CHICAGO — For the thousands of students on edge over whether they'll be accepted to one of the city's 11 selective-enrollment high schools, the wait is almost over.
All decision letters will be sent out from CPS headquarters on Friday, Feb. 26, CPS officials said last week. All families should receive a letter by the following Friday, March 4, at the latest, the CPS website says.
Students who receive acceptance letters will have until March 11 to accept offers, officials said.
Any student who accepts an offer from one school will have to withdraw from contention for spots in other schools, unless they apply for a separate process called "principal discretion." Under "principal discretion," after applications are decided, selective-enrollment principals will be able to personally fill up to 5 percent of the open spots at their schools.
Applicants are considered based on a 900-point scale that combines their previous grades, their NWEA test scores and the results of an admissions test they took in the fall.
Rejected applicants will be placed on a waiting list with the rest of the applicant pool, where they'll be considered for remaining seats in an order based on their scores.
The application process is highly competitive: Last year, 13,413 students applied for 3,600 seats in the 2015-16 freshman class.
Last month, CPS officials announced new plans to crack down on fraudulent applications after an inspector general's report revealed that suburban families were gaming the system by listing fake addresses.
Anyone with more questions on the application process can email the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment or call 773-553-2060.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
