District Overview - Choice

Are High School Students Choosing Schools in Their Region?

Percentage of 8th Grade Students Who Applied to High School

Currently, CPS uses the GoCPS platform to assist students and families in researching and applying to high schools and high school programs across the district. Students are asked to rank in order of preference the schools and programs they are most interested in. Students are guaranteed a seat in the general education program at their zoned high school and are not required to submit an application to attend there. For more information about GoCPS and the high school application process, visit go.cps.edu.

District-wide, 92% of all 8th-grade CPS students applied to high school programs in Round 1 of the GoCPS application process. Pilsen / Little Village (97%), Greater Milwaukee Avenue (95%), Greater Midway (95%), Northwest Side (95%), and Greater Stockyards (95%) regions had the greatest application rates while the Far Northwest Side (85%) region had the lowest.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

Percentage of 8th Grade Students Who Received an Offer from One of Their Top 3 Choices

Of all 8th-grade CPS students who applied to high school programs in Round 1, 87% received an offer from one of their top three choices. The Pilsen / Little Village (92%) region had the greatest percentage of students who received an offer from one of their top three choices while the Greater Midway (81%) region had the least. This data does not include selective enrollment high schools as those schools use a different ranking process in GoCPS.

NOTE: This analysis only includes 8th-grade applicants who were enrolled on the 20th day of school in 2024-25. Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student Choice Over Time

School choice is currently defined as choosing to attend a school that is not a student’s zoned (or assigned) school.

Over the past four years, the percentage of high school students attending a school other than their zoned school (in or out of region) has decreased from 76% to 75% across the district. In the same time frame, the percentage of students attending their zoned school has stayed the same at 25%.

The percentage of high school students attending a school in their home region (zoned or non-zoned) has increased from 56% to 57% while the percentage of students attending another school out of region has decreased from 45% to 43% across the district.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student Choice by Race/Ethnicity

School choice patterns tend to vary by race/ethnicity.

District-wide, 30% of high school students identifying as Latinx attend their zoned school compared to 17% of high school students identifying as Black, 30% of high school students identifying as White, and 25% of high school students identifying as Asian.

High school students identifying as Latinx attend school out of their home region at a rate of 38% compared to 49% of high school students identifying as Black, 41% of high school students identifying as White, and 45% of high school students identifying as Asian.

Students identifying as Latinx or White have the lowest percentage attending school out of their home region at 38% and 41% respectively.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student Choice by Region

District-wide, more than twice as many high school students (43%) attend school out of their home region compared to elementary students (18%). The Northwest Side region has the greatest percentage of high school students who attend school in their region (zoned or non-zoned) at 78% and the Greater Milwaukee Avenue and Greater Stony Island regions have the lowest percentage at 38%.

|  District-wide, 43% of high school students attend school out of the region where they live.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student's Distance Traveled to School

These graphs show the median distance traveled for high school students who live in each region, regardless of whether they attend school in or out of their region. Travel data can be helpful in understanding the impact of choice patterns across regions. In general, shorter commutes can indicate that more or better school options are available within a region while longer commutes may mean that students are opting to travel greater distances to their school of choice

District-wide, the median distance high school students travel to school is 2.6 miles. 21% of students travel less than 1 mile to school and 46% of students travel 3 miles or more to school.

There is significant variation in the distance traveled to school by region. 29% of students residing in the North Lakefront region travel less than 1 mile compared to 10% of students in the Greater Stony Island region.

NOTE: The travel distance and time medians represent the midpoint in each group of data. The midpoint is the point where 50% of students in the region travel shorter than this distance/time and 50% travel longer than this distance/time. Using a median more fairly represents travel data and reduces the influence of extreme values such as students who attend school very far away from their home region.

Distance traveled and commute time are calculated based on the student’s home address and the address of their school. Commute distance and time was calculated using Google Maps travel estimates and includes a combination of walking and public transit data. The analysis takes into account school start times and chooses routes that minimize unnecessary travel and wait time. Any wait time before a trip starts is not included but wait times due to transfers are included.

Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student's Time Traveled to School

These graphs show the median commute time for high school students who live in each region, regardless of whether they attend school in or out of their region. Travel data can be helpful in understanding the impact of choice patterns across regions. In general, shorter commutes can indicate that more or better school options are available within a region while longer commutes may mean that students are opting to travel greater distances to their school of choice.

District-wide, the median time high school students travel to school is 26 minutes. 19% of students travel less than 15 minutes to school and 17% of students travel 45 minutes or more to school.

There is significant variation in the time traveled to school by region. 26% of students residing in the Bronzeville / South Lakefront region travel less than 15 minutes compared to 11% of students in the South Side region.

NOTE: The travel distance and time medians represent the midpoint in each group of data. The midpoint is the point where 50% of students in the region travel shorter than this distance/time and 50% travel longer than this distance/time. Using a median more fairly represents travel data and reduces the influence of extreme values such as students who attend school very far away from their home region.

