Chicago Public Schools (CPS) selective enrollment cutoff scores for the 2024-2025 school year reached near-perfect levels for the city's most competitive high schools, with Tier 4 applicants often requiring scores of 890 or higher out of a possible 900 points. These scores, also referred to as "minimum point totals," represent the lowest score that received an initial offer at a specific school. High School Selective Enrollment Cutoff Benchmarks
For the most competitive schools, scores often hovered near the maximum. The "Rank" score refers to students selected by points alone, while "Tier" scores reflect seats reserved for specific socio-economic neighborhoods. Rank (Min) Tier 1 (Min) Tier 4 (Min) Walter Payton Northside Prep Whitney Young Jones College Prep Lane Tech Source: Derived from GoCPS initial offer data. Elementary & Academic Centers (K–8) cps selective enrollment cutoff scores 20242024 updated
The remaining seats are split equally among Tiers 1 through 4. Because competition is fiercest in Tier 4 (high-SES neighborhoods), their cutoff scores are typically much higher than Tier 1 scores. 2024 Initial Offer Cutoff Trends Grades 2-5: For the most competitive schools, scores
: 450 points from 7th-grade core subject grades and 450 points from the CPS High School Admissions Test (HSAT). Offers are distributed as 30% "Rank" (highest scores citywide) and 70% divided equally among the four socio-economic tiers. Chicago Public Schools School Name Rank (30%) Walter Payton Northside Prep Whitney Young Jones College Prep Source: Official CPS High School Resources and historical Selective Enrollment High School Results Chicago Public Schools Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES) Point scales vary by program: (300 points), Regional Gifted Centers (300 points), and Academic Centers (7th–8th grade entry, 600 points). Chicago Public Schools Academic Centers (7th Grade Entry): Whitney Young Rank 572.5 | Tier 4: 557.5 Rank 542.5 | Tier 4: 532.5 Classical Programs (Kindergarten Entry): Skinner West Rank 241.3 | Tier 4: 225 Rank 241.3 | Tier 4: 218.8 Chicago Public Schools Critical Application Policies High School Resources | Chicago Public Schools MAP Math percentile (higher wins) MAP Reading percentile
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) uses a Tier-based system for admission to its 11 Selective Enrollment High Schools. This system is designed to promote socioeconomic and geographic diversity. For the 2024-2025 school year (applied in fall 2023, results released in spring 2024), students were admitted based on a composite score derived from:
| School | Competitive Score (Tier 1) | Competitive Score (Tier 4) | |--------|----------------------------|----------------------------| | Payton | 830 | 860 | | Northside | 820 | 850 | | Jones | 810 | 840 | | Young | 800 | 830 | | Lane | 760 | 790 | | Lindblom | 740 | 770 | | Brooks | 720 | 750 | | King | 690 | 720 |