation exams in the area of Aptitude. The evaluation will be administered at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The parent/legal guardian will receive a robocall and email notifying them of the test date, time and location. The student must score a minimum of 6 points (out of a possible 8). Please see the Information Sheet above for more information on scoring.
Step 5
Step 5
If the student scores the minimum required points on the exam, the student’s points will be tallied from the Iowa Acceleration Scale and the Aptitude exam. Students must have a minimum final score of 32 points in order to be considered for Single-Subject Acceleration. Final approval for acceleration must be provided by the school’s Acceleration Team and principal. If approved, the parent/legal guardian will receive a letter of notification from the school which confirms that the student is approved for Single-Subject Acceleration, along with the next steps for planning for the coming school year.
Contact Info Office of Access & Enrollment
773-553-2060
gocps@cps.edu
Chicago Public Schools
42 W. Madison St, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
