End of Week Message: New Data Shows CPS Graduates Soaring!

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Dear CPS Families, Colleagues, and Champions,

Our commitment to preparing students for success beyond CPS begins the moment they enter our schools.  This means grounding students in rigorous academic content and social-emotional learning, but also exposing them to the endless possibilities that can shape their futures.

This week, we hosted an event at Von Steuben High School in Albany Park celebrating the results of this effort. This data shows our graduates reaching higher, accomplishing more, and leaving high school better prepared than ever to pursue and achieve their dreams. 

Highlights from this data include:

• Rising graduation rate. Our four-year high school graduation rate is now 83.4%, which is DOUBLE what it was in 2001. This means that in just a quarter century, CPS students are now twice as likely as they once were to earn their high school diplomas.

• Record numbers of early college and career credentials. Whether through dual-enrollment courses, CTE certifications, or many other academic and work-based learning opportunities, we want every CPS student leaving high school not just with a diploma, but with early college and career credentials (ECCCs) that will give them a head start in life. This year, we are proud to announce that 57.2% of 2026 graduates earned at least one of these credentials before graduation. This is an increase of more than ten percentage points in just the past four years, and a new record for the District!
• Nearly $3 billion in college scholarships. Our focus on ECCC credits has several goals, including helping break down the financial barriers that can prevent some students from pursuing a college education. Also key to this effort is connecting our students with scholarship opportunities, which they are fully taking advantage of year after year. Even without the final numbers in, the CPS Class of 2026 has accumulated more than $3 billion in scholarship offers to help them launch their college careers this fall!

• 70% college enrollment rate; 78% college persistence rate. With their ECCC credits and scholarships in hand, seven out of every ten CPS graduates are now enrolling in college, far outpacing the national rate of 63%. More than 78% of these students are persisting in their college education, which is also above the national average.

How We Grow and Protect Our Gains

The growth outlined above has come despite inadequate funding from the State of Illinois. So imagine what our students could accomplish if those dollars increased?

For years, CPS has been severely underfunded by the State of Illinois. In fact, our schools are currently funded at just 70% of what the state itself considers adequate. In addition, growing student needs, continued deficits, and the ongoing threat of cuts to education from the federal government make our funding situation extremely urgent. 

Our state lawmakers will gather in Springfield next month, and we must work together to urge them to act. Here are some ways you can lend your voice to this effort:

• Identify your elected officials in Springfield.
  • Click here to look up who your state legislators are!
  • Find contact information for your state senator here!
  • Find contact information for your state representative here!
• Call or email your legislators. Here is some suggested language to use if you want to make a call or send an email to your state lawmakers. What is particularly impactful is if you include personal details about what more funding would mean for your school, your students, and your neighborhood. For example:
  • What is your vision for your child’s school, the school in your neighborhood, or CPS in general?
  • How is the school an important part of your neighborhood or community
  • What programs are working for students that you want to protect?
  • What programs or resources are you concerned about losing if schools are not fully funded?
• Submit a written comment to the Governor’s Office or call the Governor’s Office at 217-782-6830.
• Write a letter to the editor. Writing a letter to the editor for a local newspaper is a great way to make your voice heard. You can use the guiding questions above to help shape your letter. Then please follow the submission guidelines below for major Chicago newspapers
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Chicago Sun-Times
  • Crain’s Chicago Business
  • Chicago Reader
  • South Side Weekly
• Post on social media. Another effective way to use your voice is to share your thoughts on social media with a graphic, a video, or just a written message. This document includes graphics, sample post language, and instructions on how to record and post a selfie-style video. You can access social media graphics in English and Spanish here.
• Travel to Springfield to meet with legislators. CPS will have a limited number of seats available on buses for parents and community partners who wish to travel to Springfield on Tuesday Nov. 17 and Tuesday Dec. 1 to meet with lawmakers. Click this link to sign up and reserve your spot. Please Note: This opportunity is not available to CPS staff and students, as both November 17 and December 1 are instructional days.

CPS Conference Unites Black Student Unions

This week, Black student leaders from across the District, including our charter schools, came together with allies and supporters to build connections, exchange ideas, and strengthen a shared sense of community and purpose. Supported by the District’s Equity Office, the gathering created an opportunity for students to elevate their voices and learn from one another.

This student-organized, student-led event was an opportunity for Black Student Unions (BSUs) to expand beyond their individual schools and begin building a Districtwide community.

Rooted in the CPS Black Student Success Plan, this conference reflects the District’s broader commitment to honoring and affirming the identities, experiences, and voices of every student while creating the conditions for all students to feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. Our Black Student Unions (BSUs) play an important role in advancing this commitment by providing opportunities for students to celebrate their identities, build community, and contribute to positive, inclusive school cultures that foster belonging, connection, and student success..  

Announcing New CPS Leaders

I’m pleased to announce two important appointments to the CPS leadership team, bringing valuable experience and expertise to our District.  

Evangelina Covarrubias, our District’s new Chief Equity Officer, played a pivotal role in establishing the CPS Office of Equity in 2018, and co-authored the District's first comprehensive Equity Framework. Her leadership has improved our District’s approach to identifying needs, evaluating policies, and allocating resources to enhance student opportunities, and her fostering of leadership development has contributed to a District that better challenges inequities and amplifies community and student voice.

Dr. Marilou Rebolledo, our new Chief Teaching and Learning Officer, brings more than 30 years of education experience to this role. Her previous CPS positions include National Board-Certified Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Deputy Chief, and Chief of Schools for Network 2, where she has utilized her extensive expertise to promote educational equity, develop rigorous curriculum, and foster inclusive learning environments. In her position as Chief Teaching and Learning Officer, Dr. Rebolledo aims to enhance our District’s core commitments while cultivating a joyful, rigorous, and equitable educational experience for every child.

You can read more about these CPS leaders here. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Macquline King
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools

Share Your Good News!

We love highlighting the great things that are happening in our schools, along with the people who are making them happen! Please use the Good News Form to tell us your stories so that we can share them with the District!

• October is National Principals Month! Let us know why your school leader deserves a shout-out!
• October is also Anti-Bullying Awareness Month. What is your school community doing to ensure students show kindness and respect toward each other?
• Is there a school program that you’re particularly proud of? 
• What about a member of your school community who deserves to be recognized?

Share your story with us today so that we can feature it through this newsletter, on CPS social media, and even in the news!