Distance traveled and commute time are calculated based on the student’s home address and the address of their school. Commute distance and time was calculated using Google Maps travel estimates and includes a combination of walking and public transit data. The analysis takes into account school start times and chooses routes that minimize unnecessary travel and wait time. Any wait time before a trip starts is not included but wait times due to transfers are included.

Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student's Distance Traveled to School by Race/Ethnicity

There is some variation in travel distances by race and ethnicity.

District-wide, 55% of high school school students travel less than 3 miles to school. 61% of students identifying as Latinx travel less than 3 miles to school compared to 47% of students identifying as Black, 49% of students identifying as Asian, and 53% of students identifying as White.

24% of students identifying as Black travel 6 miles or more to school compared to 14% of students identifying as Latinx, 15% of students identifying as White, and 18% of students identifying as Asian.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

High School Student's Time Traveled to School by Race/Ethnicity

There is also some variation in travel times by race and ethnicity.

District-wide, 59% of high school students travel less than 30 minutes to school. 64% of students identifying as Latinx travel less than 30 minutes to school compared to 53% of students identifying as Black, 54% of students identifying as Asian, and 56% of students identifying as White.

22% of students identifying as Black travel more than 45 minutes to school compared to 16% of students identifying as Latinx, 16% of students identifying as White, and 19% of students identifying as Asian.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

Are Options High School Students Choosing Schools in Their Region?

Options High School Student Choice Over Time

Options high schools serve students who need a new pathway toward high school graduation. CPS schools offer additional supports and services for students who have been out of school and seek to return or who may need opportunities to earn credits in an accelerated program. Some of CPS’ campuses offer additional supports such as counseling and alternative schedules for students who may work during the traditional school day.

Options high schools exist in every region except the Greater Lincoln Park and Far Southwest Side regions. Options high schools do not have attendance zones or admission criteria although many serve only students 16 years and older. Students can choose to attend any Options high school within or outside of their home region. For this reason, Choice patterns tend to differ for Options students compared to elementary and other high school students.

Over the past four years, the percentage of Options high school students attending a school in their region has increased from 39% to 40%. District-wide, Options high school students attend school out of region at a greater rate than elementary and other high school students.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

Options High School Student Choice by Region

District-wide, a greater percentage of Options high school students attend school out of region than both other high school and elementary students. The Far Southwest Side and Greater Lincoln Park regions both have the greatest percentage of students attending school out of region at 100% because there are no Options high schools in those regions. For regions where an in-region Options high school exists, the Greater Milwaukee Avenue (67%) and Greater Calumet (61%) regions have the greatest percentage of students attending an in-region Options high school.

NOTE: Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

Options High School Students' Distance Traveled to School

This graph shows the median distance traveled for Options high school students who live in each region, regardless of whether they attend school in or out of the region. Travel data can be helpful in understanding the impact of choice patterns across regions. In general, shorter commutes can indicate that more or better school options are available within a region while longer commutes may mean that students are opting to travel greater distances to their school of choice.

District-wide, the median distance Options high school students travel to school is 3.4 miles. The regions with the shortest median commute are Greater Milwaukee Avenue (1.5 miles), Greater Stockyards (2.0 miles), and Far Southwest Side (2.2 miles). The regions with the furthest median commute are Bronzeville / South Lakefront (5.4 miles), North Lakefront (5.3 miles), and Central Area (4.7 miles).

District-wide, 12% of Options high students travel less than 1 mile to school and 56% of students travel 3 miles or more.

NOTE: The travel distance and time medians represent the midpoint in each group of data. The midpoint is the point where 50% of students in the region travel shorter than this distance/time and 50% travel longer than this distance/time. Using a median more fairly represents travel data and reduces the influence of extreme values such as students who attend school very far away from their home region.

Distance traveled and commute time are calculated based on the student’s home address and the address of their school. Commute distance and time was calculated using Google Maps travel estimates and includes a combination of walking and public transit data. The analysis takes into account school start times and chooses routes that minimize unnecessary travel and wait time. Any wait time before a trip starts is not included but wait times due to transfers are included.

Due to rounding, some charts may not add up to 100%.

Options High School Students' Time Traveled to School

This graph shows the median time traveled for Options high school students who live in each region, regardless of whether they attend school in or out of the region. Travel data can be helpful in understanding the impact of choice patterns across regions. In general, shorter commutes can indicate that more or better school options are available within a region while longer commutes may mean that students are opting to travel greater distances to their school of choice.

District-wide, the median distance Options high school students travel to school is 29 minutes. The regions with the shortest median commute time are Greater Milwaukee Avenue (19 minutes), Greater Stockyards (20 minutes), and Far Southwest Side and Pilsen / Little Village (22 minutes). The regions with the longest median commute time are North Lakefront and Bronzeville / South Lakefront (37 minutes) and Far Northwest Side (36 minutes).

District-wide, 51% of Options high school students travel less than 30 minutes to school and 21% of students travel 45 minutes or more.